Double Chocolate & Walnut Zucchini Bread

Meet your new favorite zucchini bread! This double chocolate and walnut zucchini bread is very moist and tender, with an intense chocolate flavor, and dotted with the crunch of toasted walnuts.

Despite having two zucchinis in this bread, no one will be able to detect any of it if you keep it a secret. Sneaky right?

When you are blessed with the bounty of zucchini this summer, remember to bake this bread. The bread is freezer friendly, so you won’t waste any of your zucchinis.

Ingredients for the zucchini bread

We will need zucchini, chocolate chips, cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed cocoa powder), walnut, eggs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, honey, canola oil, espresso powder, and vanilla.

Which zucchini should I use for this bread?

There are many varieties of zucchinis in the market, and you can use all kinds of zucchinis for this zucchini bread. You can even use summer yellow squash if that’s what you have.

Do I really need espresso powder?

Espresso powder is added because it is a secret ingredient that can make chocolate taste even more chocolate. Think of it as a chocolate enhancer that will make your chocolate treats more intense. But if you don’t have espresso powder in your kitchen and you want to bake this bread now, you can omit it too.

Can I use other oil?

You can use vegetable oil if you don’t have canola oil at home. Please don’t use olive oil since it has a stronger flavor compared to either vegetable or canola oil, and it will affect the flavor of the bread.

Prepare the zucchini

We need 2 cups of shredded zucchini, and two average-sized zucchinis are usually enough to yield the required amount.

Start with washing, rinsing, and pat dry the zucchinis.

Use a grater to shred the zucchinis. Place the shredded zucchinis in a kitchen towel, then gather the towel and gently squeeze to remove zucchini liquid.

The shredded zucchini should still be moist to touch, but we don’t want an excess liquid that will naturally appear from shredding the zucchinis.

We can now use the shredded zucchini to prepare the bread batter.

Prepare the bread batter

Preheat oven to 175 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit), and grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, canola oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

Sift in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Mix until well combined.

Stir in shredded zucchini, chopped toasted walnuts, and chocolate chips. Fold until well combined, and pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Baking the bread

Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 65-70 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

There may be some light smear from melted chocolate chips, but you shouldn’t see cake batter clinging to the cake tester.

Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Gently run a thin blade along the edges to loosen the bread and carefully remove it from the pan. Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack.

Cut the bread into serving slices and serve with some hot coffee or hot tea.

Using different pans

You can bake this bread in different pans.

1. Muffin pan

For standard muffin pans, this recipe will yield 18 muffins. It will take about 20 minutes to bake at the same temperature.

For mini muffin pans, this recipe will yield 48 muffins. It will take about 12 minutes to bake at the same temperature.

2. Mini loaf pan

You can also bake this bread in a mini loaf pan. It should yield 4 small 5”x2.5” loaves. It will take about 30 minutes at the same temperature.

Storing the zucchini bread

You can store the zucchini bread in an airtight container for up to two days at room temperature, and up to one week in the fridge.

For longer storage, you can freeze the bread for up to three months. Wait until the bread has completely cool, wrap it with two to three layers of saran wrap, and freeze. Let frozen bread thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.