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Spice up zucchini squash in zingerbread cake

Recipe: Add blueberries for a seasonal touch

Cake on plate
Zingerbread makes a fine dessert with blueberries in the cake and more berries alongside. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

It's time to shake the dust off the zucchini recipe collection. A gardener's favorite squash is back in season.

We've had several good recipes on the blog already, including our two biggest hits: Chocolate zucchini bread and Zapped pickles.

But the plants are going to be producing for awhile, so we like to provide new options for The Squash That Keeps on Giving.

This recipe, adapted from " The Classic Zucchini Cookbook," brings together zucchini and gingerbread, which I usually associate with fall and winter. But add some blueberries to the mix, like I did, and it becomes a great picnic cake, a brunch offering or a vehicle to show off even more summer fruit. Whipped cream, ice cream, fruit sauce -- all good.

Zucchini squash
Two 8-inch zucchini will provide about 3 cups grated squash.
Zingerbread with blueberries
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 cups grated zucchini (from two 8-inch squash)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3 to 4 teaspoons ground ginger (it's quite spicy with 4)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses (light or dark)
2 eggs
1 cup hot brewed coffee
1 to 1-1/2 cups blueberries, washed, dried and tossed with 1/2 tablespoon flour
Powdered sugar, for garnish
To serve alongside, optional:
Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, fresh berries or other fruit, applesauce, lemon sauce or any freshly made fruit sauce
Instructions:
Combine the grated zucchini and salt in a colander, stirring to mix. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes.
""
The grated zucchini drains for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.
Put the butter and light brown sugar in large mixing bowl. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well until combined. Add the molasses and mix well. Don't worry if the mixture appears curdled.
Using a clean dish towel, squeeze the excess moisture from the drained zucchini, and add the squash to the bowl, blending just to combine. Add the flour mixture alternately with the coffee, mixing just until combined.
Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched and a toothpick or thin knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
""
Cool the cake on a rack before cutting.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over cake. Cool the cake on a wire rack 10 minutes before cutting. Or let it cool completely and serve at room temperature.
Serve plain or with any of the suggested accompaniments.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 9

Be careful walking or working in wet soil; it compacts easily.

* Keep the irrigation turned off; the ground is plenty wet with more rain on the way.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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