zucchini cherry bundt // date glaze

for those of you with a garden or a neighbor who grows zucchini and secretly leaves a few a week on your doorstep, there is always the challenge of finding new and creative ways of enjoying the quickly growing veggie. of course there is the classic zucchini bread with or without chocolate, sauteed zucchini and stuffed zucchini.

i was in the mood for a bundt cake and i just happened to have some local cherries on hand. i thought why not? zucchini and cherries, that sounded pretty good.

 topped off with a simple date glaze and i was in business .

cherries, romanesco zucchini  - a new heirloom variety that tried out this year and loved & dates - simple flavors of an amazing cake.

recently, i have been exploring baking with less sugar - or rather attempting you utilize different forms of natural, less processed  sweeteners. my favorite two have been dates & coconut sugar.

in addition to the dates and applesauce, the cherries give an extra little pop of sweetness. the zucchini makes this cake super moist and the cinnamon adds warmth to the overall cake.

this cake is totally acceptable for a quick breakfast treat.

the glaze is super simple to make - soaked dates, coconut oil, maple syrup and a splash of water.

this glaze is perfect for this cake and would also be an excellent topping for cupcakes when you are looking for a little less of a sugary frosting.

i really enjoyed everything about this cake - the best part is you barely even notice the zucchini , it really is pretty neutral and does a fantastic job of adding moisture without a lot of added fat.

i hope you enjoy this cake with 10 times over - cause if you grow zucchini that's probably the number of time you will be making this.

zucchini cherry bundt ~ date glaze

makes 1 standard bundt cake

you will need:

for the cake

2 cups spelt flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

10 dates, pitted and soaked

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup coconut oil- softened

1/2 cup + 1/3 cup cold water

1 small zucchini finely shredded, about 2 cups

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and sliced in half

for the glaze

6 dates, soaked & pitted

2 tsp coconut oil

1/4 cup cold water

2 tsp maple syrup

assembly:

pre heat oven 350*

grease a standard bundt pan with coconut oil and lightly dust with spelt flour

in a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients, set aside

in a food processor, with an s blade process the dates until well blended. add apple sauce and process until smooth. add the date mixture apple cider vinegar, softened coconut oil & cold water - mix until just combined. add shredded zucchini and mix until well combined - gently stir in cherries.

pour mixture into prepared bundt pan - bake in pre heated oven for 30- 35 minutes or until a wooden skewers comes out clean when tested in the center of the cake. remove from oven and allow to fully cool in pan on a wire rack before inverting onto a serving plate.

while the cake is cooling prepare date glaze - in a food processor, process all ingredients for the glaze until desired consistency is reached. once the cake has cooled, generously spread the date glaze over the top of the fully cooled bundt cake.

enjoy!

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