Chocolate Zucchini Bread
You've absolutely got to try my Chocolate Zucchini Bread. There is no flavor of zucchini...zip, zilch, nada. All you'll taste is fluffy chocolatey goodness.
Servings: 8
Calories: 369kcal
Ingredients
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted (but not hot)
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups zucchini, peeled and finely shredded (2 cups packed)
- 1 cup chocolate chips, divided
- Flaky sea salt
- Vegetable shortening (for greasing pan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a KitchenAid stand mixer with a flat beater attachment, mix together egg, butter, applesauce, vanilla extract, and both sugars.1 large egg, at room temperature, ¼ cup salted butter, melted (but not hot), ¼ cup applesauce, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup light brown sugar, packed, ½ cup granulated sugar
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2 cups all purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- With the mixer turning, add dry ingredients to wet.
- Once batter is mixed, add zucchini and mix again.2 cups zucchini, peeled and finely shredded (2 cups packed)
- Finally, fold in ½ cup chocolate chips.1 cup chocolate chips, divided
- Grease a loaf pan with vegetable shortening and pour batter into pan.Vegetable shortening (for greasing pan)
- Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes. Once slightly cooled, release from the pan and top with chocolate chips while still hot. They’ll melt just a little bit this way.1 cup chocolate chips, divided
- Finally, when the zucchini bread is completely cooled, sprinkle with flaky sea salt.Flaky sea salt
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Shredding the zucchini: I've found that by using a very fine shredding grater and using short strokes, the strands of zucchini stay fine and short. You don't want long strands of zucchini in your cake (which would be a dead giveaway that there's healthy ingredients in here, and we definitely don't want that!).
- Greasing the loaf pan: Grease a loaf pan with vegetable shortening and pour batter into pan. Trust me on this step. I tried greasing the pan with butter then dusting with cocoa...disaster. The cake wouldn't release from the pan, wound up breaking apart in several pieces, and I had to start from scratch. On the second attempt, I used vegetable shortening to grease the pan...and I didn't even have to cut around the edges...it slipped right out, easy peasy.
- Suggestion: If you enjoyed this, you're gonna love our banana nut bread!
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 41mg