Once upon a time, I attended a culinary camp…I came home with a binder full of simple, amazing recipes, and this bread was one of them.
My experience was one of the scariest/best of my life. Nope, I wasn’t 12 years old dabbling in cookie making during the summer at a community center, I was a sophomore in college dipping my toe into the consideration of the world of culinary school in the heart of Chicago. I was (am? who knows!) unsure of what I really wanted to do as a career and always gave culinary school a thought. I already knew the basic cooking side of the program wasn’t for me, I’ll take cake over chicken any day, so I signed up for the 1 week baking and pastry camp.
We lived, breathed, and ate culinary school for that week. Living in the downtown apartments, creating pastry marvels, and learning about the science of chocolate only further fed my passion and desire to keep baking.
The baking chef instructors were wonderful and engaging, ranging from a jolly man who had a belly obviously fueled by sampling many a buttery croissant to a hard nosed, but encouraging woman who taught us not to peek in the oven or over mix the batter.
Our camp happened to be taking place during the final practical, the capstone to many of the baking and pastry student’s education, determining if they were to graduate or not. On the last day of the practical, in the kitchen adjoining ours, we watched the students prepare their final assignment, the last big confection before the judgement of their education. As students were racing around, vying for butter and eggs in the frigid walk in refrigerator, our class was whipping out quick breads, cakes, and delicate creme puffs to stuff our faces with later.
The moment I knew I was not ready for culinary school? When I witnessed a top chef instructor tipping a melting chocolate masterpiece into the industrial sized garbage can, the final work of a pastry student, shafting all hopes of a passing grade. I was so horrified. While a red faced student watched her final assessment being dropped among the day’s dough scraps, I realized that I was in no way ready for this yet.
While someday, I might decide to pursue my pastry dreams, I think for now I’ll stick to this veggie and chocolate laden quick bread. One bowl, includes chocolate, perfect combo. No grades, no problem!
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- 1 1/2 cups sugar (I used a combo of granulated and agave)
- 1 cup applesauce
- 2 flax eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl, mix until combined.
3. Add applesauce, flax eggs, vanilla, zucchini, and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined, ensuring all dry ingredients are mixed in.
4. Grease 2 loaf pans (can also use only 1 as well, this would just result in a more dense loaf) and divide batter evenly between pans. Could also be scooped into a greased muffin tin as well. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Bread is done when knife or toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Oh man, I remember that amaaaazing chocolate cake you made when you came back from camp!! That was the start of our dessert parties, right?! Let’s live closer and do those again, please and thank you.
Yes!! Let’s please live closer to do those again. Cookie swap??
Culinary camp?!!! no fair! This does look pretty darned amazing thought.
Thanks, it went fast in our house!
I like seeing zucchini recipes this time of year because I have a freezer full of shredded zucchini from my CSA boxes. Love the idea of a attending a culinary camp, what a great experience!
I had a lot to use up as well. I loved it, I would go back in a heartbeat!
culinary camp sounds awesome and terrifying at the same time! This zucchini bread sounds SO tasty!
This looks so soft, and gooey!
Thanks Ari! It went fast in our house, that’s for sure : )
I’m facing some tough deadlines at the moment – I too wonder whether I should have chosen a career in foods… – but this will be the first recipe I’ll try after they have passed!
I agree! Somedays, I would much rather get up, throw myself together, and bake treats all day : )
The good part is that opening a vegan bakery is the best plan B one can have
It gets me through the toughest times.
This looks so gooey and delicious! I love quick breads. Now you’re making me crave the brownies that are in the fridge!
It is so so good! I justify this because it has veggies in it
I have yet to try any kind of zucchini bread, and this recipe looks like a great one to start with, thanks! Abby please can you tell me what is a ‘flax egg’? Is that 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with a couple of tablespoons of water? Thank you.
Hi Andrea! Yes, it is, generally 3 tablespoons of water mixed with 1 tablespoon ground flax seed. I generally mix it up while I’m pulling together ingredients and by the time I put it in it has gelled up and created an egg-like consistency. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks!
You had me at chocolate! This looks amazing!
Mmmm… the texture of this looks divine! Sadly, I’ve never baked with zucchini. But this has me convinced that needs to change asap! Thanks for visiting our site- so glad to know of yours!
Thank you for visiting mine as well! I can’t wait to keep checking back in on yours : )
I need to make this! I recently had some friends who are vegan move to NYC and it’s definitely influencing my cooking and baking ideas – it’s been fun!
It is! It forces you to think creatively about how different ingredients play a part in the baking process. Thanks for stopping by!
Oh boy! This looks AMAZING!!! Thanks for such a great recipe!
You are so welcome! I hope you love it as much as I did!
A georgous & bit goeyee chocolate zucchini bread! Ooh yum!
zucchini bread is one of my favorites. This looks fantastic!!!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy!
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