There’s nothing like knowing there are vegetables in desserts that my kids love. When the kids first tested this they asked if it was banana bread. My little white lie was “Sort of.” After rave reviews, I laughed that they’d eaten vegetable dessert thanks to the zucchini. The teen response was in the vein of “You don’t need to pull those stunts anymore, Mom.” If you have picky eaters, know that the zucchini adds moisture, has very little flavour, and is practically invisible, as it’s grated. It’s so moist and delicious the word “zucchini” won’t even come up.
Makes two 5- × 9-inch loaves
Ingredients:
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1 cup vegetable oil
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1 cup white sugar
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¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
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2 eggs
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½ cup buttermilk
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2 tsp pure vanilla extract
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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¼ cup cocoa
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2 tsp ground cinnamon
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1 tsp baking soda
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½ tsp baking powder
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½ tsp salt
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1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
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2 medium zucchinis, skin on, grated (about 2 cups)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 5- × 9-inch loaf pans.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil and both sugars together. Beat in the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer in two batches, add the dried ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and then the zucchini. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. In the final 10 minutes, if it is starting to really brown, cover them with aluminum foil to slow the browning. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once cool, run knife around edges and turn out on rack to cool completely. Store, wrapped in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Cook’s Note: You can use the largest side of a box grater if you want larger bits of zucchini. We didn’t have loaf pans when we first tested this, and the recipe worked beautifully in a Bundt pan, it just required a slightly shorter cook time. If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own by adding 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for a few minutes before using.
