We still have zucchini left after making these bundt cakes and a zucchini pizza last night. I told you we had a lot. And it’s only when you have a lot of zucchini that you begin making cakes out of it. Don’t worry, we’ve eaten plenty of it in its original nutrition-filled form. But eventually you have to make cakes. Mini bundt cakes.

With browned butter revitalizing the interior and orange cardamom glaze landscaping the outside, you may begin to handle all zucchini this way.

Confession—I just bought a jar of cardamom for the first time. I didn’t grow up tasting it, that I know of. It’s usage is not innate like cumin and chili powder are to me. But after one bite of this cake, I think I can quickly adapt. Its flavor is grown up. Spicy for lack of a better word. With a peppery hint. Paired with orange, it’s a match made in heaven.

The only real problem I have with this bundt cake is that spell check underlines bundt every time I type it. Bundt. Bundt. Bundt. Thankfully you can’t see this red dotted line filled preview. It shows up normal on your end because it is in fact spelled correctly. Unless I switch the N and the D which I so often do. But I’d never know. Red. Dotted. Line. Everywhere.

PS—Thanks for all the sweet comments last Wednesday! I’m finally feeling back to normal which means I’m not so wordless.  I don’t know—maybe you like the wordless posts?

This cake is crazy simple. No mixer needed. Just a good ole wooden spoon or spatula. Of course I snuck some wheat flour in for good measure. Be sure to butter and flour the sides of the pan well. Otherwise you’ll hate me when the cakes break or get stuck in the pan. Let’s not go there.

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Browned Butter Zucchini Bundt Cakes


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  • Yield: one regular bundt cake or 10 mini cakes 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c.) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
  • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
  • 1 c. whole wheat flour, scant
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. cardamom
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
  • 1 tbsp. fresh orange juice
  • Glaze
  • 1 1/4 c. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • dash of ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp. finely grated orange zest
  • 3 tbsp. fresh orange juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Brush bundt pan with melted butter. Dust with flour, tapping around the pan until entirely covered. Set aside.
  2. Add butter to a sauce pan and cook on medium-high heat until butter browns (about 5 minutes). Allow to cool in pan.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
  4. Cut zucchinis in half. Scrape any seeds out of the middle, and grate using the large holes of a box grater. Press a paper towel into zucchini to absorb excess moisture.
  5. Stir sugar, eggs, zest, and orange juice into the browned butter until well combined.
  6. Add butter mixture and zucchini to the flour. Stir until well combined. Distribute evenly in pan.
  7. Bake for 1 hour if making a large bundt and 30 minutes if making mini bundts. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan. Carefully run a knife or toothpick around the edges to loosen. Give pan a good shake to continue to loosen. Using a cooling rack as the base, invert to remove cake. If cake is still stuck, repeat previous steps.
  8. Whisk together glaze. Its thickness should resemble honey. Place cooling rack on top of pan to catch the glaze. Carefully pour a little glaze at a time around the top of the cake. Repeat. Serve or store in a container for up to 4 days.

Notes

• Never remove a warm bundt cake from the pan. It will inevitably break. As hard as it can be, walk away and allow to cool completely before removing. Cakes need time to settle. While warm they are very unstable.

• I mentioned using a scant cup of wheat flour. I’ve found when adding wheat flour to a recipe, use a bit less than called for. It’s not precise, but it works. For example—the original recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of flour. I’ve subbed in 1 cup of wheat flour. However, I use a bit less than the full cup because the wheat flour tends to be more dense and absorb more liquid.

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Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

PPS—While making these cakes, I was eyeing Jacqui’s, from Good Thing Grow, Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cakes with mousse. Yes please!

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