Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans (or similar size) with cooking spray or butter, making sure to coat the bottom and sides evenly. While the oven preheats, prepare all your ingredients: measure out the flour, spices, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, as they'll incorporate more smoothly into the batter and create a better crumb structure. This prep work ensures you won't be scrambling once you start mixing.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves until evenly combined. This ensures the leavening agents and spices are distributed throughout the flour, preventing any clumpy pockets in your finished bread. Set this mixture aside—you'll fold it in at the end.

In a medium bowl or measuring cup, beat the room-temperature eggs for about 1 minute until slightly frothy. Add the sugar and beat for another minute until the mixture is light and pale—this aerates the batter and helps create a tender crumb. Pour in the olive oil and vanilla extract and stir until the mixture is thick and emulsified. I like to use olive oil here because it keeps the bread moist for days and adds subtle fruity notes that complement the pineapple beautifully.

Fold the well-drained shredded zucchini and crushed pineapple into the wet ingredient mixture from Step 3 using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Stir until everything is evenly distributed—the zucchini and pineapple will add moisture and natural sweetness to the bread. Make sure both are truly well-drained; excess liquid will make the bread dense and soggy.

Pour the zucchini-pineapple mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredient mixture from Step 2. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the ingredients together until just combined—do not overmix, as this will develop gluten and make the bread tough. A few small streaks of flour are okay; stop folding as soon you no longer see large patches of dry flour. Overmixing is the enemy of tender quick breads, so I always fold gently and stop as soon as everything is incorporated.

Fold the toasted chopped walnuts and golden raisins into the batter until evenly distributed. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops gently with a spatula. The batter should fill each pan about two-thirds full, leaving room for the bread to rise in the oven.

Place both loaves in the preheated 350°F oven and bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The tops should be golden brown. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bread cool in the pans for 10 minutes (this allows the structure to set), then carefully turn the loaves out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. This cooling time is crucial—cutting into the bread while it's still warm will compress the crumb.