Streuseled Zucchini Bundt Cake

Late February and the light is changing. Not much -- just the quality of the morning light when I leave for work, a degree of blue in it that wasn't there in January, the sun a little higher. After a February as February as this one, I am paying attention to that. The light is coming back. It is incremental and it is real.

Nora is walking. Fully walking, no qualifications. Eight, nine, ten steps at a stretch. She falls and gets up without looking for reassurance first, which tells me something about her character that I expect to hold. She is not interested in being steadied. She wants to go where she wants to go on her own terms. I have a feeling we will have many conversations about this in the years ahead.

Sean had a long week at work -- a complicated site, weather delays, a subcontractor problem he spent three evenings on the phone managing. He came home tired on Thursday and I had dinner ready and he ate it quietly and then helped me with the kids' baths and bedtime without being asked and after the kids were down he sat on the couch with his head back and his eyes closed for ten minutes and I sat next to him and didn't say anything and that was its own conversation.

Made Boston cream pie on Sunday because Sean asked for it and I had been meaning to try it and it turns out Boston cream pie is very good. It is called pie but it is cake. This has never bothered me. We are from Boston. We know what we mean. The custard came out right on the first try, which I'm counting as a win in a month that needed wins.

Sunday baking has been my way of closing out the week lately — something to show for the days, something the whole house can smell. After the Boston cream pie came together so cleanly, I wanted to keep that momentum going, so the following weekend I turned to this streuseled zucchini bundt cake, which has the same quality I loved about the custard: it asks you to trust the process, and then it delivers. The streusel settles into the crumb in a way that feels almost lucky, and after a February that needed its wins wherever they came, I’ll take it.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

For the streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium), lightly patted dry
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2–3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan, making sure to coat all the crevices.
Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Work in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts if using. Set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth and slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Whisk in the oil and vanilla until combined.
Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the shredded zucchini — the batter will be thick.
Layer and bake. Spoon half the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter layer. Spoon the remaining batter on top and smooth gently. Bake for 50–58 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto the rack and cool completely, at least 45 minutes, before glazing.
Glaze and serve. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Streuseled Zucchini Bundt Cake — When the Custard Comes Out Right, You Bake Again