Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
This Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread is incredibly rich, moist, fudgy, and loaded with chocolate chips!
I’ll never forget the first time I tried zucchini bread. Josh and I had been dating for a while and his family had just moved to a new house. Their new neighbor brought over two loaves of zucchini bread and I remember wondering how in the world zucchini inside of a dessert could even taste good.
I reluctantly sliced a piece of the bread and ate a small bite, and then another, and another. All while asking “Are you sure there’s actually zucchini in this bread?” and “How can this taste so good?!”.
It was then, at 20 years old, that I realized zucchini bread is actually really delicious and ever since then I’ve loved it. So today I’m bringing you my rich, fudgy, chocolate version of zucchini bread.
This bread is absolutely delicious and a perfect way to use up any extra zucchini you may have at your house right now. Plus, you can never go wrong with a double dose of chocolate. Right?
To make this double chocolate zucchini bread you’ll start off with some flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and a little instant espresso powder. If you’re wondering why there’s espresso powder in this recipe, let me explain. Espresso powder enhances the flavor of the chocolate and takes this zucchini bread from really good to absolutely amazing.
I promise that the espresso powder won’t make your bread taste like coffee either. If you don’t have any espresso powder you can use instant coffee granules or simply leave it out. But if you can get your hands on some I suggest using it! Espresso powder also works wonderfully in other chocolate desserts like these chocolate cupcakes or these fudgy brownies.
One helpful tip when it comes to making it easier to remove the bread from the loaf pan is to use parchment paper. I like to tear off a strip of parchment paper, place it along the bottom and sides, and tear off any excess. Once the bread has cooled, you can easily lift it out of the pan without making a mess.
For the wet ingredients you’ll be using some oil, sugar, vanilla, and a couple of eggs. And, of course, there’s a cup of shredded zucchini in this bread too. The zucchini adds so much moisture to this bread and keeps it perfectly moist, even on day 2 and 3.
And because one form of chocolate wasn’t enough, there’s some semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed into this bread too. The chocolate chips create little pockets of chocolate that are like pure heaven every time you take a bite.
Once the bread is baked, you’ll want to let it cool in the pan for a little bit before removing it. It’s best to wait until this chocolate zucchini bread has cooled completely before slicing into it, which makes it a perfect treat to make ahead of time too.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (155 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 1/4 cup (20 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder optional, but recommended
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 grams) shredded zucchini, lightly packed
- 3/4 cup (140 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper for easier removal if desired, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, espresso powder, and salt until well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in the shredded zucchini.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then gently fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into one even layer.
- Bake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes, remove from the pan, and place on the wire rack to finish cooling. Once cooled, slice into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from my Cream Cheese-Filled Zucchini Muffins originally adapted from All Recipes.
I just picked my second zucchini from the garden this season and decided to make zucchini bread. I always go first to Live Well Bake Often to look for a recipe. I found this one and asked my husband if he would like it and he said yes, it has chocolate in it! We both enjoyed it very much, very moist and delicious.
Thanks Danielle for all your recipes. I like all that I’ve tried, and I’ve tried a lot of them.
Thank you, Mary! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
This is so delicious! I love all your recipes I’ve done so far!!
Thank you, Colleen!
I have lots of zucchinis in the garden and wanted to try something different to use them up. I came across this recipe and let me just say it is amazing! I am so impressed with how fudgey, chocolatey and delicious this bread turned out. Could not taste zucchini at all and you can’t even see it in the bread! Thank you thank you for a great recipe! I will be making this over and over I’m sure!
Thank you, Angela! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
If I don’t have cocoa, can I add more flour? I understand that the chocolate taste will solely come from the chips.
Yes, I’ve tried it before and it works. You can omit the cocoa powder and use 1 and 1/2 cups of flour.
How can i substitute the eggs to make it vegan?
You may be able to use flax eggs, but I haven’t personally tried them in this recipe.
Hi! I just want to make chocolate bread without zucchini. Can I just remove the zucchini completely without changing other ingredient measurement?
I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe, since the zucchini adds moisture to the bread.
Danielle, every time I come to your site, I just get so impressed with your photography. This bread looks truly amazing! Pinned x
You’re so sweet, Jess! Thank you! That means a lot coming from you, your photography is so gorgeous! 🙂
Is there a gluten free version?
Hi, Doreen! Unfortunately I don’t have much experience with gluten free baking, so I don’t have a gluten free version.