Zucchini Pineapple Cake

I've had this recipe for quite some time but am just now getting around to trying it. I needed a dish to share at my MOPS meeting tomorrow morning and when I was going through my freezer and pantry to see if I had ingredients on hand so I wouldn't have to go to the store, this recipe came to mind. Not only is it easy to put together (especially since I already had zucchini shredded in the freezer), it seems like a versatile cake....good for breakfast or dessert! It is a moist, rich, and dense cake.

Zucchini Pineapple Cake
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsps vanilla
1 cup oil
2 cups zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup raisins or coconut (I used coconut)
1 can prepared sour cream frosting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil until light and fluffy. Add zucchini, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Mix well. Stir in pineapple, nuts, raisins or coconut. Bake in greased and floured 9x13 pan for 50-55 minutes. Cool on wire rack, then frost with sour cream frosting.

Streusel Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin and am always anxious to break out the pumpkin recipes at this time of year! I needed a dessert recipe to take to a meeting this past week and came across this recipe from Pampered Chef. It's a basic pumpkin pie with a streusel added for a little flair, and it's super yummy!

Streusel Pumpkin Pie
1 unbaked pie crust
1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Streusel
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbls all-purpose flour
1 Tbls butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves. Roll out pastry crust and place in pie plate. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Cover edge of pie with 2-inch wide strips of aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, for streusel, combine pecans, brown sugar, flour and butter in small bowl; mix well. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Sprinkle top of pie with streusel, leaving a 2-inch opening in center. Continue baking 40-50 minutes, or until center is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 8 servings.

Chocolate-chip Banana Nut Bread

I'm just getting back in my routine from visiting family in Indiana. It was a wonderful trip, but as usual too short! Plus, it was weird knowing that this was my husband and I's last trip to see our families with just the two of us...next time we will have a baby in tow (exciting and scary at the same time)! I'll try to post some pictures of our trip home in a couple of days, but for now on to a new recipe I tried this morning.

I've had bananas begging to be used in my freezer for several months now, so when I came across the recipe for Chocolate-chip Banana Nut Bread from the 'Chef Jeff Cooks' book, I knew it was time to pull the bananas out. I need to mention that my husband checked this book out from the library, but there are so many great recipes I want to try that it will probably be my next cookbook purchase. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Chocolate-chip Banana Nut Bread
6 ripe bananas
1 tsp lemon juice
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch loaf pans by spraying them with cooking spray. Puree the bananas and lemon juice together using a blender or by hand. You should have about 2 cups mashed bananas. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together into a bowl. Place the banana mixture, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a mixer bowl and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment until blended. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly between the loaf pans. Gently tap the filled pans to burst any air bubbles. Bake until the bread springs back when pressed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool the loaves in the pans for a few minutes, then turn the bread onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. The bread can be held at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 weeks.

TWD: Thanksgiving Two-fer Pie

I've skipped out on the last two weeks of Tuesdays with Dorie as I wasn't too excited about the recipes, but I couldn't pass up on this week's pie. My husband LOVES pumpkin pie, so even though this is a twist on the original version, it was enjoyed by both of us! What a great way to combine the two traditional Thanksgiving pies, pumpkin and pecan. Of course, we had to top ours with plenty of whipped topping! We are looking forward to eating the leftovers on Thanksgiving!


Thanks to Vibi for choosing a great (and appropriate) recipe for this week! Happy Thanksgiving!