A ribbon of caramelized cinnamon sugar, layered right through the middle. This is the loaf that makes you want seconds.

Every August the zucchini situation becomes a little overwhelming.

The neighbors start leaving bags on porches without knocking. The farmers market has a table where the sign says FREE and everyone keeps walking past it because they already have zucchini at home piled on their counter. Every successful gardening season ends the same way: too much zucchini, and the very good problem of figuring out what to do with all of it.

I have been making zucchini bread for years, the classic, the lemon, the double chocolate, and I could keep making the same ones. But this summer I wanted something that felt a little like a cinnamon roll and a little like a coffee cake, with a ribbon of caramelized cinnamon sugar running right through the center. Not sprinkled on top. Inside.

This is the loaf I landed on, Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini bread and it is the best thing I have baked all summer.

Today I am joining 5 blogging friend and we are all sharing recipes to enjoy outside this summer. You can find all of their links at the bottom of the post.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thank you for supporting Pinecones and Acorns.

What Makes This Cinnamon Zucchini Bread Recipe Different

Most cinnamon zucchini bread is just zucchini bread with cinnamon in the batter. That is fine and delicious. This zucchini loaf is not that.

This recipe has a cinnamon sugar layer sandwiched inside the loaf. Half the batter in the pan, a generous layer of cinnamon sugar on top of that, then the rest of the batter, then a swirl through with a butter knife. As it bakes, the cinnamon sugar caramelizes. It creates a ribbon you can see when you slice into it, slightly toasty and chewy at the edges, surrounded by soft golden crumb and those little green specks of fresh zucchini.

It looks like a it came from your favorite bakery or something that your grandmother used to make.

One other thing, this recipe does not have you squeeze out the zucchini. I know that goes against a lot of what you may have read about using zucchini in baking recipes. Some zucchini bread recipes spend considerable energy getting you to wring out the excess liquid. This one relies on that extra moisture, it is the reason the crumb stays tender and close for days.

Before You Start

Whether you are working through extra zucchini from the garden or picking some up at the grocery store, medium zucchini is what you want here. The ones that are roughly six to eight inches long. Do not use the giant ones that your neighbor leaves on your porch. They have too many seeds and too much moisture and can leave your batter too wet, even in a recipe that asks for the extra moisture. Grated zucchini from a medium zucchini, packed into a measuring cup without squeezing, is the perfect way to start this loaf.

See the recipe card below for the full ingredient amounts. A few notes worth reading before you begin: the dark brown sugar is doing more work than you might think. Its molasses depth is what makes the cinnamon-sugar mixture taste like something extra rather than just sweet. Light brown sugar will still give you a delicious cinnamon bread, it will just be a slightly milder version. Either way, the cinnamon sugar swirl is the best part of this loaf, and it deserves good ingredients.

On the cinnamon, please use a fresh jar. Old cinnamon tastes like a hint of cinnamon, which is not what we are going for when the whole point of the recipe is a delicious cinnamon swirl running through a tender, golden loaf. Same goes for the pure vanilla extract, real extract, not imitation. The difference is noticeable in a recipe this simple. Frankly it is noticeable in all recipes.

Vegetable oil is the best way to keep this quick bread moist for days. It stays liquid at room temperature in a way that butter does not, which is why an oil-based loaf of this cinnamon swirl zucchini bread slices just as tenderly on day four as it did on day one. If you want butter flavor, swap half the vegetable oil for melted unsalted butter. Still wonderful, just at its best a little earlier.

Sour cream is used in some cinnamon swirl zucchini bread batter as a great way to add tenderness and a very subtle tang. Replace 1/4 cup of the oil with sour cream if you want to try it. Both versions are good things.

You do not need a stand mixer. A food processor with a shredding disk is the fastest way to grate a pile of zucchini, but a box grater and a separate large mixing bowl are just fine for a single loaf. No special gear required.

How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Loaf

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and preparing your pan. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray, line the prepared loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides so the finished loaf lifts straight out of the prepared pans cleanly. Set it aside.

Mix the cinnamon sugar swirl first, before anything else. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon until evenly combined. Set the bowl somewhere within reach. Having the cinnamon-sugar mixture ready before the wet ingredients come together means the batter does not sit and wait while you scramble for a separate bowl.

Grate the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater, or the shredding disk of a food processor if you are working through a larger batch. Pack the grated zucchini into a measuring cup, remember do not blot it, do not squeeze it. The moisture stays in the batter, where it belongs.

In a large bowl, a separate large mixing bowl, combine the grated zucchini, vegetable oil, eggs, both sugars, pure vanilla extract, and salt. Mix with a fork or a rubber scraper until the wet ingredients are fully combined. The mixture will look loose. That is correct.

Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and flour to a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Pour into the wet ingredients, and mix until you no longer see and dry streaks of flour, then stop. You do not want to over mix the batter. The bread batter will look thick and rough. That is exactly right.

Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it into an even layer. Sprinkle the entire cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over this middle layer, spreading it all the way to the edges. Spoon the remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar layer and smooth the top of the bread. Take a butter knife or skewer and drag it through the batter in a zigzag, two or three time. That’s it.

Do as I say, not as I do. I was over zealous and my ribbon is all over the bread.

Sprinkle the top of the bread with turbinado sugar or granulated sugar, in a generous, even layer. This is the crackly crust on the top that makes the loaf like a bakery.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, starting to check at 50. The loaf is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top of the bread is browning before the center is set, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.

Set the pan on a wire rack when it comes out of the oven. Do not wrap it, do not cover it. If you wrap the loaf while it is still warm, the steam trapped inside turns that crunchy sugar top completely soft. Leave it uncovered on the wire rack overnight and you will wake up to a loaf with a crackly top, a perfectly set crumb, and clean, beautiful slices. Serve with butter or cream cheese, with morning coffee, or a cup of tea.

Storing and Freezing Zucchini Bread

Room temperature: Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to four days. The oil in the batter keeps it from drying out. Do not refrigerate it, cold air dries out quick breads.

Freezing: Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, and store in a ziploc bag or airtight container. Up to three months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes or microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. The cinnamon swirl holds up perfectly from frozen. No freezer burn, no texture loss. This is one of the best things about this recipe.

Leftover bread that has dried slightly: Wrap a slice in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, or toast it in a skillet with a little butter until the bottom caramelizes. The cinnamon sugar layer gets warm and slightly chewy again. It is a good thing.

A Few More Things

Chocolate chips: Fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips with the flour. They do not compete with the cinnamon swirl. They just make it a little more decadent.

Frozen zucchini: Let it thaw fully and very gently blot the surface water with a paper towel, not to wring it dry, just to remove what is sitting on top. The extra moisture from inside the shredded zucchini stays in.

Muffins: Divide the bread batter among 12 prepared muffin cups. Spoon a little of the cinnamon sugar mixture into the middle layer of each one and swirl with a toothpick. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes.

Cream cheese swirl: Beat 4 oz of softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 egg yolk. This cream cheese mixture gets swirled into the loaf alongside the cinnamon sugar layer, think cinnamon swirl banana bread’s more sophisticated cousin, something closer to a cream cheese coffee cake.

How to know it is done: Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, the baking time is up. If it comes out with wet batter, give it another 5 minutes and check again.

Stand mixer: You do not need one. A fork and a large mixing bowl do exactly the same job here and produce fewer dishes.

More Zucchini Recipes

These are some of my favorite zucchini recipes on the blog, the best zucchini bread recipe being the classic, which I come back to every year. The other recipes will take you all the way in to fall.

Homemade Zucchini Bread (The Best Ever)
Lemon Zucchini Bread, bright and a little unexpected
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, when you do not want to think about vegetables at all
Chai Zucchini Loaf Cake with Cinnamon Glaze, for when zucchini season tips into autumn
Carrot Zucchini Banana Bread, when you also have overripe bananas on the counter

Did you make this cinnamon swirl zucchini loaf? Were you able to wait until morning or do you like a slice warm?

I hope that you enjoyed the recipe. You can see more of Pinecones and Acorns on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Don’t forget to check out the delicious recipes from my friends. Have a wonderful day.

Cindy Hattersley

Juliet-Make Mine a Spritzer

Annie-Most Lovely Things

Mary Ann-Classic Casual Home

Kim-Northern California Style