Zapple Butter Zucchini Loaf

I know there are a zillion zucchini bread recipes out there. Heck, I have at least 10 on here myself, each a totally unique variation on the theme (and common goal of using up zucchini glut). If you look at a lot of these recipes, though, you'll notice they contain large amounts of oil or butter - something that always surprised me, given the veggie's inherent moisture. They also tend to include grotesque amounts of sugar - a more understandable feature, since the squash is relatively bland (and easy to hide!). I knew there was definite room for improvement on both fronts, and wanted to see if I could make the loaf vegan too.

Now, replacing oil with applesauce is nothing new. Dieters have been using that trick for ages, and in general it works - with the caveat that baked goods can be a tad spongy or gummy. I've found a lot greater success using apple butter, but usually only dared swap about 2/3 of the fat for it. However, I had been using up some of our zucchini glut by making Zapple Butter, and figured I'd try the double-zucchini treatment here exclusively. That's right - there is NO added fat in this loaf, and since I was on a roll, I made it 100% whole wheat and refined sugar free. Veganizing the recipe was the easiest thing to get my head around, since I had a fresh supply of Homemade Egg Replacer on hand that worked beautifully. 

Even after all that modification, the bread was perfectly moist (not gummy at all!), tender and rich tasting thanks to maple syrup, coconut sugar and a hefty dash of cinnamon and allspice accenting the nutty flavours from the coconut milk and whole wheat. It's great au naturale, warmed slightly with a dab of butter, apple butter or cream cheese, or even French toasted! When treats this good are this guilt-free, the options are endless!

Zapple Butter Zucchini Loaf
Makes one loaf, 10 slices
⅓ cup coconut sugar
⅓ cup maple syrup
¾ cup Zapple Butter or unsweetened apple butter
¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk alternative (not canned)
1 ½ cups shredded zucchini
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
1 tbsp Homemade Egg Replacer (dry)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease a 9x5” loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, beat together stir together sugar, maple syrup, zapple butter, coconut milk and zucchini.
3. Add flour, cinnamon, allspice, egg replacer, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stirring to moisten.
4. Bake for 50 minutes, or until it tests done. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmould and cool on a rack.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 164.0
Total Fat: 1.7 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 11.2 mg
Total Carbs: 38.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.7 g
Protein: 3.6 g