Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

Jump to Recipe

This one will be short and sweet (posted upon request) - a little recipe I developed on the fly just last night as I was contemplating the best way to use some leftover zucchini. I didn't want something sweet per se, but definitely chocolatey because I'm a fan of everything and anything chocolate. I eyed the mini loaf pan I've used recently because it gives me more flexibility than a muffin format - both in terms of cooking time and in choosing serving size based on the time of day I reach for it.

I topped this beauty with a sprinkling of chia seeds for a crunch on top, and they helped highlight the beautiful rise it achieved in the oven. You can see how light it turned out by those beautiful and even air pockets. The loaf is very rich in chocolate flavor (just want I wanted from it!) but really not very sweet since the only sugar content is from applesauce. A touch of honey or maple syrup can give you a more indulgent result, - I topped it with a spoonful of ricotta and a bit of cherry jam, home made ricotta would be even better on this!

---

Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

Ingredients:

1/4 cup applesauce
1 large egg
1 tbsp nut butter
1/3 finely shredded zucchini (about half a medium zucchini, squeezed well)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour (see notes)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, line a mini loaf pan with parchment paper (this will make just about 3 muffins in a regular cupcake pan, if you prefer).
2. Whisk all the wet ingredients together - applesauce, egg, nut butter, zucchini, vanilla.
3. Mix together all the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Fold the dry mix into the wet, careful not to overmix. Stop when all the flour is moistened! The mix will be quite thick.
5. Spoon into the prepared pan, spread uniformly and optionally top with a sprinkle of chia seeds.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until done (toothpick comes out clean).

Notes:

• This recipe is not very sweet, consider including an optional 1tbsp of honey in step 2.
• I used Nuttzo 7 seed and nut butter because I love the texture, but any nut butter you enjoy can be used.
• I chose a 1:1 replacement gluten free flour, but all purpose would work fine.
• For a richer cocoa flavor, I often use brut cocoa in my baking - it's darker and creamier. I generally weigh it's denser than regular cocoa powder, here I used 30g.