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I am not a morning person.
Perhaps I became this way in an effort to avoid all the name-calling, door-slamming and other dramatics that went on in my childhood home before 7 am each day.
Whatever. I'll take that up in therapy next week.
But now that mini-Mignardise (aka the Bonus Baby, or child #3 who is quite a bit younger than her 2 older siblings) has started middle school, the bus picks her up at the ungodly hour of 6:45 am. That means she needs to be awakened by 6 am, which for me is practically the middle of the night. What do I do with myself after she leaves?
I could go back to sleep, an option I'll surely choose in the dead of winter.
I could drink more coffee and read two newspapers.
I could write a blog post.
Or I could bake.
Leaving me plenty of time to nap in the afternoon.
Spiced Zucchini Cake adapted from My Baking Addiction
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom*
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1 cup shredded zucchini, drained (place in a colander and press on zucchini with your hands to expel extra water)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter (or spray with cooking spray for baking) an 8x8 pan. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine flours, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk to blend well.
In another bowl, mix sugars, oil, applesauce and eggs. Add to dry ingredients and combine thoroughly. Add zucchini and mix well.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
*If you don't have cardamom, don't worry. It'll be fine without it.
The cake would be delicious with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar, but to take it over the top, frost with...
Cream Cheese Frosting
6 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsps. butter, room temperature
4 Tbsps. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and ginger with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and mix well. If you'd like it a little thinner, add a tablespoon of milk. If you prefer it thicker, increase the amount of confectioners' sugar.
