Chocolate Zucchini Bread

       Zucchini is trending right now. Or at least we're pulling it from the garden in bushels full. Now as much as we try and harvest the zucchini's regularly so they don't grow to the size of a small child, there are always a few that you miss. Now when you have an irregularly large zucchini, there are a couple things you can do with in:

1. Let it keep growing! and keep it for seeds. That is of course if it's the only squash you are growing (wouldn't want any cross pollination of summer squashes)
2. Make some zucchini pizza (but you might want to remove some of the seeds)
3. Make Zucchini Bread, my favourite version is a super moist chocolaty recipe that you can hardly call bread.

       There has been a bit of controversy over the title of this recipe. Now I am a firm believer that this is zucchini bread, a little sweeter than the traditional zucchini bread , but zucchini bread never the less. My coworkers unanimously decided that it was closer to a brownie (have the ever had a brownie?!). And then I get a 7am text from Ryan exclaiming that "It's cake! Best breakfast ever!" So we haven't really come to a firm agreement on what exactly the chocolate zucchini dessert/breakfast/snack is but nevertheless, it's delicious!

Serves: 2 loaf pans

Time: 30 minutes + 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp (or 1/2 Tbsp) baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 500g (about 3 cups) grated raw zucchini

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. 
2. In a food processor equipped with the grater or using a medium grater, grate a large zucchini.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients, including flour,cocoa powder, leavening agents, salt. Stir in chocolate chips if using.
4. In another large bowl, mash banana, and whisk in oil. Cream oil and banana mixture with brown and white sugar and vanilla. 
5. Add the zucchini to the wet mixture and mix well.
6. Mix the wet and dry mixtures together, stirring just until combined. 
7. Scrape the batter into two 9x5x3 loaf pans (I don't usually grease them, but mine are well seasoned). Bake in a 350°F/175°C oven until the bread has risen and a toothpick/chopstick comes out clean, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Remove from the oven and place loaf pans on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pans and letting cool completely.