“Obstacles do not block the path. They are the path.”
Can we just start by saying that I forgot how much I LOVE adding things like zucchini, banana, and the like to my baked goods?! They are like an instant moist maker (if you know, you know) and I couldn’t be happier! With this recipe, I wanted to see if I could go eggless, just as a fun little challenge for myself—and I was not prepared to fall in love with these little cuties as much as I did!
To me, zucchini cakes and breads are such a summer staple, as zucchinis are truly thriving and, even during this time, they can be found in abundance at the grocery store. At our local shop, they are front and center in the produce section, so naturally, I grabbed way too many of them for our weekly consumption! Then I was like seriously, Katie?! Why haven’t you baked with zucchini yet this season?! And these little bites were born! To go even a step further, I threw in a banana (#quarantinebananabread), subbed the butter for coconut oil (a true obsession of mine), used some coconut sugar (if you haven’t tried this yes, DO IT! Your life will be changed), and, the pièce de résistance, TAZA CHOCOLATE!!
What do I love about Taza?! Uhm well for starters it’s dairy free. Yes, so your girl can eat it with a happy tummy! And there are truly just a handful of ingredients, no added sugar, no added anything, it’s such a nice bean to bar company and I am living for it!! The dark chocolate I used in these babies is unreal! The perfect combination of just a bit bitter with just a bit sweet, so you aren’t having any sugar spikes in these mini cakes! For the glaze? Oh, I went for it and used their coconut chocolate bar. It is so. dang. divine!! We all know your girl loves chocolate, so when I got a big box of both their traditional and nut milk bars, I was on cloud 9!
Anyways, let me come down a bit here! Let’s just end this little bit by saying that 1. They are the perfect size, so popping in a few of these at a time is truly encouraged; 2. My husband loves them—and when he likes something, it makes me even happier!! Mainly so I’m not the only one eating them; 3. These are SO great for summer! Easy to whip up, simple ingredients, take only 15 minutes to bake, what more could you ask for?!
As a lover of all things chocolate and then adding in fresh produce into something as well, I’m SUCH a happy camper—and trust me, you will be too once you stop reading my ramble and get to baking!!
ingredients
Coconut Oil—3.75 oz, or ½ C
Coconut Sugar—3 oz or 2/3 C
Banana—1 medium
Vanilla Extract—1 tsp
Flour—5.5 oz, or 1 C
Baking Powder—¾ tsp
Baking Soda—½ tsp
Salt—½ tsp
Cinnamon—1 tsp
Zucchini, grated—4.75 oz, or 1 C
Oat Milk—1.5 oz, or 3 TBL
Chocolate, chopped—1 bar (2.5 oz)
Chocolate, chopped—1 bar (2.5 oz)
Coconut Oil—1 TBL
process
Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
In a bowl, combine softened coconut oil and coconut sugar, mix until homogenous.
Fold in the mashed banana and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Gently alternate folding in this mixture and the milk into the banana mixture.
Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate.
Spray either a mini bundt pan or cupcake pan with nonstick spray.
Scoop this batter until it is ¾ way up the sides of each cup.
Bake for 7 minutes, rotate, then 7 more minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
To make the glaze, melt together another TAZA chocolate bar with 1 TBL of coconut oil.
Dip each mini cake into the melted chocolate, allow to set before storing.
These keep wonderfully in the refrigerator, while still very moist due to both the banana and zucchini!
Bon Appétit!