Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries

Last weekend, when I heard that two of my best pals were heading upstate to their beautiful cabin I couldn't help but invite myself along for the ride. After a week long heatwave it was high time to get the f out of the city and into the woods to take a dip in the swimming hole and breathe some non-conditioned air. Luckily my generous pals don't mind sharing their special spot, so to thank them for their never ending hospitality (and to ensure they invite me back) I brought a little treat. I wanted to bring something along that would be equally tasty for breakfast before hitting up the u-pick farm nearby and as a snack by the creek later in the afternoon and these hearty muffins fit the bill. They utilize lots of zucchini which is ever so plentiful this time of year along with toasted nuts, seeds and some dried cherries for a nice tart zip, but feel free to switch up the additions to suit your personal preference. 


Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries 
adapted from 101cookbooks 
yields about 24 muffins 

2c whole wheat flour 
1c all purpose flour 
1 1/2t baking soda 
1/2t baking powder 
1t salt 
1t cinnamon 
1/4t nutmeg 
3/4c olive oil (or canola oil) 
1c sugar 
1/2c brown sugar 
3 large eggs 
2t vanilla extract 
zest of 2 lemons 
1'' piece of ginger, grated with a microplane 
3c finely shredded zucchini (about 3 medium), squeezed gently to remove excess liquid 
1 1/2c mixed chopped nuts, toasted (I used half pecans and half walnuts) 
1/3c poppy seeds 
1/2c dried cherries roughly chopped 

Preheat oven to 350º and line 2. 12 cup muffin tins with liners 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then stir in the chopped nuts and poppy seeds, making sure to reserve a few tablespoons to sprinkle on the top of the muffins. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugars, eggs, lemon zest, ginger, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Fold in the zucchini and cherries. 
4. Fill your muffin liners 2/3 full, then sprinkle the reserved nuts over top. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 min. 

Big thanks to the folks over at The Kitchen Generation for mentioning the Baking Co. last weekend and thanks to everyone on twitter and facebook who have been so friendly and supportive of my bloggy-blog recently.
 

Peach and Buckwheat Upside Down Cake with Cardamom

I'm sure you've heard we are having a bit of a heatwave over here on the east coast so I won't fault anyone for not jumping up to bake cake right this second, but you west coasters could probably use some sunshine in cake form. I mean, just look at those colors. This cake is perfect for a day when you get a little overexcited at the market and fill your basket with more fruit than you can eat before it goes mealy. Personally, I seem to have developed a compulsion that causes me to buy pounds and pounds of peaches every summer but the truth is, I don't really like eating them out of hand. I know for some people eating a ripe peach with juices dripping down their arm is the epitome of summer but I just can't seem to get behind it. Don't get me wrong because I still love them baked into pies, cooked into jam, or churned into ice cream or sorbet. In fact, I have a white peach and vanilla sorbet in the queue so please don't doubt my affection for my fuzzy skinned friends. 

Peach and Buckwheat Upside Down Cake with Cardamom 

For the Topping 

2-4 peaches, plums, or nectarines cut into wedges 
3T unsalted butter 
1/3c brown sugar 
1/2t cardamom 

For the Cake 
adapted from Orangette 

1/2c all purpose flour 
1/2c buckwheat flour 
6T brown sugar 
2t baking powder 
1/2t cardamom 
1/4t salt 
zest of one lemon 
1 large egg 
1c buttermilk 
3T melted unsalted butter 
1t vanilla extract 

Preheat your oven to 375º. Line an 8'' round cake pan with parchment paper and grease well. 

For the Topping 

1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a small saucepan and let it brown just slightly. Add the brown sugar and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cardamom. Pour the mixture into the bottom of your cake pan and arrange the wedges of fruit on top of the caramel in a decorative pattern. For my cake I used one black plum for the inner circle and two yellow peaches for the outer circle, but I imagine any stone fruit would be might tasty. 

For the Cake 

1. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom. 
2. In a separate bowl or measuring cup whisk together the milk, egg, zest, butter and vanilla. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Pour the batter over the fruit in the prepared and tap the pan firmly to make sure the batter gets into all of the nooks and crannies in between the wedges. Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. The cake will only brown slightly. 
4. Let the cake rest in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto your serving plate and peel away the parchment paper. 

Note: 

- I served this cake plain (and for breakfast!) although it would be delicious with some lightly sweetened whipped cream or ice cream melting down over the top, for dessert.