Chocolate Zucchini Bread
April Fool’s Day is right around the corner, and what better way to fool someone than with an indulgent chocolate bread….that’s filled with zucchini! This double chocolate zucchini bread is rich and stays super moist because of the grated zucchini, which is barely noticeable and a great way to sneak some veggies into your kids’ diets!
I’m not much of a baker, at all. I don’t understand the science of it all and really love free-styling in the kitchen. After playing with a recipe I found online, which resulted in a failed attempt at a rich, fluffy bread, I asked my friend Tracy, an amazing Pastry Chef, for a little help. I loved how her recipe turned out and hope you will try your hand at this too - don’t ever feel discouraged in the kitchen …it’s all about experimenting and learning :) Also, I don’t currently have a stand mixer and this recipe still worked out. So don’t let that stop you! Let’s get baking! :)
What You Need (Yields 1 Loaf)
- 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp cup chocolate chips (I used minis)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
What To Do:
- Grate 1 1/2 cups of zucchini, which is about 1 1/2 - 2 zucchini.
- In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients - the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla extract.
- Fold in the grated zucchini.
- Mix in all the dry ingredients, and lastly fold in the chocolate chips.
- Prepare a loaf pan by buttering it or placing a sheet of parchment paper to line it, and pour the batter in.
- Bake at 350F for 35 minutes, checking the loaf with a toothpick or skewer. It should be inserted in the center and come out clean when it’s finished.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before removing it and allowing to cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. It’s best to loosen a loaf with a cheap, flexible plastic knife. :)
This blog was such an experience. The first time I baked it, it didn’t turn out the way I was hoping, and it was really hard to know how to fix whatever went wrong, since I don’t know much about baking. I was so thankful I could ask my friend for help, and that her recipe helped save the day. I love that the zucchini is pretty much undetectable in this bread, and really just tastes like a delectable chocolate bread. It’s wonderful served warm with a bit of butter. I thought this was a fun little idea for April Fool’s Day, but it’s definitely a great recipe to help use some beautiful zucchini. Enjoy!
If you’ve tried out any of my recipes, feel free to share your good and bad experiences with me! I love when people take pictures of recipes they’ve cooked - tag me @stephaniejung, @bac_blog, or #brokeandcooking! :)