Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread

Delicious Zucchini Bread that also incorporates shredded carrots and diced apples for a wonderful fall treat!

I'm probably late in the season for zucchini bread but I found a few marked down at my local grocery store and decided I'd buy a couple to put in soup and make this bread.  I have a few zucchini bread recipes but none that are as easily made as this one.  I'd been searching for a more traditional recipe when I came upon this delicious one at  Mom On Time Out. I changed a few ingredients but not anything that would affect the integrity of the finished product (which did I say is delicious?).  

What really attracted me to this recipe is the addition of the shredded carrots and diced apples.  I always have carrots on hand and this year the apples have been abundant.  Just about anyone with an apple tree has had a bumper crop. And the wild apple trees growing all over town are laden down with the free-to-take fruit that would just drop to the ground or rot on the branches.  When Nan's house sold earlier this year I thought I wouldn't have apples this fall but, as I stated above, apples are everywhere.  People are giving them away by the bagful.  So I was more than happy to try this recipe with the diced apples. 

Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread makes a nice treat at breakfast or for an afternoon tea or coffee break.  If you are making it to pack in a child's lunch box leave out the nuts as many schools are nut-free. 

Printable recipe at end of post.

Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup orange juice (water or milk may be used)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla 
• 3¼ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1½ cups shredded carrots
• 1½ cup shredded zucchini (If zucchini is very wet, squeeze the water out before using.)
• 1 cup apple, peeled and diced
• ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (Toast them for even more flavour.)

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or pan spray two 8x4-inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper for easy removal.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the oil and sugar. Add eggs, orange juice, and vanilla and beat until combined.  I use a whisk to do this. Fold flour mixture into wet ingredients then add the shredded carrots and zucchini, diced apples and chopped nuts.

Pour into prepared pans and bake until golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes, or until loaves test done with a toothpick. 

Makes 2 loaves or 24-30 slices. 

 

*You can also make muffins from the batter.  I’m not sure how many but I’m guessing at least 18-24 in a standard sized muffin pan.  I made a few and baked them for 20-22 minutes.  

Shred the zucchini and carrots; dice the apples.  Set aside. 

(If the zucchini is very wet squeeze out the liquid.)

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices together. Lay aside until needed. 

Beat the sugar and oil together and then beat in the eggs.  I got ahead of myself and put all of them in the bowl together.  Sigh.... Do as is written and not as I did.

Beat in the orange juice and vanilla. 

Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.

This is what your mixture will look like.  The batter will be fairly thick.

Stir in the shredded zucchini and carrots and the dice apples and chopped nuts.

You will have a medium thick batter with the fruit and vegetables added. 

Divide batter between the two prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Just out of the oven. They smell so good!

Place the baked loaves on a baking rack until completely cool.  Store the cooled loaves in bread bags or airtight containers.

I also made a few muffins with some of the batter.  I baked them approximately 22 minutes in a standard size muffin pan.  My loaves would have been somewhat larger if I hadn't made the four muffins.

Because the recipe makes two loaves, I froze one for later on in the week.  If freezing for more than a week use a heavy freezer bag.

I took a big bite from this slice of Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread!

The slices are so moist and tender!

Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread makes use of a bountiful harvest.

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩