I have always enjoyed zucchini bread but never thought to make my own until I worked at the farmers’ market the past two weeks and had so much zucchini I had to think of some different ways to prepare it. I also have been trying to eat less sugar and gluten, so I came up with a good sugar free, gluten-free recipe to use up my zucchini and get my sweet fix in at the same time. I had some almond flour in the pantry and just a tad bit of maple syrup left, so I began to create this rich moist chocolaty zucchini treat using my favorite cocoa powder (Viva- My Ancient Mayan Superfood!).

Gluten Free AND Sugar Free Cocoa Zucchini Bread Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup (120 g) almond flour
• 1/4 cup (28 g) plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (I prefer NOW Foods Maple Syrup or Maple Grove Farms)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce (or more if you want to sub for some of maple syrup)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 and 1/4 cup grated zucchini

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).
2. Oil the bottom and sides a bread loaf pan and then lightly dust it with almond flour.
3. Add the almond flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt to a food processor and pulse to blend the ingredients.
4. Add the eggs, butter/oil, maple syrup, vanilla, almond extract, and grated zucchini to the food processor and pulse a few times to blend the ingredients.
5. Add the batter to the loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes (testing just before with a cake tester to see if comes out clean).
6. Cool for about 30 minutes and transfer before slicing.
7. Store covered at room temperature for a few days, or refrigerated for a few weeks.

**Lasted only two days for two of us

I was short on maple syrup, so I used half unsweetened applesauce and turned out great!

I found it hard to just eat one slice and left the crisp outer edges.