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Makes
1 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf
Author Notes
Despite its appearance and ingredients list, this zucchini bread, adapted from the Seven Spoons cookbook, is surprisingly not too sweet.
It gets its rich flavor from a generous amount of bittersweet dark chocolate, chunked into the batter. The chunks melt into the base of the bread so that you get damp, oozing, and warm pockets of chocolate throughout... as well as some additional darkness from Dutch process cocoa powder.
The zucchini, though, is the main star. The pieces give a hearty texture, moistness, and depth to the bread. Added walnuts yield a delicious buttery taste and toasty aromatic flavor that pairs perfectly with the dark chocolate and zucchini. —thalia ho
Test Kitchen Notes
WHO: Thalia is a self-taught baker from Australia who writes the blog Butter and Brioche.
WHAT: A dense, fudgy, not-too-sweet tea loaf that's packed with zucchini (even if it doesn't taste like it).
HOW: Fold walnuts, shredded zucchini, and lots of bittersweet chocolate chunks into a cocoa-buttermilk quick bread, and sprinkle more chocolate chunks on top.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This quick bread is extremely chocolatey—with nary a hint of zucchini flavor! But aside from the melty chocolate on top of each slice, the zucchini is the best part of this loaf: It makes it extra moist, from the moment it comes out out the oven to the next day, when you sneak a slice for breakfast (it has vegetables in it, right?) —The Editors
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Ingredients
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2 1/2 cups
grated zucchini
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3/4 cup
all-purpose flour
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3/4 cup
whole wheat flour
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1/4 cup
Dutch process cocoa powder
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3/4 teaspoon
baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
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1 teaspoon
sea salt
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1/2 cup
walnuts, chopped and toasted
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1 1/4 cups
bittersweet dark chocolate (at least 70%), chopped
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1/4 cup
unsalted butter, melted
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1/2 cup
buttermilk
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1
large egg
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3/4 cup
light brown sugar
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
Directions
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Preheat an oven to 350° F (175° C).
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Grease and line a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch (21 x 10-centimeter) loaf pan and set it aside. Let the parchment paper hang over the sides.
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Place the grated zucchini on a baking tray lined with a lint-free kitchen towel, then place another kitchen towel on top, patting it down gently to absorb any additional moisture. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, use a fork to whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Stir in the chopped walnuts and 1 cup of the dark chocolate.
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In a separate large bowl, whisk together the butter and buttermilk. Add in the egg, light brown sugar, and vanilla, then whisk the liquid ingredients until smooth and uniform. Gently fold in the zucchini.
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Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
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Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped dark chocolate.
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Bake, rotating at least once half way through baking, until a skewer inserted into the bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
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Let cool in the loaf pan for 15 to 20 minutes before inverting out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
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