Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Sometimes when I get home from work I don't feel like doing anything else.  I throw some dinner together and then relax the rest of the night.  Sometimes I come home and push myself to go running.  Because I like endorphins and I don't like love-handles.  Sometimes I get fancy and decide to make a cake.  And sometimes, while the cake is in the oven, I sneak in a quick run just so I can eat a piece guilt-free.

P.S. The recipe calls this a pound cake, but we totally ate it for breakfast.

Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups shredded zucchini (from 2 medium-sized zucchini)

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour at 12-cup bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition, then add vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, pour in the melted butter and increase speed to medium-high to beat until velvety smooth, about 3 minutes.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture, all at once, to the mixture.  Beat until just incorporated.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the zucchini.  The batter will be thick.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

source:  recipe from Joy the Baker Cookbook