Squapple Sauce Bread (or Cake)

This summer we really had a bumper crop of zucchini and yellow squash. Tomatoes, too, but that's another recipe for another time. See those two little squash plants? They were very prolific.

So, what do you do with a skillion squash after you've, stewed them, broiled them, sauteed them, and put them into so many salads you think you never want to see one again? There's always the chocolate zucchini cake- that I didn't tackle this year, and that one isn't really rigged for yellow squash, is it? Well, thanks to an anonymous baker over at cooks.com, there was a  recipe called Zucchini Sauce Cake that called for either zucchini or yellow squash.

Here's the link to the original recipe for all you sea-level people:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1815,138186-233201,00.html

While it's called Zucchini Sauce Cake, the ingredients said you could use yellow squash. My inner voice said "Done!"  Since then, I have made it with only zucchinis, only yellow squash, and a combination of the two. All turned out to be delicious. Of course, those made with only yellow squash were a bit more golden in color. Go figure. And it only took me about a half a dozen tries to get the high altitude/no egg thing worked out.

As for why I call it "Squapple" Sauce Bread, well, there's so much apple juice in it that it is almost an apple sauce cake. Also, "Squash Sauce" just sounds so very, very wrong.

I have only baked this as 2 loaves of bread rather than in a 13" x 9" pan as a cake. I'm also wondering how this would do as muffins? Maybe next time. I still have 3 containers of the squash sauce in the freezer!

Squapple Sauce Bread

©Eggfreeataltitude

3 c cubed zucchini or yellow squash or a combination of the two

½ c undiluted frozen apple juice

½ c soft butter

1½ c sugar

½ c buttermilk

3 c flour

¾ t baking soda

1 t salt

½ t ground cloves

½ t allspice

¼ t cinnamon

½ c thawed frozen apple juice

½ c chopped nuts

Simmer the squash in the frozen apple juice until tender. Let cool a bit. Whirl in blender until it's like applesauce and set aside. 

Cream the butter, sugar and buttermilk until fluffy. Next add the squash sauce and mix well. 

Mix the dry ingredients togeteher and add alternately with thawed concentrated apple juice. Beat well.

Stir in the nuts. 

Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 375° for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

May be frosted  if you like. Can be baked as a 9" x 13" cake. It may not take as long to bake then.

I love it sliced and spread with cream cheese for breakfast.

Yum, yum, eat 'em up!