Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This quick bread is easy to whip up and tastes exactly like a very moist chocolate cake!

I grew up watching my mom tend a fairly substantial garden in the back yard. Of course, being surrounded by farms, there was fresh produce everywhere, whether we grew it or not! One prolific veggie that always made it into our summer kitchen was zucchini squash. It is delicious sauteed, fried in slices, and baked into a cheesy casserole. But dessert…? You bet.

My sister and I took this “chocolate cake” to multiple school or camp events (back when you could take homemade food into schools…), and not a single person noticed a veggie. And not a single slice was left behind! This seriously moist quick bread will fly off of the plate, so be sure to freeze some ahead of time (or grow more zucchini)!!

Let’s Make It!

The recipe starts in the fairly standard baking way, by creaming together butter and sugar. It is almost always recommended that your butter be perfectly softened, but I am usually an impulse baker. That means my butter is almost certainly half melted in the microwave… Anyway, I use my stand mixer (hand mixer would work just fine) to beat the butter and sugar until it appears lighter in color and somewhat fluffier. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated.

The rest of the ingredients are separated into two bowls: wet and dry. Alternate mixing in a little dry then a little wet until the bowls are empty. It is always worth taking the time halfway through to scrape down the mixer. That creamed butter mixture likes to stick to the very bottom center of the bowl, and it’s a disappointing thing to find after you have already emptied the batter into the pans.

Speaking of pans, I like to make this in small loaf pans so that there is something to freeze or gift. Also, since this is a summer veggie/recipe, having the oven running for slightly less time is preferable. I always grease my pans, but I am thinking of dusting them with cocoa powder in the future. This is such a moist quick bread, that it is hard to get a clean separation from the pan when turning it out.

When using small loaf pans, I always set them on a cookie sheet before placing in the oven. This allows the pans to sit on a flat surface, I only have to pull one thing out of the oven instead of five, AND it protects against overflow spills. Cleaning burnt food off the bottom of the oven is not a result of baking I enjoy.

It looks like the batter would fit into four pans just fine, but don’t fall for it. The bread rises a lot, and it is much better to evenly distribute the batter amongst five small pans.

Storage

After the bread has completely cooled, wrap a few loaves in saran then foil. Label well, stick in a ziplock, and stash in the freezer. Trust me, future you will thank you 🙂