Zucchinis. A gardener’s bane and a foodie’s dream? Or a gardener’s dream and a foodie’s nightmare?
I like to look at it both ways. I love that a simple plant I barely need to even look at produces food every day. There is always at least one zucchini ready for me every day. On the other hand, that means I need to eat zucchini every day. Which I don’t totally mind….I like zucchini. Raw, dipped in gloriously creamy homemade ranch dressing. Shaved into noodles and tossed in a vinaigrette over greens. Sautéed with butter and salt and pepper. Grated, mixed with beets and turned into little pancakes, dipped in tangy sauce.
You name the recipe, and I’ve probably tried it with zucchini. The one thing I hadn’t tried in a a few years was making my own zucchini bread. Seeing as Hélène had already provided us with a sumptuous spice bread, I needed to make something a little different. It also gave me the opportunity to use my new iPhone app from Michael Ruhlman, Ratio. Basically, the app tells you the basics of a lot of different recipes. how much fat, flour, sugar, eggs, etc. need to be in a pound cake, for instance, to make it a pound cake or the same for pancakes, bread, cakes, muffins, etc. It also tells you the basics of how to mix and what temperature to bake at.
I needed something to help me in the baking department. Although I am skilled in all things kitchen and cooking and can fumble my way through a lot of different baking recipes and even make some of my own, sometimes it’s better to start with a surefire thing and work on it. The ratio app gives you the skills you need to make all your own baking recipes and ensure they have a good chance of coming out the way you hoped they would.
Most of the time I just start a recipe and try it several times until I get it right, tweaking the dry ingredients or adding an egg, more butter, less sugar, etc. Now I can make a skilled guess at the beginning and work from there. If you are in the habit of creating your own recipes from scratch, I highly recommend it. And no, Michael Ruhlman did not pay me to say that.
This chocolate zucchini bread is dense, chocolatey, and full of healthy vegetables. It has a hint of spice and holds up well sliced. I like it for breakfast in the morning with a warm cup of coffee, but my kids will eat it any time of day.
One year ago: Scallops, Polenta and Tomato-Citrus Vinaigrette
Two years ago: Mushroom Risotto
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Yield: One Loaf
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 75 minutes
1/2 cup brown butter**, cooled
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups zucchini, shredded
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 x 4 loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar with the cooled brown butter. Â Beat in eggs until mixture is smooth. Add vanilla and buttermilk.
3. In a separate small bowl,  combine the dry ingredients. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the zucchini.
4. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a clean dry toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out of pan and cool to room temperature . Slice and serve.
**How to make brown butter: In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium high. Allow to come to a boil, but do not stir. Swirl the butter around every minute or so. When the butter begins to foam up and there is a nutty smell and a brown tinge to the butter, remove from heat and cool in refrigerator.
Similarly delicious recipes from other food blogs:
Zucchini and Mozzarella Tart from Stacey Snacks
Courgette and Basil Pesto Gratin from Kitchen Lab
“Fake” Zucchini Souflé from Agoisfoto
Zucchini Whoopie Pies from Not Without Salt
Zucchini and Ricotta Pancakes from Scandi Foodie
I want a slice!
Must be the cravings, right? 😉 A few more days Maria!
I’ll take that entire loaf, straight up in my face, right now.
You crack me up lady!
Absolutely gorgeous and rich loaf! I would not mind eating this lovely bake daily..even though it has Zucchini in it 🙂
Mmm…that looks so moist and delicious! 🙂
I am making this bread tonight!! I dreamt about zucchini bread last night, so it’s fortuitous!
Beautifully rustic photos and a wonderful recipe. I’ll be bookmarking this for sure : )
If there’s no pastry flour around will whole wheat flour and all purpose work?
Yes, it should work fine, although I would remove 2 tbsp of the flour for each cup. So there would be 3tbsp less flour in the whole recipe.
That’s how I always feel! When I don’t have any zucchini, I always want some to cook with but when the garden’s overproducing I can’t stand the sight of the little (or big) buggers! 🙂
You know what is so great about Chocolate Zucchini Bread??? No one knows there is zucchini in it. I made some last month and my son ate a slice. Loved it. Says he hates zucchini. It is my secret what was in it.
Your pics are good enough to eat! Getting so hungry.
what a way to use a zucchini. Veg/choc what a way to go.
I am catching up to my 500+ emails that I have not been able to answer..posts I need to read and comment…you have notbee forgotten
your pictures are just so so tempting! this is a sure winner of a recipe, looks scrumptious 🙂
Thanks for the App link. I very tempted to make this cake. I love any dessert with Chocolate 🙂
I made a similar recipe just the other day, although there are aspects to your recipe that I wish I had incorporated into mine. I love the idea of brown butter, and brown sugar, and whole wheat flour. I grind my own, and so I’d really like to try this!
I happen to like zucchini quite a bit, as well… Strangely enough, this summer mine didn’t do so well in the garden. Regardless, this looks like a great recipe… perfect for the few zucchini I have left from our CSA!
WOW! What a great bread! Zucchini is not something that you think of along with chocolate but you make it look like they were made for each other. YUMMY bread!
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I have now been able to convince that these gorgeous brownies are actually health food. Thank you!
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Are you serious about the 3/4 cup of cocoa? It seems like alot…
Yes, 3/4 of a cup of cocoa. Feel free to take it down to 1/2 a cup if you think you will not like it though.
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I’m going to make this tonight. I have the Ratio book, and LOVE it. Hmm, didn’t know about the app, I probably ‘need’ it though.
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WOW! Must be the cravings, right?
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