Moist Chocolate & Zucchini Loaf

Moist Chocolate & Zucchini Loaf

One of the first food blogs I ever discovered was Chocolate & Zucchini by my lovely Parisian mate Clotilde. I’m still a huge fan and I just love the idea of combining two seemingly opposite ingredients to make a cake that ticks all the right boxes.

150g (5oz) unsalted butter
200g (7oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or higher)
300g (10oz) zucchini, grated
4 eggs
250g (9oz) almond meal
200g (7oz) brown sugar or white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) fan assisted. Line a loaf pan 24cm x 12cm (approx 9in x 5in) with baking paper.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Stand to allow the chocolate to melt.

3. Meanwhile, grate zucchini using your food processor or a box grater. When the chocolate has melted add the butter-chocolate mixture to the grated zucchini. Add the eggs, almond meal, sugar and baking powder. Mix with a spoon until just combined.

4. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes or until the loaf feels springy when you touch it. And a skewer inserted into the middle come out without any gooey cake stuck to it.

5. Cool in the pan then slice and serve (preferably with lashings of double cream).

Variations

stevia – replace sugar with 1/4 teaspoon pure stevia powder or 4-6 tablespoons granular stevia.

no stevia – use your favourite sweetener… Honey, maple syrup, xylitol or white sugar! Just add and taste until you’re happy with the sweetness level.

sugar lovers – use 200g (7oz) sugar.

dairy-free – coconut oil.

nut-free – replace almond meal with ground sunflower seeds. Don’t use ground flax (linseeds) or chia as they will completely change the texture. You could try regular or chickpea flour – expect the baking time to be much less for flour.

different veg – carrot or parsnip can also be used. For a red velvet cake, replace zucchini with mashed roast beetroot or cooked sweet potato. All these veg will add more carbs than the zucchini.

no fan assist on your oven? – increase the set temp to 200C (400F). Check after 35 minutes just to be sure.

Shelf Life / Storage

This cake is lovely when first baked but also great straight from the fridge. The texture changes when chilled but I like both ways. Can be kept for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. Keeps for months in the freezer.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

butter – will keep in the fridge for weeks.

dark chocolate / almond meal / pure stevia powder / baking powder – keep them in the pantry.

zucchini – will keep for 2 weeks or longer in a plastic bag in the fridge. To keep it even longer, cook sliced zucchini in a little butter until just soft then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

eggs – will keep in the fridge for weeks or use for another meal.