Carrot Zucchini Bread with Candied Ginger

When summer delivers too many zucchini, many people reach for a zucchini bread recipe. Here’s one with a difference: wisps of grated carrot for color and nuggets of moist candied ginger for spice. The idea for jazzing up a quick bread this way comes from Annie Baker, a respected pastry chef in California’s Napa Valley. Wrap and freeze the second loaf if you don’t plan to eat it within a day or two. From Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers by Janet Fletcher (Andrews McMeel).

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

• 1/2 cup minced candied ginger

• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup canola oil

• 1-3/4 cups sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup grated carrots, grated on the coarse side of a box grater

• 1 cup grated zucchini, grated on the coarse side of a box grater

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Coat two 8-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in the salt and candied ginger.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and foamy. Add the oil, sugar, and vanilla, whisking vigorously until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the carrots and zucchini.

Add the dry ingredients all at once and stir with a wooden spoon just until blended. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.

Bake until well risen and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert and finish cooling right side up on a rack.

Makes two 8-inch loaves