Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread (With Carrots for Extra Moisture)
Who said vegetables couldn't taste like chocolate? This dark chocolate banana bread recipe has a hidden surprise of carrots and zucchini folded in and paired with warm spices including cinnamon, caradomon, ginger and nutmeg.
Ingredients
Wet:
- 4 bananas 3 mashed + 1 whole - cut in half lengthwise
- 1 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk + small splash
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Vegetables:
- 2 carrots grated
- 1 small zucchini grated
Dry:
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp 100% unsweetened dark chocolate cacoa powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp 4-spice baking spice
- ½ tsp caradomon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Butter or bit of olive for coating pan
- 2 tbsp raw sugar for top optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Lightly coat a 9 inch loaf pan with butter or olive oil. Set aside until needed.
- In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients - eggs, olive oil, milk and vanilla extract. Beat lightly to combine, then add the sugar and mashed bananas, stirring together until combined.
- In a smaller bowl, sift the dry ingredients together - flour, chocolate, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Then add the grated carrots and zucchini, stirring to coat.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold only until ingredients are mixed together. Do not overbeat.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Cut the remaining banana in half, lengthwise and place gently on the top of the batter, pressing down slightly. Sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired. Put pan in the oven.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. It's done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and no wet batter — or, more reliably, when the center registers 200 to 205°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan. Do not slice until completely cool or it will mash the bread.
- Serve at room temp or cold. Store leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
- Freezing bananas. If you only get one or two overripe bananas at a time, peel them and freeze in a bag until you have enough. They mash beautifully once thawed. You'll need one unfrozen banana for the top of the loaf, though — a thawed one won't hold its shape.
- Why less sugar than you'd expect. Very ripe bananas and grated carrots both bring their own sweetness, so this whole loaf only takes 1/2 cup of brown sugar. If your bananas are only lightly speckled rather than properly ugly, or you skip the carrots, you may want to add another 2 to 3 tablespoons.
- Nuts and seeds. Walnuts are the natural pairing — the bitterness plays against the dark cacao. Pecans or hazelnuts work too, as do sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Add about 1/2 cup, folded in with the dry ingredients.
- Whole wheat. Swapping half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat works well. Going fully whole wheat produces a noticeably denser loaf.
- Gluten-free. I haven't tested this loaf gluten-free. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour is the swap I'd reach for — it's the blend we use elsewhere on the site and it already contains xanthan gum. Measure by weight if you can, and expect to need a few extra minutes of bake time.
- Storage. Because of the fresh vegetables, this keeps in the fridge rather than on the counter — up to 5 days wrapped well. It freezes for up to 3 months; slice it first and freeze the slices flat so you can pull one at a time.
Nutrition (per serving, approximate — 12 slices)
- Calories: 197
- Total Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 17g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 220mg
