In the height of summer many of us find ourselves over loaded with zucchini. It’s the one vegetable that we both look forward to and find ourselves at a lost with when we have so many. Seemingly this is because they all seem to come at the same time. When you have gone through all of the grilled zucchini and gratins you can stomach turn to the sweeter side with this delicious, moist and tender chocolate zucchini bread. This chocolate zucchini bread tastes like a brownie but has some completely hidden vegetables tucked inside that even the pickiest eater wouldn’t notice.
The chocolate flavor comes from our natural processed cocoa powder, and it is important that you don’t substitute dutch processed here as the acidity in natural processed cocoa reacts with the basic baking soda to bring lift and lightness to the cake. Dark chocolate chunks in the form of a chopped chocolate bar and a sprinkling of our fresh roasted cocoa nibs on top for a bit of crunch make this a chocolate lover’s dream. To make the zucchini bread extra moist and tender we swap out some of the butter for oil and some of the white sugar for dark brown sugar.
This chocolate zucchini bread is just what you need for a quick, indulgent, wholesome snack as back to school time arrives and the gardens grow bountiful. This easy recipe will leave you with plenty of time to enjoy the last days of summer. For another healthy breakfast idea see our post on healthyish date nut muffins.
This Zucchini bread is decadently chocolatey but also super moist thanks to the swaps for part oil and brown sugar. It is important to use a natural processed cocoa powder like Match cocoa because the acidity in the cocoa reacts with the baking soda in the recipe for extra leavening. Once you shred the zucchini the recipe couldn't be simpler.
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sifted natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini about 1 medium
- 1 bar chopped chocolate or two!
- 1/4 cup cocoa nibs optional
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Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan and line it with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
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Mix all of the dry ingredients together except for the cocoa nibs.
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Mix all of the wet ingredients together in a different bowl.
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Mix Both together just until combined.
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Spread the batter into the prepared pans and sprinkle the top with the cocoa nibs. These will add a nice crunch but they are optional if you don't enjoy them.
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Bake the bread for approximately 20 minutes or until a knife poked in the center comes of with just a few crumbs and not a wet batter. Be sure not to overbake it as you want it to be very moist.