Description

This ultra rich and decadently moist vegan chocolate zucchini bread is loaded with finely shredded zucchini to give it an almost fudge-like loaf cake speckled with dairy free milk chocolate chips and a deep chocolatey flavor! We’re topping with a silky smooth dairy free chocolate cream cheese frosting for extra chocolatey goodness. This is your excuse to get your veggies in and use up all of that extra summer zucchini!! All made entirely with just a bowl and a whisk and NO eggs nor dairy!

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Zucchini Bread:

1 cup (175 g) grated zucchini, patted down to soak up the water (should weigh 110 g after being pat down)**
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar
1/3 cup (85 g) unsweetened dairy free yogurt, room temperature
1/2 cup (45 g) black cocoa powder
1/3 cup (76 mL) neutral cooking oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour or 1:1 gluten free baking flour
1 cup (240 mL) vegan buttermilk, room temperature
2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup (56 g) vegan butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (113 g) vegan cream cheese, cold
1/4 cup (60 mL) vegan heavy cream, cold
2-3 cups (240-360 g) powdered sugar
1/4 cup (25 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

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Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
Prepare the zucchini first. Grate the zucchini and pat dry. You should have soaked up most of the water. I to put it in a clean dish towel and place a heavy bowl on top to hold it down while I whisk together the dry ingredients. When you measure the zucchini again, it should weigh around 110 grams.
Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the zucchini, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, dairy-free yogurt, and neutral cooking oil. Add in the coca powder, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract and sea salt, and whisk again. Finally, add in the flour, and pour in the vegan buttermilk as you whisk the flour into the wet ingredients.
Fold in the chocolate chips: Switch to a silicone spatula, and pour in the chocolate chips. Fold until combined.
Bake: Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Top with extra chocolate chips if desired, or leave off if you’re making the frosting. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean. Then remove from the oven.
Cool: Let the loaf cool in the pan for 30 minutes for removing and slicing. Or you can cool fully before making the optional frosting, in the next step.
Make the chocolate cream cheese frosting: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with whisk attachment, cream together the vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, and vegan heavy cream until fluffy and consistent, about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and mix on low speed at first to combine the cocoa powder into the frosting, then increase the speed to fully incorporate and make fluffy. Finally, add in the sea salt and vanilla extract, along with an additional tablespoon of vegan heavy cream if desired for a smooth consistency, and mix again.
Frost: Only frost the zucchini loaf if the loaf cake is FULLY cool and there is no warmth whatsoever to the touch. Then scoop the frosting onto the cake, smear to the edges, and top with vegan chocolate curls if desired.
Serve: Slice the chocolate zucchini bread and enjoy! To store, slice and place into an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days if unfrosted or in the fridge for up to a week if frosted, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

Gluten free: Please use the cup measurements rather than the gram measurements. For Bob’s Red Mill in the blue bag (the 1:1 flour), you’ll need 2 cups, or 280 g. Please DO NOT use the namaste blend. It will not work.

**For best results: Use a kitchen scale, especially with the zucchini! It’s difficult to know how much liquid you’ve squeezed out without a kitchen scale.