This cinnamon zucchini bread is one of the best sweet loaves of bread I have ever made! Soft, moist, sweet, and utterly delicious.

Forget all the zucchini cakes you have made before, this cinnamon zucchini bread is the one you have been actually looking for!!!

I have been making zucchini bread at least once every summer for the past 10 years or so. And every year I’ve tried a new recipe, because the previous one was just not good enough. They were all fine, sweet, cakey, a good way of using up some zucchini and to have something sweet with your afternoon coffee, but not one of them was really worth repeating.

Until I found this recipe! For me: absolutely perfect! So good that I will probably need some years before I even look for a new zucchini or courgette loaf recipe.

I cannot even say what’s best about this particular zucchini bread recipe.

The taste? It’s wonderful, sweet but not overly sweet, with a definite hazelnut flavor, so don’t skip the hazelnuts, they really give the zucchini cake that beautiful autumn, cozy kind of taste.

And, thank God, no chocolate! I think the main reason I have never particularly enjoyed any of those other zucchini breads I have baked over the years was the chocolate chips inside.

I do like a good zucchini chocolate cake with real chocolate like this Chocolate Zucchini Cake, where chocolate plays the main role. But I’ve never particularly liked any zucchini loaf cake with chocolate chips I have ever made before. That’s why I have never posted one, although I must have baked at least 4 or 5 since starting the blog.

The consistency? This courgette loaf has the best consistency you could achieve when baking a loaf cake. It is moist, yet still fluffy, has a perfect crumb, it won’t get stuck in your throat when trying to swallow. I’ve had that from time to time with one loaf cake or another – I suppose that’s the reason why loaf cakes are actually called dry cakes in Germany, you always need some coffee to help them down your throat.

But not this zucchini cake. It is just perfect!

What do you need?

The ingredient list is not very extensive.
You will need eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, oil, zucchini, hazelnuts, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.
You will not even need butter, which is a plus point for me.
I find that cakes made with oil are always moister than cakes made with butter and oil is cheaper than butter as well. Use neutral-tasting vegetable oil, for instance, canola oil or a very light tasting sunflower oil. Do not use olive oil.
When it comes to eggs, I used large German eggs, which are the equivalent of extra-large eggs in the US.
I use already ground hazelnuts, but you can grind your own hazelnuts in the food processor if you wish. For a change, you could bake the loaf cake with ground almonds instead of hazelnuts. The taste will be milder, but still delicious.
I would rather weigh the zucchini instead of measuring the grated zucchini in cups. Cups measuring is too inaccurate in this case.

Do I have to peel the zucchini?

The answer is no, I never do.
I use regular green zucchini, their peel is thin, you could even eat the zucchini raw in a salad and the peel won’t bother you at all.

How to make?

You will need two bowls, a handheld mixer, and a box grater.
And, of course, a loaf pan to bake the zucchini bread. My loaf pan is a standard size one (standard in Germany), it is 30 cm long x 12 cm wide x 7,5 cm deep/ 12 x 4.7 x 3 inches.
Grate the zucchini on the rougher side of a box grater.
Mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside
Mix together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, it will take about 2-3 minutes.
Add the oil and mix well shortly.
Add the flour mixture, hazelnuts, and grated zucchini. Incorporate.
Pour the mixture into the loaf pan lined with baking paper and bake in the preheated oven.
Leave to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, remove, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

How to keep?

The cinnamon zucchini bread keeps well for at least 3 days.
We had some leftovers and the last slice was still delicious on the third day.
Keep the leftovers in an airtight container, so that it will not dry out.
You can also freeze the cake, either the well-wrapped loaf or the leftover slices.
Let thaw on the counter.