Well, it has begun. Andy is bringing me zucchini as big as cudgels and expecting something delicious to be made on the spot. So I am trying this lovely looking bread and have already grated 3 enormous zucchini, so there will plenty left with which to plague the neighbors. They are now running from me on sight.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Note: This turned out very well. It is delicious and it got rid of several of these monsters. Makes two nice plump loaves.
Chocolate zucchini bread that's rich, moist, and with a tender crumb. Made with cocoa powder for extra chocolate intensity.
This recipe makes 2 loaves; you can easily divide the recipe in half to make just one loaf. The recipe calls for 4 cups of grated zucchini, which will yield particularly moist loaves. I've made it with 3 cups, which was also very good, just not as sublime as with 4 cups.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups grated zucchini (from about a pound and a half of zucchini)
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (use natural unsweetened cocoa, NOT Dutch processed)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (12 Tbsp or 1 1/2 sticks), melted
- 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
METHOD
1 Place the freshly grated zucchini in a sieve over a bowl to catch any excess moisture as it drains, while you work on prepping the other ingredients and preparing the recipe. If for some reason your zucchini is on the dry side, hydrate the shredded zucchini by soaking it in water first, and then place in sieve.
2 Preheat oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle. Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans with baking spray or butter.
3 Vigorously whisk together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk until there are no more clumps and the ingredients are well combined.
4 In a separate large bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until smooth, about a minute. You can do this with an electric mixer on medium speed, or by hand with a wooden spoon. (I'm lazy and use a mixer but it's easy enough to do by hand.) Add the melted butter, instant coffee granules, and almond extract and beat until smooth.
4 In a separate large bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until smooth, about a minute. You can do this with an electric mixer on medium speed, or by hand with a wooden spoon. (I'm lazy and use a mixer but it's easy enough to do by hand.) Add the melted butter, instant coffee granules, and almond extract and beat until smooth.
5 Mix the shredded zucchini into the sugar egg mixture. Add the flour to the zucchini mixture in 3 additions, stirring to combine after each addition.
6 Work quickly, and divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans. (Work quickly because once the dry ingredients have mixed with the wet ingredients, the leavening has begun.) Place into the oven. Bake for 50 minutes at 350°F, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and easily. Remove to a rack. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife around the edges to separate the bread from the pan. Remove from the loaf pans and let cool completely on a rack.
Note that if you try to slice the chocolate zucchini bread before it has completely cooled, it will be rather crumbly. It's also easiest to slice with a bread knife.
