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This chocolate zucchini bread is so moist, chocolatey, and not too sweet! Nobody would have guessed that it has zucchini in it!
Why I bake this often when I have zucchini on hand!
1. No-fuss recipe
I like quick recipe like this that requires no kitchen gadget like a mixer to make. Well, you do need a grater to grate the zucchini, but that’s about it
2. Have I said how moist this is?
It’s so moist and dense in a good way! I guess thanks to the zucchini
3. How do you not like chocolate?
Like for real? My husband and I love dark chocolate. So sometimes I make this recipe with 55-60% dark chocolate. My kids prefer semi-sweet chocolate. Regardless of which one you use, this satisfies that craving for something with chocolate
4. Love that texture
This is like a hybrid between a cake and a bread! It’s like eating a dessert, but then it’s not! It has a firmer texture than a cake but not firm like bread! You get what I mean!
5. If you have a picky eater…..
No one believed me when I told the fam that it had zucchini in them! I don’t have to hide any veggies or fruits in my baking for them. I usually don’t like revealing any secret ingredient during taste tests to avoid bias! You know what people is like when they hear there is zucchini, or any sort of veggies in the baking goods! They immediately think healthy and inedible! That’s not always the case right?!? This is one of the proofs! You gotta try it to believe it!
Moist Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 225 g grated zucchini from 1 medium-size zucchini
Wet ingredients:
- 150 g sugar
- 97 g oil neutral flavor
- 150 g eggs room temperature, from 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
Dry ingredients:
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 48 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
To add last:
- 175 g semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
Topping: (optional)
Instructions
- Oil a 9 x 5 inch metal loaf pan on all sides and line parchment paper on the long side of the pan, overhanging on the side. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven
Prepare the zucchini:
- Trim both ends of the zucchini and leaves the peel on. Use a large hole grater to grate the zucchini. Set aside
Prepare the batter:
- Whisk sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Sift in all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda over the wet ingredients.
- Use a flexible spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet as you turn the bowl.
- Halfway through folding, add the grated zucchini and 3/4 of the chocolate chips and continue to fold until just combined and you no longer see dry streaks of dry ingredients.
- This is a pretty thick batter
- Scrape the thick batter into the prepared pan. Use the spatula to even out the batter. Scatter the rest of the chocolate chips on top. Top with some sprinkle of turbinado sugar if you like
Bake:
- Place the loaf pan in the middle rack and bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with some moist crumbs but it shouldn't be wet
Cool down:
- Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and let it cool down for 15 minutes and then loosen the edges if necessary and lift the loaf out of the pan by grabbing the parchment paper. Let it cool down completely on the cooling rack
To serve:
- This loaf tastes even better the next day when it has time to develop flavor.
Storage:
- Leftovers can be kept in an air-tight container for 3 days.
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Tips for success
1. Use a large hole grater
Make sure to use large hole grater. If you shred the zucchini too finely, too much water will ooze out, affecting the consistency of the batter
2. Don’t squeeze out the liquid from zucchini
The zucchini keeps the bread moist.
3. Use Dutch cocoa powder
Dutch cocoa powder is neutral in pH, therefore neutral in taste. It has a deeper color and is earthy in flavor. Do not substitute with regular cocoa powder
4. Don’t overmix the batter
Overmixing develops gluten, leading to a denser, tougher loaf. Mix until just combined.
5. Do not overbake
Every oven can be different. Mine is fully cooked at 1 hour at 350 F (180 C) conventional oven. You can start checking at 50 to 55-minute mark if you think your oven runs hot
6. Wait to serve
I encourage you wait overnight before serving this bread. It gets even better as the flavor has time to develop and the loaf is moist
Variations
1. Boost the chocolate flavor
A bit of instant espresso powder can really intensify the chocolate flavor
2. Some crunch factor
You can add some chopped nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts, or pecans
3. Some heat
I like to pair chocolate with a bit of heat. You can add a pinch of cayenne or chili powder for a kick
