Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread  – zucchini? What zucchini? Can’t taste it, can’t see it. All I see is the fudgiest, moistest, most decadent chocolate bread you will ever have. Full stop, period!

CHOCOLATE Zucchini Bread?? Are you MAD??

If you’re new to this whole Chocolate Zucchini Bread concept, here’s all you need to know: it is a “thing”. 

Probably initially born as a way to use up an abundance of zucchini when they’re in season, dolled up to entice little people (and big people who are as fussy about greens as little people).

But then once people realised how ridiculously FUDGY zucchini makes it, the idea stuck.

And now it’s a “thing”

And we are very, very glad it is.

Because zucchini is the secret ingredient that makes this the fudgiest, richest, most insanely moist chocolate bread you will ever have in your entire life. And you cannot taste zucchini in it at all!!

Here’s what you need

When you cut into it and see the glistening, moist inside with drippy pockets of chocolate, it’s truly hard to believe there’s three whole zucchinis in this.

It can even take more. I find that the Chocolate Zucchini Bread starts getting a mild “this isn’t just chocolate!” flavour to it (iethe zucchini, but no normal human would guess that) but in terms of integrity of the crumb, rise etc., you can almost double the quantity of zucchini without compromising the recipe!!

Best chocolate?

I chose to use chocolate blocks which I would cut into some small and some large pieces because I wanted the wow! factor of little pockets of melty chocolate when I cut into it. For convenience, you can absolutely use chocolate chips instead, or in fact skip the chocolate all together!

The making part (super SUPER easy)

Usually when I cook with grated zucchini, like Crispy Zucchini Fritters, I salt the zucchini to draw out excess moisture followed by grabbing handfuls to squeeze out the excess liquid.

With this recipe, there is no need to do the salting step – just grate and squeeze. Get out what you can – you don’t need superhuman strength – because the residual liquid in the zucchini makes this chocolate zucchini bread super moist!

What it tastes like

It’s like fudgy brownies – in loaf form. It’s like Chocolate Fudge Cake – but fudgier. It slices like normal quick breads but it’s way more decadent!

Spot the Zucchini!

Can’t taste it.

Can barely see it – you’d have to inspect real close to spot a strand of what possibly could be a bit of zucchini…

Frankly, all I see is an outrageous chocolatey looking cake with drippy molten bits of chocolate. Any nutritional benefit from the zucchini is a freebie bonus!

But let’s be realistic.

Don’t make Chocolate Zucchini Bread to use up excess zucchinis.

Or to squeeze extra veggies into your diet.

Nope.

Just make this because you want to indulge in the most amazing chocolate bread you will ever make. Because I promise you, I have made plenty of chocolate breads in my lifetime and this is by far the most moist, and most chocolatey, and as crazy at it sounds, it’s because of the zucchini.

But if it makes you feel better to cling onto the concept of nutritional value as a basis on which you can justify making it for afternoon tea today, or to entice your “healthy” friends into having a slice, who am I to stop you? 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 – Nagi x

More amazing Zucchini recipes

• Cheesy Zucchini Bread (No Yeast) – garlicky, cheesy goodness! (What zucchini??)

• Crispy Zucchini Fritters – you’ll love how crispy these parmesan flavour fritters are!

• Greek Zucchini Tots (Mini Fritters) – baked zucchini tots!

• Super Low Cal Healthy Creamy Vegetable Soup – zucchini is the secret ingredient to an almost zero cal creamy soup!

• Healthy Creamy Zucchini Soup – you’ll love how silky creamy this is

Watch how to make it

The most incredible Chocolate Zucchini Bread ever!

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Author: Nagi

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 1 hr 5 mins

Total: 1 hr 20 mins

Baking, Sweet

Western

4.99 from 53 votes

Servings10

Tap or hover to scale

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Recipe video above. Zucchini? What zucchini? All I see is the most decadent, moist chocolate loaf you may ever have in your life!

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups grated zucchini (2 large or 3 small) (Note 1)
• ▢ 1 3/4 cups (260g) flour, plain/all purpose
• ▢ 1/3 cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably dutch processed (Note 2)
• ▢ 1.5 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate) (Note 3)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla essence
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup (275g) white sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
• ▢ 300g / 10 oz dark chocolate , coarsely chopped (keep some larger chunks!) (Note 4)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F (160C fan).
• Grease and line a large loaf pan (mine is 28 x 15 x 6.5cm / 11 x 6 x 2.5").
• Grab handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out excess liquid, then place in colander to drain while you prepare the batter. (Note 4)
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Then add butter and vanilla, and whisk until fully incorporated.
• Pour egg mixture into flour bowl and stir with wooden spoon until flour is just incorporated - batter will be thick!
• Add zucchini and chocolate and stir to mix through - it will be very thick at first but it will loosen into a thick, spreadable batter (see video).
• Scrape into loaf pan, bake 45 minutes. Cover with foil and bake a further 20 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (except for melted chocolate streaks!)
• Stand in loaf pan for 15 minutes before removing. Cool on rack for a further 10 minutes before slicing.
• Extra amazing served warm - you get melty chocolate bits and it's extra fudgy in the middle!

Recipe Notes:

1. Zucchini - grate zucchini then measure 3 cups, lightly packed (ie don't push it in tightly, just place it in).

2. Cocoa powder - dutch processed has a stronger chocolate flavour. Ordinary cocoa powder is just fine too!

3. Baking soda - also known as bi carbonate soda. Sub with 4.5 tsp baking powder.

4. Chocolate - eating or cooking chocolate will work just fine here, as long as its semi-sweetened or sweet. Do not use unsweetened! I used Lindt dark cooking chocolate in the video and photos. It holds up slightly better during baking if there's any poking up above the surface - which usually there is not. So it doesn't really matter!

5. Squeezing zucchini - Don't need to go overboard squeezing out excess liquid, just get out what you can. The remaining moisture in the zucchini is what makes the bread so moist!

6. Source: Adapted from this Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe from Simply Recipes.

7. Nutrition per slice, fairly generous slices!!!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 437cal (22%)Carbohydrates: 61g (20%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 19g (29%)Saturated Fat: 14g (88%)Cholesterol: 54mg (18%)Sodium: 425mg (18%)Potassium: 366mg (10%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 36g (40%)Vitamin A: 370IU (7%)Vitamin C: 6.8mg (8%)Calcium: 111mg (11%)Iron: 2.1mg (12%)

Keywords: Chocolate zucchini bread, Zucchini bread

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

This is how Dozer gets lectured for doing something naughty…….

….and this is how he responds…. rolling around with laughter. 😖

(OK, he’s asking for a tummy rub, but it looks like he’s laughing!!😂😂)