Dark Chocolate & Cherry Zucchini Bread

I’m suckered into buying baby clothes just as much as the next gal. I just adore the tiny shoes and mini ruffled dresses. But I’ve been told by quite a few friends that their newborns have more than their share of clothes. And since I am admittedly clueless about any “practical” gifts, I have decided to offer what I know best. Food! So when my friend Kelly gave birth to her second adorable boy, I promised to visit bearing gifts of the edible variety (plus I’m not sure how Ryder would look in a ruffled dress). While edible gifts are always welcome, edible gifts containing chocolate definitely have the edge.

So Dark Chocolate & Cherry Zucchini Bread was born out of my enormous stash of zucchini and overwhelming desire to make sure the new mom was getting enough chocolate. It’s a post-delivery requisite, no? And while I have had my struggles with zucchini this past month, the fabulous thing about this recipe is that my inability to remove water from zucchini yields a perfectly moist bread.

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Zucchini Bread
makes two 1-lb loaves

3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c sugar
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
3 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1 t salt
2 t vanilla extract
1 c vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
3 c grated zucchini
3-4 oz dark chocolate, shaved into chunks
1 c chopped pitted cherries

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine flour sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Stir together and add vanilla, vegetable oil and eggs. Mix well. Stir in zucchini, and mix until well combined. Carefully fold in chocolate and cherries until dispersed throughout batter. Pour into two 1-lb loaf pans, dispersing evenly. Bake 60-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.