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Pecan Praline Zucchini Bread

Pecan praline zucchini bread with a moist, spiced loaf and a sticky caramelized praline pecan crown. Bake it in one pan, top partway through, and return to the oven until the topping sets glossy and crunchy.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bread
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.25 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
  • 0.5 cup pecans, chopped
Praline Topping
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 0.75 cup pecan halves

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Prepare and mix the batter
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
  3. Beat brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth, then stir in grated squeezed dry zucchini.
  4. Fold the dry mixture and chopped pecans into the wet ingredients until just combined.
Bake and add praline topping
  1. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake 50–55 minutes until nearly done.
  2. Meanwhile, melt butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in a saucepan for 2–3 minutes until syrupy, then stir in pecan halves.
  3. Pour the praline topping over the partially baked loaf and return to the oven for 10–12 minutes until topping is set and bubbling.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool the loaf 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan for clean slices.

Notes

For best texture, squeeze grated zucchini very well so the loaf bakes through without turning gummy. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a lighter option, swap half the vegetable oil for unsweetened applesauce while keeping the rest of the recipe the same.