Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread #Recipe

This chocolate zucchini bread is dense, moist, and has a decadently rich chocolate flavor. I started out with this recipe and did a little fiddling. I scrapped the honey and increased the brown sugar. I used butter where they called for oil. And I doubled the amount of vanilla and espresso powder. If you don’t have espresso powder or instant coffee, leave it out, but the coffee really enhances the chocolate flavor. The loaf doesn’t taste a bit like coffee, I promise. 

 

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (also called black cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules
• 2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis)
• 1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix together the melted butter and the brown sugar until smooth and glossy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir until fully incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and espresso powder. Add to the butter mixture and stir well. Batter will be very thick.
4. Using a sturdy spoon, mix the zucchini and chocolate chunks. Batter will be thick and stiff (think of the muscles you're developing!) 
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread batter into all corners of the pan. Use a silicone (or rubber) spatula to get every bit of batter from the bowl. Smooth the top, evenly. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. 

Enjoy! And Happy Autumn! 

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