This Chocolate Zucchini Bread will satisfy your chocolate cravings because it is rich, moist, and tender. This tasty dessert has shredded zucchini and chocolate chips baked right in, making it moist and dense. This chocolatey bread conceals a hidden vegetable that you won’t miss.
This chocolate zucchini bread is delicious at any time of day, whether you’re having it for breakfast, dessert, or a snack. The zucchini in this bread practically disappears into the tender and moist interior, so much so that you might not even realize it contains zucchini. Plus, zucchini doesn’t have much of a taste, so you probably won’t notice it’s there. If your garden produces an abundance of zucchini this summer, this is the recipe for you.
You can have this quick bread ready in no time at all. The cocoa powder and chocolate chips really amp up the fudginess and chocolatey taste.
Ingredients for this dish
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder is my go-to for baking because it makes for darker, less acidic, and fudgier results.
- The batter for this chocolate zucchini bread is quite thick, so you’ll need to use fresh baking powder and baking soda if you want your loaf to rise.
- Don’t worry, the espresso powder won’t impart any coffee flavor to the bread. Instead, the chocolate is improved by the addition of espresso powder.
- Oil—vegetable oil adds a lot of moisture, enhances the crumb structure, and maintains a soft crumb in the bread.
- Butter; the recipe calls for salt to be added to the batter, so be sure to use unsalted butter.
- To quickly shred zucchini, use a box grater or a handheld grater. Since peeling the zucchini is not required, just make sure to thoroughly wash it before using it. Choose a zucchini that is firm and has smooth skin.
- The bread would be incomplete without chocolate chips; my personal preference is for semisweet chocolate chips, but either dark or milk chocolate would work just as well.
Ingredients
- ▢1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- ▢1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ▢½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (50g)
- ▢¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ▢¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ▢1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ▢1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee
- ▢½ teaspoon salt
- ▢½ cup vegetable oil (120ml)
- ▢¼ cup unsalted butter melted (60ml)
- ▢3 large eggs at room temperature
- ▢2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ▢1½ cups packed shredded zucchini (220g)
- ▢1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (180g)
A BREAD MAKER’S GUIDE TO CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI
- To make the batter, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, espresso powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
Prepare shredded zucchini. - Whisk the melted butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl. The zucchini and chocolate chips should be added to the flour mixture. Mix thoroughly by stirring.
- Spread the batter evenly in a 9×5-inch loaf pan that has been greased. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack after baking for 60–70 minutes. To serve, remove the bread from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE LIKE A PRO
- Resist the urge to squeeze the zucchini to remove excess moisture. The extra moisture is baked into the dense batter, making for a rich and fudgy loaf of bread.
- If you want a soft and moist loaf of bread, you need to be careful not to overmix the batter, which will overdevelop the gluten and produce a tough loaf.
To make a more attractive loaf, set aside a few chocolate chips and scatter them on top of the dough just before baking. - When measuring flour, use a scale. The end result will be more precise if you do it this way. Fluff your flour with a spoon, then spoon it into your cups, and level it off with a knife if you don’t have a scale. A heavy loaf can be avoided by not overfilling the measuring cup with flour.
- If you want to keep the bottom and sides of your loaf from getting too brown while baking, use a pan that is light in color.
- If you want perfectly blended eggs without overmixing, use eggs at room temperature. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature if you forgot to do so the night before, place them in a large bowl and cover them with warm tap water.
FAQ
How do I keep this bread fresh?
The bread keeps well for up to 4 days if wrapped and kept at room temperature. It will keep for a few extra days in the fridge.
MAY I FREEZE THIS?
You can safely freeze this bread. Once the bread has cooled, you can wrap it in plastic by the loaf or by the slice. Bread can be frozen for up to three months, and then thawed overnight in the fridge before being reheated in the microwave.
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