This butterscotch zucchini banana bread happened because my mom gave me a zucchini a couple of weeks ago. Apparently she hates zucchini but mysteriously procured one (??) so she pawned it off to me.

I also quickly realized that I don’t care much for zucchini in its savory form?? Like, it’s cool on a grill (which I don’t have), but besides making zoodles like all the health bloggers do (which I’ll never make), what’s the point of zucchini, u know what I mean??

In the spirit of not wasting a perfectly good zucchini and turning it into something I would actually eat, I made this hybrid, quick butterscotch zucchini banana bread. Grated zucchini has a remarkably similar texture to mashed banana and keeps the bread super super moist. It also keeps the bread from being too sweet, which you’ll see in store-bought quick breads. And it’s fun to see little flecks of green in your otherwise kind of boring-looking brown bread.

OK, but this butterscotch situation though. I have jars full of butterscotch sauce in my fridge from when I was recipe testing for my ice cream cookbook (coming out December 2020!). Turns out, butterscotch is the smooth, sweet, complement to zucchini and banana! Since quick breads are well, quick, the batter come together in less than 15 minutes. Use the extra time to whip up a small batch of butterscotch sauce to add to this bread and you will not be disappointed. Leftover sauce? Drizzle it on when you’re done!

Recipe notes:

No need to peel zucchini for bread. It doesn’t change the taste of the bread and is just a hassle.
I use spelt flour because I am obsessed with its nuttiness (see these muffins to learn about how good spelt is), but you can use AP or whole what flour just fine.
If you really don’t want to make butterscotch sauce (which I don’t understand why), you can use honey or maple syrup instead.

Butterscotch Zucchini Banana Bread

Created by Shikha on July 27, 2020

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Prep Time: 15m
Cook Time: 1h
Total Time: 1h 15m

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

For the bread:

1 medium zucchini
1 very ripe banana
55 grams (1/4 cup) canola oil
55 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
160 grams (1/2 cup) butterscotch sauce (recipe follows)
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
120 grams (1 cup) spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

For butterscotch sauce:

55 grams (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
115 grams (1/2 cup) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of flaky sea salt
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (can use granulated sugar too)

Instructions

For butterscotch sauce:

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Once butter is melted, continue to cook, using a whisk to stir every minute or so until the mixture is thick with large bubbles, 8-10 minutes. It should have a deep golden-brown color, and when you run your whisk through it, you should see it pull away from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.
Slowly whisk in cream, vanilla, and salt until everything is combined. Set aside until ready to use.

For the bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch bread pan with cooking spray.
Grate the zucchini using the larger grates. Lay the zucchini out on a cutting board and sprinkle some salt over it in an even layer. Place a small bowl nearby, and let the zucchini sit while prepping the rest of the bread.
In a large bowl, mash the banana using a whisk. Whisk in canola oil, melted butter, butterscotch sauce, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
Use your hands to squeeze out the water from the salted zucchini into the small bowl. Try to get as much water out as you can.
Add the squeezed out zucchini to the butterscotch mixture and whisk to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, whisking until just combined (don\'t overmix it).
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until center is set; a toothpick inserted into the middle should come out almost clean, with just a few crumbs. If the bread is browning before it\'s done cooking, cover with foil.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.