Delicious carrot, zucchini and ricotta loaf

Nothing beats spreading a thick layer of butter onto a warm loaf straight out of the oven. 

A delightful addition to your next family gathering, this fantastic recipe is bursting with flavour. Combining zucchini, carrot, ricotta and cinnamon, this scrumptious loaf is a must-try! It’s a great — and healthier — alternative to a slice of cake and doesn’t taste nearly as healthy as it really is. In fact, it’s bloody delicious!  

Gooey middle? Sometimes a loaf can be a little tricky to bake. Insert a skewer into the loaf (after it’s been baking for one hour), and if it comes out clean, it’s good to serve! 

So, sit back, relax and enjoy a slice … or two! 

Ingredients

• 350g ricotta
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 125g butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup carrot, grated
• 1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 2/3 cup plain wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Lightly grease a loaf pan. Line base and sides with baking paper. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, sugar, butter and eggs. 
4. Stir in zucchini, carrot and dates. 
5. Sift self-raising flour, wholemeal flour and spices together into a bowl. 
6. Lightly fold flour mixture into ricotta mixture. 
7. Spoon into prepared tray, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. 
8. Bake for one hour.