Chocoholic’s Zucchini Bread

How about a treat to enjoy with your morning coffee or afternoon tea that’s super chocolaty? This Chocolate Zucchini Bread has a wonderful moist texture, like a rich chocolate cake! While it’s rich and moist, we like that it’s not overly sweet. It’s also a delicious way to use summer’s most prolific veggie, the zucchini! Picky eaters won’t even know it’s there if you don’t tell them so it can be our secret.

You’ll need 2 cups shredded zucchini for this recipe; one large zucchini will be plenty. No need to peel your zucchini, just give it a wash and cut the end off before shredding it with a box grater. If you’re in the market for new box grater, this one has a handy-dandy detachable container that measures and catches ingredients.

You can use Dutch-process cocoa or natural cocoa in this recipe. In addition to the cocoa, there is a cup of chocolate chips in this zucchini bread. I used bittersweet chocolate chips, but feel free to use semisweet or milk chocolate chips if you prefer.

I used an additional 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to drizzle on top of the bread once cooled. The melted chocolate chip drizzle is optional, but ideal to satisfy your inner chocoholic. :)

For easy removal when baking, I line my pan with parchment paper. Spray your pan with nonstick spray, then line your pan with parchment paper that hangs over the edge of your pan. The spray will keep your paper in place and from slipping so no batter gets underneath the paper.

Parchment paper also helps regulate the oven temperature and can neutralize hot spots as a barrier between the pan and your batter. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean except for a light smear of chocolate from the melted chips when your bread is done. Allow it to cool 10 – 15 minutes in the pan, then use the ends of the paper to lift it out of the pan to transfer it to a cooling rack.

A favorite baking tip for measuring flour:

For accurate measuring of flour, fluff your flour from the canister or bag and then spoon into your measuring cup so it’s overflowing, then level off with the edge of a knife. Scooping flour directly from the bag or canister will yield a heavier cup and a larger amount that can negatively affect your recipes.

A note about oven temperatures:

Oven temperatures vary, depending on brand, age, whether electric or gas, so it’s not unusual for an oven to run 5 or 10 degrees hotter or colder. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer is the best way to ensure your oven temperature is accurate. Also, make sure you preheat your oven long enough, at least 20 minutes.

Err on the side of caution when trying a new recipe and test for doneness on the early side. During the last 10 – 15 minutes of baking time, loosely cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil to shield the top and prevent overbrowning before the center bakes through.

Another sweet way to use your extra zucchini:

Incredibly Fudgy Zucchini Brownies