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Once your zucchini plant in the garden starts producing for the summer, it can be hard to keep up with the output. One delicious way is to use it in quick breads. You won’t be able to tell there is any zuke in here, and there are no telltale green shreds showing, but the squash helps to keep the bread moist.
Get one from your garden! If you grow it, you should eat it
This is a deeply chocolaty bread, and the coffee gives that a little oomph, backed up by the chips and perfume of vanilla. It’s not overly sweet, either.
No, I’m not even going to bother claiming there is any superior nutritional reason to put zucchini in bread. I just think if you grow it, you should use it. And it’s delicious. Isn’t that enough?
Use a box grater set on a paper plate
Leave skin on zucchini and grate on large holes
The paper plate helps contain the mess
When you lift up the grater, the zuke shreds are inside
Spread the grated shreds out on a paper towel
Roll up paper towel and squeeze over sink to remove excess water from zuke
It should come out to about 1 cup of shreds
Cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer
Add eggs, cocoa and some other ingredients and blend
After blending, it is starting to look good!
Stir flour in gently by hand
Great trick: Use the inside of the butter wrapper to grease the baking dish
Scrape thick batter into prepared baking dish
Baked and out of the oven to cool. Crack down middle is typical of quick breads
Looking delectable! Perfect for tea or dessert or, for chocoholics, breakfast!
Chocolate-Coffee Zucchini Quick Bread
1 cup grated unpeeled zucchini* (see directions below)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons high-quality cocoa
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (decaf if you like)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 5-inch baking dish with the wrapper from the butter (or mist with non-stick spray). Set dish aside.
Prepare zucchini. See hints below.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, cocoa, coffee powder, salt and baking soda, and beat until combined. By hand, stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Again by hand, gently stir in flour just until moistened; do not over stir flour into batter or bread will be tough.
Spoon batter into prepared dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Remember that you have chocolate chips in the bread and they will melt, so you might see melted chips on the tester.)
Remove from oven, cool for 15 minutes in dish, and then remove bread from dish to a wire rack to continue cooling completely.
Makes 12 slices.
*Grating zucchini the easy way:
Place box grater on a paper plate, and grate zucchini (with the skin on) using the large holes. If zucchini has been freshly picked, it will be very wet. Place zucchini shreds on a paper towel, roll up towel to enclose and squeeze over the sink, to remove excess water. Just give it a little squeeze; you don’t have to dry it completely. Unroll paper towel and scrape zucchini shreds into a measuring cup to see how much you have. Grate more if you need it, and repeat the squeezing process. You may squeeze with your bare hands and no paper towel if you like, but the towel contains the shreds better. When done, discard paper plate.
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At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
E-mail me: Dorothy.Reinhold@gmail.com
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
loving this recipe!
Valentina,
Thank you! It’s really, really good.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and love it! Made it in muffin cups (baked 22 min.) and shared with friends and family. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe!
Suzanne,
Fabulous! Thanks for letting me know, and for the timing hint on the muffin cups!
I love this recipe, I just made this with some left over Zucchini’s I got from a friend. I have to say this is the first time make any type of zucchini bread, but this will not be the last. Thanks for the step by step pics, makes it easy to know your doing it right.
Feed UR Self,
You are welcome! Glad to know the step-by-step is useful!
Now that you have made this chocolate zuke bread, I want you to try this other one!
It is also really, really good!
https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/spiced-zucchini-bread-and-a-chance-to-learn/
Great minds think alike. 🙂
I think we should create our own dance. Instead of the peanut butter jelly dance we could have the chocolate zucchini dance.
Hi Dorothy (it’s Jodi from the Strawberry Commission) but I also have a food blog and love to cook. I love this recipe and will definitely try it. I love sweet breads that aren’t overly sweet. Looks great!
Do you know if there is a technical difference between “cake” and “bread” in these sweet instances? Maybe its just the pan?? GREG
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