Chocolate Zucchini bread

Have you seen a more perfect loaf?

Yep. Zucchini again. But this time with chocolate—and you can’t argue with that! After my August fritter mayhem, I ended up with a couple extra zucchini lying around. The answer? Riffing on boring, old zucchini bread by making it attractive, moist, and deceptively healthier than other recipes I have come across. Best of all, it’s as easy and budget-friendly as anyone could ask for.

I brought this chocolate zucchini bread into work and to a family BBQ, and it was gone within minutes. People scoffed at the notion of a zucchini bread being “rich” or “as good as chocolate cake.” Boy, were they wrong. Needless to say, I have had to bake it three times to keep up with demand. Guaranteed kid-friendly and pleasing to those with vegetable phobias, you can’t go wrong with this crowd-pleasing loaf.

It could almost be called a cake, considering how rich and unbelievable it tastes. I dialed down the sugar and almost doubled the zucchini, compared to most other recipes I found. The cinnamon adds a fantastic spiciness that doesn’t become apparent right away—it’s subtle and warm, and brings out the chocolate flavour. What’s more, the chocolate chips stay in a suspended state of gooey softness, as if just out of the oven. Give it a try on its own or with your morning coffee—this is your call to action, people!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Makes one standard loaf; freezes well.

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Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 zucchini, coarsely grated and juices lightly squeezed (approx. 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or lightly spray a standard loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa.
3. In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and zucchini until just combined. Add oil and vanilla until well incorporated. Stirring with a whisk, slowly add dry ingredients until batter is smooth.
   
4. Stir in chocolate chips and evenly pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until cake tester comes out mostly clean.**

**Some batter will come off on cake tester, but this is normal. The top and sides of the loaf will be firm to the touch, and the cracks that form will look moist. This is perfect.