Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Happy Independence Day, everyone! I can't believe it's already July. The past month has been a bit of a whirlwind – Evan and I moved farther south into Virginia, and away from the craziness of DC. We arrived in Fishersville just in time to enjoy the summer months here, and I'm oh-so ready to do some summer cooking and baking – bring on the fruits and veggies!
This may not sound like the most summery of desserts, but hear me out. When I was younger, my mom received a recipe from a friend – a saint, truly – for something called Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Once my mother made it, she didn't stop making it, because my sisters and I wouldn't let her. We loved this stuff (and still do). Namely because it's basically chocolate cake that you can get away with eating for breakfast.
Around this same time, we also happened to have a neighbor who kept a vegetable garden in the summer, and he would always have more zucchini than he knew what to do with. He offered some to my mom, who obviously made them into this chocolatey treat, and sent a loaf over to him. For the next few summers, the cycle would continue – our neighbor would bring over zucchini, and my mom would make zucchini bread all summer long, always making sure he got some as a thank-you.
There aren't many baked goods I so closely associate with a certain season (aside from Christmas, obviously), but I will always fondly remember those summer mornings in my teenage years when I got to wake up late and eat chocolate cake for breakfast. I was living the dream and didn't even know it.
CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes
Makes two loaves
Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (I peel mine partially)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
¾ cup chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Gently melt down the unsweetened chocolate, and set aside to cool. Grease and flour two loaf pans.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Beat for about a minute and a half (low on a mixer, or just rapidly by hand) until the ingredients are well-mixed. Add the grated zucchini and the cooled melted chocolate, stirring until blended again.
In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips (mini chips if you have them!) to the wet ingredients, and stir just enough so that the ingredients are blended. Split the batter between the two greased and floured loaf pans.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. When the pans come out of the oven, set them on a cooling rack (in the pans still), and don't remove or slice until the bread is cool.
Happy Eating,
Natalie