Orange-Glazed Zucchini Loaf

It's almost fresh zucchini season, so it's definitely time to use up that last two cups of the frozen grated zucchini from last year's avalanche of zukes. While the zucchini seems to thaw to a puddle of green-flecked water, it bakes up fine and adds much-needed moisture to gluten-free concoctions. I recommend the cardamom in this recipe.

1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp gelatin
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp (rounded) baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
2 tsp grated orange rind
1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze:
1/4 cup gluten-free icing sugar
2 tsp orange juice

Line loaf pan with parchment paper or grease. Set aside.

Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, cardamom, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together zucchini, butter, milk, eggs, and orange rind. Pour wet ingredients over flour mixture. Sprinkle with walnuts and stir just to combine. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350F until tests clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn out on a rack to cool completely.

Combine icing sugar and orange juice to make glaze. Brush over hot loaf. Let cool.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This is the time of year one's garden would ordinarily be overrun with zucchini aspiring to the size of small coffeetables, if one's zucchini plants weren't half-drowned by the torrential rains this year, and if one's life-partner had not planted so many "Mammoth Russian" sunflowers that they cast shade in all directions until nightfall. This recipe works very well with grated frozen zucchini, if one has a surplus instead of a crop failure.

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour (or more rice flour)
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 mounded tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cocoa

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini, centre seeds scooped out if excessive
1 cup chopped walnuts, or pecans, if you insist
1 cup chocolate chips

Grease tube or bundt pan. Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients until well-blended.

In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla.

Beat wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring just until blended. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out on a rack to cool completely.

When completely cooled, spread with cream-cheese frosting, if desired: Blend 1 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, and 2 cups gluten-free icing sugar until no lumps remain.