Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Contrary to what you may want to believe, I along with thousands of other Black people, am from Tucson. Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is reminiscent of an era, the 1970s, and growing up in a “fruit, nuts and flakes” town where people envisioned creating racially diverse communities to live, work, recreate and raise children. One of those visionaries is now infamous; and another is my longtime neighbor Bram Goldman.
Bram moved to Tucson in the 1960s where he helped to start Pima Community College at a time when community colleges had free tuition for all students. He later became a lawyer and ultimately a city magistrate. “Bram had a dream of creating a racially diverse community where White, Black, Asian and Latinx families all lived in close proximity, sharing and communing with one another” his oldest son Jonathon told me recently. Obviously one wonders what happened to the dreams of people like Bram in the wake of racial tension such as that we are experiencing in 2021.
My older brother Keith was in the same third grade class as Bram’s youngest daughter Tammy; it was she that invited Keith to a party where our parents met. Around 1972, Bram mentioned his vision of a multiracial community saying he had identified several acres of land for sale in the Tucson Mountains that would be suitable for four families. We all went to examine the acres of desert nestled into foothills, located off a dusty dirt road, where teenage girls would ride their horses through arroyos on lazy, hot afternoons. Unfortunately, Dad had just broke ground on a medical complex with another Black dentist Dr. Joel Turner and a Black physician Dr. Joseph Whaley, so my parents decided they could not invest in another major construction project. So, a Latinx family, Elena and Diego Navarrette, and three White families, including Bram and his wife Barbara purchased the 20 acres.
In 1975, Elena decided she did not want to live in the desert so she and Diego put their property on the market. Mom and Dad purchased the acreage and built our family compound in 1976. While not exactly his multiracial vision, my family enjoyed a close synergy and camaraderie with Bram, until his death in 2017, and the Goldman family that continues today. I believe the first piece of Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting I ever ate was at the Goldman home but probably minus the cream cheese frosting. I would drink a hot, agave-less version of my Energizing Eggnog while enjoying this bread. Peace.
Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Medium Paring Knife
- Large Wooden Spoon
- Spatula or Large Butter Knife
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Cutting Board
- Food Processor or Grater
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small to Medium Mixing Bowl
- 9 x 2.5 x 5.25 inch Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Zucchini Bread
- 2 cups Organic Zucchini, finely grated
- 2 cups Flour
- 1½ cup Cane Sugar
- ¾ cup Salted Butter Vegans: Use Earth Balance
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tbsp Ground Allspice
- ½ tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt (optional)
- ⅓ cup Nuts (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces Organic Cream Cheese
- 2 tbsp Organic Agave Syrup
Instructions
Zucchini Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease the loaf pan by spreading a thin pat of butter over the interior surface being careful to include the corners.
- Wash zucchini, cut into small pieces and grate in food processor or by hand.
- Add zucchini and all ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
- Pour bread batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Remove and allow to cool before icing.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine cream cheese and agave with a hand mixer.
- Once bread has cooled, spread frosting over loaf.
- Garnish with chocolate, candy or nuts if desired.
What a sweet, wonderful story! I wish more people were like your neighbor. And, I thought you were gluten free! I was looking forward to a gf recipe for zucchini bread. Oh well. No worries though. I love your blog and often send it to friends. Alene
Thank you Alene! Yes, you’re correct, I found out I was gluten intolerant last year. Because I used to make zucchini bread with regular flour, and I’m not the consummate baker gluten free or otherwise, I simply made this for my family and friends on Easter. I had no business eating any of it but of course I did! I’m going to experiment and come up with the gluten free edition of this for you and me. I’ll keep you posted!
Such a delicious and simple recipe. Can’t wait to use my zucchini supply to make it this summer!
Thanks Tamara, let me know how it comes out!
i had never tried zucchini bread with cream cheese frosting and that is my husband’s favorite. He ate it without realizing it wasn’t cake… Genius!
Thanks Marta, what they don’t know won’t hurt them!
I never tried zucchini bread with frosting before and now my life is forever changed because of this recipe. SO GOOD!
Thanks Jessica!
I love how you decorated it so pretty. I had never before made zucchini bread with pumpkin pie spice. Oh WOW – made it so much better than previous ones I had made!
The zucchini bread is so moist and flavorful. The cream cheese icing is just the best! I’ve been enjoying this Bread all week.
Love this zucchini bread recipe! It came out so delicious, and the spices were absolutely perfect!
This can definitely pass as a dessert! The bread was so moist and the cream cheese made it even more decadent.
This was a delicious dessert and fun to decorate. Will be making it again!
This zucchini bread looks so pretty! The recipe was really easy-to-follow and the bread came out super moist. Making this again!