Description
The most tender chocolate bread has a summer secret in grated zucchini that adds extra moisture to the bread and helps you offload your bumper crop that’s currently taking over your garden. You’ll never know the zucchini is in there with the triple chocolate flavor. It’s a nice way to eat your vegetables!
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter (113 g)
- 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special Dark or Droste), (20 g)
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (57 g)
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (141 g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (227 g)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or chai spice blend, apple pie spice, or cinnamon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 zucchini, about 8 ounces (227 g)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (170 g)
- 1/2 cup pecans (52 g), (Maple Candied Pecans are extra nice here)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
If you’re using metal loaf pans , spray each with cooking spray, then cut a piece of parchment to fit up the bottom and long sides of the pan. Press each piece of parchment in place along the bottom so that the parchment sticks up over the top edges. If you’re using a silicone mini loaf pan , it won’t need any prep.
Prep the mix-ins
- Chop the unsweetened chocolate into chocolate chip sized pieces.
- Roughly chop the pecans.
Melt the Butter
- Melt the butter with the cocoa.
- Zap the chopped unsweetened chocolate in a small cup in the microwave until it’s partially melted–about 45 seconds.
- Mix the chocolate into the butter/cocoa.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
- Mix the eggs with the brown sugar and vanilla extract until the eggs are smooth.
- Grate the zucchini into the eggs.
- Stir in the melted butter and chocolate.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
Mix the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
Finish the Batter
- Add the flour, most of the chocolate chips, and most of the pecans to the wet ingredients.
- Stir just until the flour disappears.
Bake the Loaves
- Divide the batter amongst the cavities in your mini loaf pan .
- Sprinkle each loaf with the reserved chocolate chips and pecans.
- Bake the loaves for 28-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.
- Cool the loaves on a wire rack for about 15 minutes and then pop them out of the pans onto the rack to finish cooling completely.
Serving and Storing Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- The breads are best eaten the day they’re made. Sprinkle the loaves with powdered sugar and serve slices with good butter or your favorite nut butter.
- Freeze any leftover breads in a plastic bag with a piece of parchment wrapped around each loaf. Thaw loaves on the counter for an hour or reheat them right on the parchment sheet in a toaster oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes.
Notes
Chocolate Zucchini Bread Variations
- Full Sized Loaves: Divide the batter between two 9×5 loaf pans instead. You’ll need to increase the baking time slightly to about 40-50 minutes.
-
Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake
: Bake the batter in a 9×13 pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Frost it with a batch of Thick Ganache for Cookies or top it with the best Whipped Cream Frosting. -
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
: Fill 12 muffin papers with the batter inside a muffin pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. -
Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes
: Add 1/4 cup of milk to the batter to thin it out a bit. Spread out the batter on a hot buttered griddle. Drizzle over Hot Fudge Sauce to serve! -
Swap Out Spice
: This bread is equally good with Pumpkin Pie Spice, Chai Spice Blend, Apple Pie Spice or plain old cinnamon. You can even use instant espresso powder in place of the spice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Morning breads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
