This one is oh so for the love of chocolate with the goodness of zucchini, whole wheat & molasses thrown in.
Make no mistake, it's a bread.
One that inherits it's ever so light hint of sweetness from chocolate morsels and earthy molasses but everything about this shouts B.R.E.A.D.
wonderful. decadent. breakfast. after-school. whenever. bread.
Like I said, sneaky.
As it stands, I am back to Sunday baking. With the kids back to school, the need for healthful after-school snacks with that cold glass of milk, five days a week means that Mum (I speak of moi) is forced to shake off the shackles of procrastination and get a line-up together of yummy healthful baked goods.
Mind you, it's not just for the kids benefiting from this endeavor considering Mr. Hubby & I both sneak in a slice or two before the whole lot is polished off. But it has been a startling revelation that left to my own devices, I would probably drift into a wayward slump of fried eggs and toast, meal after meal as long as I'm left alone buried in my books.
So thank goodness, I have growing boys (and one other fully grown variety) in the house that need feeding & watering to keep me on my toes or there's a very good chance that this blog might have never seen the light of day!
Which of course begs the next question - whatever will we do when they're off to college?
To which my devious mind who is currently far more interested in Jack Reacher of the Lee Child novels, whispers back, "cross that bridge when you come to it".
Amen to that.
Gather the ingredients:2 large eggs, 1/3 cup molasses, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 medium zucchini (to yield 2-1/2 cups shredded & unpeeled zucchini) & 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg F
Spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. Line a metal 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. The non-stick spray helps glue the paper to the pans.
Zucchini -Using a vegetable grater shred the zucchini. Do not squeeze to remove liquid.
Wet ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs discarding the shells. Measure & add the oil, molasses, brown sugar & vanilla extract. Whisk together to combine.
Flour - In a small mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda & ground cinnamon. Stir with a spoon to combine.
Add the flour mixture and with a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together.
Add the zucchini and chocolate chips & fold till the whole mixture is combined.
Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for about 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool slightly for about 10 minutes then peel away the parchment paper & place on a wire rack to cool completely.
You'll make this again and again because this moist & delicious bread with the mild scent of cinnamon offers the sweet & decadent surprise of chocolate chips in a real grown-up bread.
The subtle flavor of chocolate marries perfectly with the earthiness of rich molasses and brown sugar balanced by the moist freshness of zucchini.
Craving More like this?
Fruit & Nut Palooza Zucchini Cake
Recipe for
Sneaky Molasses, Zucchini & Chocolate Bread + Cake
(Recipe slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour recipe card)
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Baking time - 55-60 minutes
Makes 1 qty 9" x 5" loaf
Shopping list
2 large eggs
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium zucchini (to yield 2-1/2 cups shredded & unpeeled zucchin)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 350deg F
Spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. Line a metal 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. The non-stick spray helps glue the paper to the pans.
Zucchini -Using a vegetable grater shred the zucchini. Do not squeeze to remove liquid.
Method:
Flour - In a small mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda & ground cinnamon. Stir with a spoon to combine.
In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs discarding the shells. Measure & add the oil, molasses, brown sugar & vanilla extract. Whisk together to combine.
Add the flour mixture and with a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together.
Add the zucchini and chocolate chips & fold till the whole mixture is combined.
Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for about 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool slightly for about 10 minutes then peel away the parchment paper & place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Cut into slices and serve with glasses of cold milk or steaming cups of tea or coffee.
Enjoy!
