This zucchini AND spinach bread is like a moist, tender, chocolatey loaf cake, sweet (but slightly less so) while being able to keep its hold in a slice. It’s almostttt a bread but not quite (which, let’s be honest, is most zucchini breads). There is also the barest hint of spice, which comes from the cinnamon and adds the extra flavor boost you didn’t know you needed.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Spatula
- Whisk
- 9”x5” loaf pan
- Parchment Paper
- Wire Rack
- Grater
- Food Processor (or really sharp knife)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated zucchini approx. one medium zucchini
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach about 4-5 good handfuls
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips plus 1-2 tbsp extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F; grease a 9”x5” loaf pan and line it with parchment paper
- Grate your zucchini over a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all the excess moisture. Squeeze until no more liquid releases. This step is very important, as too much moisture will stop your cake from rising properly! Set aside while you prep your other ingredients
- In a food processor, finely chop your spinach. You want it to blend right in with the batter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your sugar and oil, then add in your eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth
- Use a spatula to fold in your dried-out zucchini and finely chopped spinach, until combined
- In a separate bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until only a few streaks of the dry ingredients remain, before adding in ⅓ cup of chocolate chips. Stir everything until just combined. Do not overmix at this stage!
- Pour your batter into your prepared loaf pan, spread evenly as needed, and top with a few more chocolate chips. Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (note that because there are chocolate chips in the batter, you will likely have some melted chocolate on the toothpick)
- Remove from the oven and let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing and cooling completely on a wire rack (at least 30 minutes)
- Enjoy!
Notes
I know people tend to ignore the “sift your dry ingredients” part of the instructions but I would (and do) recommend you sift your dry ingredients for this recipe. Whether you sift them into their own bowl or over the wet mixture, this will ensure you don’t get random bits of flour, etc. and that you don’t overmix your batter
I use Ghiradelli Dutch-processed cocoa powder. As it is a key flavor in this recipe, I would highly recommend a quality cocoa powder!
It is essential that you finely chop your spinach. I threw mine into a food processor (mini or large work great) but if you don’t have one of those, a very sharp knife will work. You don’t want to bite into obvious spinach bits so having it finely minced ensures it will simply “disappear” into the batter
Another key step is straining out your zucchini. This loaf is moist enough without that excess water and too much of it could prevent your bread from rising. Squeeze until only a few droplets are coming through your cloth.
- If you don’t have a kitchen towel for squeezing out your zucchini, paper towel will work! I’d recommend layering 2-3 sheets before squeezing as zucchini is very juicy and will tear through one pretty quickly (literally).
- Don’t overwork your batter, this is a more bread-like loaf cake so it’s dense enough
