Recipes: Zucchini bread and carrot cake

Summer heat can make even the best-intentioned home cooks keep their ovens off. But these quick recipes are a snap to make, use up some of that summer produce - and are tasty to boot.

Five-Spice Zucchini Bread

Makes 1 loaf.

• Butter and flour for pan

• 1 egg

• 1/2 c. canola oil

• 3/4 c. granulated sugar

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 2 c. coarsely shredded unpeeled zucchini (from about 1/2 lb. zucchini)

• 1 1/4 c. flour

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 3/4 tsp. salt

• 1/4 c. sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp. pine nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour-dust a 4 1/2 - by 8 1/2 -inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, beat egg with an electric mixture to blend; add oil, sugar, five-spice and pepper. Beat until mixture is well combined. Stir in zucchini.

Bake in oven until bread begins to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack and set upright to cool completely before slicing or wrapping airtight.

Carrot Cake with Cranberries and Brandy Frosting

Serves 8 to 10.

• 1/4 c. sweetened dried cranberries

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 c. canola oil

• 1 c. granulated sugar

• 1 1/4 c. flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp. ground mace

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 2 1/2 c. shredded carrots

• 1/2 c. lowfat buttermilk

• Butter for pan

• 4 oz. ( 1/2 c.) cream cheese, softened

• 2 oz. ( 1/4 c.) butter, softened

•1 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small pan, combine cranberries and brandy. Simmer over medium heat until cranberries are plump and soft, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries from brandy to a small bowl. Return pan to high heat and boil until brandy is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer to blend; add oil and granulated sugar, and beat until mixture is well combined.

In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and salt. Add to egg mixture, stirring just until blended; then stir in carrots, pecans, buttermilk and half of the cranberries.

Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment and butter parchment; pour batter into pan. Bake in oven until cake just begins to pull away from pan sides and top springs back when lightly pressed, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife between cake and pan rim; invert onto a rack, remove pan bottom and parchment, and turn cake right-side up to cool completely.