Yield: Two loaves
Who knew that vegetables could be so subtly sweet, very moist, and pair well with coffee, tea and ice cream? This quick bread is a double hit of chocolate with a hint of orange and a sweetened cream cheese filling. It’s a great way to use up that extra zucchini that seems to be sprouting out of my garden right now.
Serve at room temperature, reheated or even chilled. This bread is more like cake and suitable for breakfast, coffee breaks, and a quick dessert. Imagine it ala mode…sigh.
Coming out of the oven 
Slice of heaven
Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Filling
Chocolate Zucchini quick bread with a subtle orange vanilla cream cheese filling
Equipment
- 2 each 9 X 5 loaf pans (1.5 quart)
- Mixing bowls
- Citrus Zester or Microplane Grater
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Cake tester or toothpick
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 tsp Orange zest
- 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 2 large Eggs
Chocolate Batter Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 6 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
Chocolate Batter Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 3 large Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 3 cups Zucchini, shredded
- 1 zest Zest of 1 whole Orange
Add In
- 3/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Grease and flour two loaf pans
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Make Cream Cheese Filling: Beat cream cheese in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in sugar, orange zest and flour until smooth. Add egg and beat until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- Make chocolate batter: Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Stir in sour cream, zucchini and orange zest. Add dry ingredients and mini chocolate chips. Stir just til moistened, being careful not to over beat.
- Spread 1/4 of the batter in the bottom of each prepared pan.
- Add 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture on top of chocolate batter in each pan.
- Divide remaining chocolate batter pour over the cream cheese mixture in each pan. The cream cheese mixture should be mostly covered with the top layer of chocolate batter.
- Bake the loaves at 325 degrees for 60-80 minutes. Check after 60 minutes because oven temperatures and loaf pan sizes and materials can vary.
- When the bread is done, a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf, in the chocolate will come out clean. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing to cooling racks to finish cooling.