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!

Fresh Pumpkin From Bridgetown Market

I visit the Bridgetown market every Saturday morning to purchase fruits, vegetables, and other fresh ingredients needed for my cooking and baking. Fresh pumpkin is always on my shopping list, and I look for ones which have dark orange flesh, promising to be sweet and flavourful. Barbados pumpkin is available all year around and there are a variety of different species which are locally grown.

I use fresh pumpkin primarily to make Pumpkin Ginger soup with added hot cayenne pepper, but also to add to my favourite stews and stir fry vegetable dishes. For baking purposes, I use canned pumpkin which is less watery than fresh. Our whole wheat Pumpkin Walnut Bread is loaded with raisins and roasted walnuts, and lightly spiced with nutmeg and allspice. Along with the traditional rum cakes, mince pies and fruit cakes, our Pumpkin Walnut Bread is a terrific addition during the festive season.