I’m giving you an excuse to have cake for dinner.
Yes, technically this is bread, but quick breads are really cakes in disguise — dessert pretending to be breakfast or a snack. I love that about them.
And since I apparently adore you, I snuck vegetables into this cake disguised as bread disguised as dinner.
Two nights ago I ate a perfectly ripe tomato dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic and a generous grating of asiago. It was so simple and so good it was the first thing all week that made me forget about this loaf — which is saying a lot after five days of thinking about little else.
I made four loaves. FOUR.
I have issues. But delicious ones.
Remember what I was making a year ago? I was obsessed with zucchini recipes then too — a crispy zucchini grilled cheese that still makes me swoon, a summer crostini I can’t stop recommending, and adventurous combos like figs with bacon on pizza or basil in a blueberry-peach crisp. Weird pairings that just work — and this zucchini-coconut-chocolate combination is another one of those wins.
I first tasted a version of this bread at brunch and have been meaning to recreate it ever since — partly so you can use garden zucchinis when they’re abundant. I don’t have a garden yet, so I bought zucchini at the market and made the loaf anyway. Consider this a preview for summer: buy a zucchini and practice!
The loaf turned out accidentally vegan: I’d already melted the coconut oil when I realized I was out of eggs, so I used canned coconut milk and continued. After three tries to perfect the balance, this is the version I loved most — and yes, I devoured it in one night.
Exactly how it should be.
Vegan Coconut Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread
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Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 3/4 cup freshly grated zucchini
- 2/3 cup milk or dark chocolate chips tossed in a little flour so they don’t sink
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with coconut oil and set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a smaller bowl, stir together the canned coconut milk, vanilla and coconut extracts. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir. Gradually stir in the melted coconut oil until combined, then fold in the grated zucchini and the chocolate chips (tossed in a little flour so they don’t sink). Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
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Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the center is set and no longer jiggly. If the top browns too quickly, tent with foil. Let the bread cool completely before slicing — it may sink slightly in the center as it cools even when fully cooked.
Notes
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I appreciate you so much!
All the butter — or, in this case, all the coconut oil. Enjoy.