Brown Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake

So I have been sort of obsessed with zucchini lately in case you haven't noticed. But its totally the season for it. I heart this season. I have thrown zucchini into sauces, made chili with it, and now just had a blast making it into a coffee cake with brown sugar and cinnamon.... oh my. 

The smell of cinnamon and brown sugar baking away was so great....
we had to occupy ourselves with a crumpled up piece of paper.  Happens.

This coffee cake smelled definitely like dessert in my house - not talking about a healthy dessert either. You know the ones in which you can tell the oil has been substituted for applesauce and the person went so overboard its more than a little dry. Ouch. Been there. Anyways. This recipe is from one of my favorite bloggers, Lindsay at A Pinch of Yum.  She has amazing recipes over there. She has a new e-book too - if that is more your alley.... download it to your tablet/phone/ipad and off you go to the kitchen or just drooling over food pictures from your couch ;). I adapted it a bit to try to get a bit more zucchini into it, and some subtle other changes like more brown sugar and more cinnamon. 

Seriously glad I halved this recipe - it was gone in like less than a whole day. Was so easy to make, and so good you just wanted to keep eating. It was the perfect afternoon snack with coffee and breakfast the next day. 

The buttermilk made it so tender and moist, the zucchini was undetectable, and the ribbon of gooey cinnamon topping half way through was magic. The butter and brown sugar melts and creates a whole new texture within the cake. As you slice into this thing ( I do advise using a fork) the texture changes from light and fluffy to dense and that almost underdone gooey brownie or center of the cinnamon roll texture. Oh my.... yes definitely the best coffee cake recipe ever. I cannot believe it has a veggie in it. Well I didn't tell my family and you won't have to tell anyone either. They won't be asking. Promise. I will be making it again soon. You should too. 

Best ever zucchini coffee cake

Serves 4-6 (or 2-3 in my household)

Ingredients for the cake:
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1/6 cup of olive oil (I used 1/3 cup filling it half way full)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup whole wheat white flour
1 egg
1/4 cup of all purpose four
1 cup of zucchini, shredded & drained/water squeezed out
1/2 Tbs of orange zest
1/2 cup + 1/6 cup (1/3 measuring cup half way full) brown sugar

Ingredients for the sugar/cinnamon topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tb butter, unsalted, organic

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the topping ingredients. It should look like wet sand. Set it aside. 
3. Mix the cake ingredients together.
4. Pour half of the cake into a greased pan. I used my glass square one. But thinking next time about using my loaf pan to make it a bit taller like banana bread.... 
5. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon brown sugar topping over the first layer of cake in the pan. 
6. Repeat with the remaining cake batter and topping mixture. 
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Let it cool for a few minutes to make cutting/slicing it into neat squares easier. 

From my veggie filled kitchen to yours

Enjoy Fall!