Breakfast Cake and a Tinsy Rant

As you can imagine cake is a big part of our home life. While I can down a couple of cupcakes per day on a regular basis, my hubby is more of an ice cream kinda guy. He does, however, love quick breads and muffins (a.k.a. breakfast cake) with his mid-morning coffee. It's funny, as much as I love cake, I don't really go for muffins and quick breads. Maybe it's the lack of frosting. I love making them though and my husband and little guys love eating them.

Earlier this week my hubby requested something a bit more healthy. It is a new year after all. Might as well attempt a change in diet. I baked up a couple of loaves of zucchini bread with a simple toasted almond crumble on top.

I love recipes that make double loaves; one for now and one for the freezer that I can pull out when I have company over or an event I need to bring something to. The base recipe for this bread is from Better Homes and Gardens. You're supposed to wait 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pans. I would wait more like 20. I find that 10 minutes is not long enough for the bread to be cool enough to not stick to the bottom of the loaf pan, leaving a gaping hole at the bottom of your bread (calm down, breath).  Also, keep in mind that zucchini bread slices best when you wrap and refrigerate it overnight.

One thing I'll say about a crumble topping on quick breads; so much falls off turning the bread out of the pan that I wonder each time why I even bother with it. Old habits die hard I guess. Also, quick breads are nothing without a crumble or glaze on top (this girl's opinion).

Here is my version:
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar or brown sugar or a mixture*
1 large or two normal size zucchini (shredded to about 2 1/2 cups)

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp flour (or 3 Tbsp flour and 3 Tbsp oats)
4 Tbsp butter, cold
2/3 cup toasted chopped almonds

Mix dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients and sugar in a another bowl.
Dump wet into dry and mix all at once just until moist.
Pour into two greased loaf pans.
Mix up crumble ingredients with fingers and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 350 about 55 minutes.
Cool in pans about 20 minutes before removing.
Wrap completely cooled loaves and refrigerate overnight before slicing.

*For a darker bread with a caramel-like flavor use brown sugar.