Zucchini Walnut Cake

My sister, Julie, is visiting from Boston and we will be baking a number of Crumbs Homemade delights during her stay at my home in Barbados. She is a Food Writer and Chef, a primary consultant for Crumbs Homemade, and one of the best bakers I know. Welcome back Julie!

To kick off her visit, I whipped up a Zucchini Walnut Cake, one of my sons' favourite cakes, especially when iced with cream cheese frosting. This version is unfrosted to keep the sugar content down. This wholesome whole wheat cake is loaded with grated zucchini, roasted walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and allspice, producing a moist, flavourful cake that can be enjoyed any time of the day. In fact, if you don't tell anyone that there is zucchini in this cake, they would never know!

I make Carrot Cake using the same recipe, substituting the zucchini with grated carrots. Many carrot cakes are made with crushed pineapple, but I much prefer this variety with raisins and walnuts which are a perfect accompaniment to zucchini or carrots. The smell of this cake while it is baking is absolutely divine!