I consider zucchini to truly be one of the sweetest rewards of spring. And with my new recipe, gluten free Secret Ingredient Chocolate Coffee Zucchini Bread, I’m liking it even more!
There are few foods I appreciate more than zucchini. I know that might sound odd, but consider all the yummy gluten free sweet and savory recipes you can use a zucchini to make: ratatouille, jambalaya, quiche, etouffée, zucchini bread, chocolate-zucchini donuts, Southern cornmeal-crusted zucchini, baked zucchini fries, chocolate cake … see what I mean? It’s easy to sneak zucchini into lots of places with no one even realizing it’s there!
This recipe is light on oil and just the right amount of heavy on flavor. I cut the fat by adding fresh-brewed coffee which amps up the chocolate taste without making it too sweet (and the better the coffee, the better the results!). Just look how rich the color is on this decadent bread!
I don’t love the taste of coffee, so if you’re like me, don’t avoid making this recipe. The coffee flavor does NOT come through; coffee actually enhances the depth of the chocolate flavor. It’s like magic. That’s why it’s a secret ingredient!
Oh, and zucchini is pretty secret too. Basically this is a delicious gluten free chocolate quick bread recipe that makes a super flavorful and moist loaf, but few could guess why!
Made with my light and clean tasting gfJules Flour, the smooth chocolate aroma and taste come through loud and clear in this moist bread, enjoyed with or without the yummy glaze!
Because there’s not a lot of oil or fat in this recipe, and because it’s moist from the zucchini, the bread will be rather moist and the top will bake unevenly. But that’s all good because the taste is what’s so amazing, and that’s the most important part! A moist, intensely chocolate quick bread is something no one can refuse!
If you’re using zucchini that is particularly wet, be sure to press out the extra moisture in a colander or between paper towels before adding to the batter:
Then mix the batter and transfer to your favorite bread pan:
Bake for an hour or so …
And enjoy!
So raid your farmer’s market for all the zucchini you can, brew your coffee and get baking! Your family will thank you for this delicious, albeit secret ingredient, Chocolate Coffee Zucchini Bread (and you don’t have to disclose the secret)!
Secret Ingredient Chocolate Coffee Zucchini Bread
Intensely rich and chocolatey, this Secret Ingredient Gluten Free Chocolate Coffee Zucchini Bread is the perfect marriage of all those flavors into one delicious quick bread!
Ingredients
Bread:
- 1 1/2 cups shredded fresh zucchini (approximately 1 zucchini)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used safflower oil)
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee, cold
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg white (or egg replacer like aquafaba)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup (169 grams) gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Glaze (optional)
- 3/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar + 1-2 Tbs. milk of choice for glaze
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F (static) or 325° F (convection). Lightly oil a 9×5 bread pan or 2-3 mini loaf pans.
Shred the zucchini using a fine shredding disc on a food processor or a hand shredder. Measure 1 1/2 cups and set aside to drain in a colander if the zucchini is particularly wet. You can also press the shredded zucchini between paper towels.
Beat together oil, brewed coffee, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until incorporated, then whip together until smooth, approximately 1-2 minutes. Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, if using.
Once the zucchini is integrated, pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center has no wet crumbs on it when removed. Rotate pan half way through the bake to help the loaf rise more uniformly.
Depending on whether your pan size and whether your pan is metal or glass, the bake time may be longer or shorter, so add 5 minutes and repeat the toothpick test, if needed.
Remove to cool on a wire rack and remove from pan after cooling for 15 minutes.
When cooled, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, or whisk confectioner's sugar with milk for glaze if desired, before serving.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 16 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 125Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 12mgSodium 157mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 17gProtein 2g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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I made this delicious bread in the form of muffins using an ice cream scoop as a measure. Additionally I substituted white monk fruit for the granulated sugar and golden monk fruit for the brown sugar 1:1. They were delicious…even my non-chocoholic husband liked them! If using a muffin tin, the recipe makes 10 muffins. Enjoy!
I love that you substituted monk fruit for the sugar in this recipe with such great success! And thank so much for leaving the muffin information for this recipe — great to know they turned out so well in muffin form, Pam!!!!
~jules
Anyone use instant coffee w/1/4 water instead of brewed coffee?
Hi Emily, you can absolutely use prepared instant coffee. Enjoy!
~jules
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
So glad they all enjoyed it!
~jules
Terrific!! We enjoyed it warm with whipped cream
YUM!!! That sounds amazing! SO glad you loved this recipe!
~jules
Do you drain the zucchini after shredding? It contains a lot of water Most recipes say to drain for a while and even to pat dry with a towel. It’s important to know in order to have a successful bread. Are you counting the liquid in with the recipe? Thank you.
Hi Joan, thanks for your question. This is an older recipe (you can always tell because I haven’t gone back and added grams for flour measurements yet to all my recipes) and I couldn’t remember whether I’d drained the zucchini for it when I made it several times years ago. I definitely should have added that note!
Now, having made the recipe again with two different zucchini, I was reminded how different zucchinis can be! The first time I made it, I drained the zucchini and even smashed it in a colander to try to get out the extra moisture because it was SO WET! The second time I didn’t press in a colander because this zucchini was much drier. I pressed in paper towels and there was very little moisture, so it probably wouldn’t have even been necessary to press it at all. I would tell you that if the zucchini you have is particularly wet, definitely try to press out the excess liquid for this recipe; if it’s dry, not need to bother. I hope that helps!
~jules
1 egg and banana?
Hi Joyce, originally I’d suggested banana as a sub for eggs (so no, not egg and banana), but I really don’t love the results since the bread is already so moist with zucchini and doesn’t have much fat for structure. If you try a commercial egg replacer and like the results, be sure to let us know!
~jules
This looks so good!!! Can I make it in the bread maker?
If your bread machine has a quick bread setting, it should work with most of the gluten free quick bread recipes on my site. Always double check that the loaves are fully cooked when using a bread machine though, since they are programmed for a generic quick bread recipe and differences in time sometimes are necessary. Enjoy!
~jules
Do you drain the zucchini after shredding? It contains a lot of water. Thanks!
Hi Jules,
Anne’s question (May 2014) about being gluten free and wheat free is actually not so odd. In 2013, the FDA approved the use of Codex wheat starch in foods labeled gluten free. The wheat starch has been processed to have less than 20 ppm of gluten, but is still problematic for those with wheat allergies.
I have a wheat allergy, so must read labels for gluten free foods that may contain wheat or are processed in a facility that uses wheat.
Luckily, because of the Food Allergen Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), if there is any wheat in the product, it MUST be called out in the ingredient label. Not so with gluten, so it is even trickier. I’m glad you are aware of the fact that there is some wheat that has been processed to reduce its gluten content but it still remains wheat. There’s not much of it in the US, but it is all over Europe. Schar is the only large manufacturer in the US that I’m aware of using it.
~jules