Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Zucchini? What zucchini? You'll never guess the secret ingredient in this unbelievably moist and decadent chocolate loaf! This recipe will deliver a rich, fudgy texture that melts in your mouth, with plenty of delicious chocolate chunks. It's a brilliant way to use up fresh zucchini, transforming it into the most amazing sweet treat. This recipe makes one large loaf.

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (320°F) for a fan-forced oven. Grease and line a large loaf pan (approx. 28 x 15 x 6.5cm or 11 x 6 x 2.5").

2. 2

   Using your hands, squeeze out the excess liquid from the grated zucchini. Place the squeezed zucchini in a colander to continue draining while you prepare the batter. You don't need to squeeze out every drop; the remaining moisture is what makes this bread so incredibly moist.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. 4

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Once combined, add the melted butter and vanilla essence, and whisk until everything is fully incorporated.

5. 5

   Pour the wet egg mixture into the bowl with the dry flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is just combined. The batter will be very thick at this stage.

6. 6

   Fold the squeezed zucchini and coarsely chopped chocolate into the batter. Continue to stir until they are evenly mixed in. The batter will initially be very thick, but it will loosen slightly as you mix. Refer to the video for a visual of the texture.

7. 7

   Scrape the thick batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 45 minutes, then cover the pan with foil and continue to bake for another 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (a few streaks of melted chocolate are fine!).

8. 8

   Let the loaf stand in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully removing it. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool for another 10 minutes before slicing.

9. 9

   For an extra amazing experience, serve the bread warm to enjoy the melty chocolate bits and the extra fudgy texture in the middle!

Recipe Notes

• Zucchini – To measure, lightly pack the grated zucchini into a measuring cup without pressing it down firmly. The total amount should be 3 cups.

• Cocoa powder – Dutch-processed cocoa powder has a richer, more intense chocolate flavor, but standard cocoa powder works perfectly fine as well.

• Baking soda – This is also known as bicarbonate of soda. You can substitute it with 4.5 teaspoons of baking powder, although the texture may be slightly different.

• Chocolate – Both eating and cooking chocolate will work, as long as it’s semi-sweetened or sweet. Avoid using unsweetened chocolate. Dark cooking chocolate, like the kind used in the video, holds its shape slightly better during baking, but it doesn’t make a significant difference to the final result.

• Squeezing zucchini – You don't need to be overly vigorous when squeezing out the liquid. Just get out what you can by hand. The moisture that remains in the zucchini is what makes this bread so incredibly moist and tender. This recipe was adapted from a Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe from Simply Recipes.