Rich, Chocolatey Zucchini Bread
Where traditional zucchini bread is sweet, spiced perfection, chocolate zucchini bread is dark, fudgy indulgence. Most definitely a dessert, this veggie-packed bread will forever change the way you think about this unassuming green veggie! I perfected this recipe last year near the end of summer and made it a dozen times. I am excited to finally share it this year, hopefully just in time for everyone’s summer gardens to be yielding zucchini!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Uses 2 full cups of zucchini! If your garden is over-producing this year, you’re in luck! You can also try my zucchini roll or chocolate chip zucchini muffins, if you’re overwhelmed with zucchini (and stay tuned for my classic zucchini cake, coming soon!). Incredibly moist and fudgy texture. It’s similar to my chocolate banana bread. It’s quite indulgent, for sure, but it makes for a perfect chocolatey dessert for chocolate lovers. Sneaks veggies into a decadent dessert! No one will be able to detect the zucchini in the final product if you follow my shredding instructions. No mixer needed, and just 20 minutes to prep before it goes in the oven. The bake time is a bit long, but that’s pretty standard for most quick breads baked in a loaf pan.
Ingredients
I carefully chose today’s ingredients for perfectly moist, tender, and flavorful results. There are a few you should pay close attention to; I’ll list them below.
Zucchini. I use the same shredding technique from my carrot cake recipe, as it creates perfect-sized bits of zucchini (with no discernible pieces in the final product). Make sure you blot your zucchini after shredding–I talk about this process in more detail below and in my video. There is no need to peel your zucchini for this recipe. Sugar. A combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar keeps this bread moist and tender. Cocoa powder. I chose Dutch process cocoa for the richest tasting chocolate zucchini bread. Do not use natural cocoa, as that could change the way your bread rises. I talk more about the leavening differences between the two in my natural vs Dutch process cocoa post. Hot water. We will use this to bloom our cocoa powder (a technique you’ll recognize from my chocolate muffins). Make sure your water is very hot, if not boiling. You can also use really hot coffee and skip the instant coffee instead, if that’s easier for you. Instant coffee. This really enhances the chocolatey flavor of the bread (without making it taste like coffee).
SAM’S TIP: Room temperature eggs work best in this recipe, so try to bring your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time. If you forget to, don’t fret! I have a trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Prepare the Zucchini
Make the Batter
SAM’S TIP: For the cleanest slices, let your bread cool completely before slicing. This bread is very prone to falling apart when it’s warm (though it tastes amazing warm!). If you want to take your zucchini even further into dessert territory, try my chocolate zucchini cake! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
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