Chocolate Zucchini bread

It's been awhile since I posted last! I've been busy traveling, working, gardening, and getting my fitness on! My garden has started producing some lovely vegetables and flowers (more about that in a later post, I need to get the garden weeded and looking its best before I post some pics!). I made the mistake of planting two zucchini and two yellow summer squash plants! As a result, I have tons of summer squash and zucchini! With what I can't give away or eat (without getting sick of the vegetables...), I decided to make Chocolate Zucchini bread from a suggestion from a fellow gardener at my community plot. After some interweb searching, I found the perfect recipe from Joy of Baking

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups shredded raw zucchini (about 1/2 pound or 227 grams)

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (not Dutch-processed)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup (120 ml) safflower or canola oil

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (125 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf bread. Set aside.

2) Grate the zucchini, using a medium sized grater. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground allspice. Set aside.

4) In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Fold in the grated zucchini. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips.  

5) Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.

Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

Results: One delicious chunk of bread that was gone in about 5 minutes with my thesis committee and lab mates :)