Zucchini cake

When my mother told me that she wanted me to make a Zucchini Cake that she had found in the August 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine for her birthday, I wasn't overly excited.  I've never been too excited by zucchini cake or bread.  But when I looked over the ingredient list, I changed my mind quickly.  I did make some changes, which I've outlined below, but it was really the flavor profile that the spices added that got me excited...and let me tell you, this cake lives up to its promise!

I failed to take a picture of the cake at her house, where I did make it in bundt pan.  Back at home, I made another batch and baked them as muffins, as shown above.  Here is the recipe with the changes I made.  Or visit the link above and bake Martha's version.

Zucchini Cake

For the cake:
2 ½ c zucchini, unpeeled but trimmed
2 ½ c all-purpose flour
2 ½ t baking powder
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t anise seeds
1/4 t ground cardamom
1 dash of allspice
1 t salt

3 large eggs
1 ½ c sugar
6 oz butter (1/4 c + 2 T), melted
1/4 c + 2 T applesauce
½ t grated orange zest
1 T orange juice

For the glaze:
1 ¼  cups powdered sugar
2 dashes of ground cardamom and allspice
1 t finely grated orange zest
3 T fresh orange juice
Milk to thin (if needed)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 6-cup Bundt pan. Grate zucchini and squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.

In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar, then mix in melted butter, applesauce, zucchini, orange zest, and orange juice. Stir in dry ingredients until fully integrated. Pour evenly into bundt pan. Bake in 325 oven for about 60 minutes. When done, a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out completely clean.  For muffins, fill cups 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake for 25 to 28 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and continue to cool on a wire rack. Cool another 30 minutes before adding glaze.

For the glaze:
Mix all ingredients until smooth and the consistency of thick honey.  Use a large glass measuring cup and pour over the cooled cake.