Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

Whenever we have an abundance of zucchini, I make loaves and loaves of zucchini bread. I love it, and so does the rest of my family. I usually freeze some for months when we have no zucchini. It is nice having it on hand for a quick treat. I am always looking for new zucchini bread recipes to add to my collection.

I got this recipe from my mom. It is her own creation, and I fell in love with it after just one bite. It is chock full of yummyness! First up it’s chocolate, which is always a good way to start a recipe. 🙂  It also has chocolate chips, which add to the decadence factor. But the thing that makes it spectacular is the cream cheese ribbon in the middle. It has a hint of orange flavor from the orange zest. Oh my gosh people. This bread is sooo good! If you aren’t a fan of chocolate orange, you can leave out the orange zest, but I loved the flavor it added. Definitely a new zucchini bread favorite!! I’m not going to tell you how many slices I devoured.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Filling
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded zucchini
zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Filling:
6oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp flour
1 egg

For filling, beat cream cheese till smooth. Beat in sugar, zest, and flour till smooth. Add egg and beat till thoroughly mixed. Set aside. For bread, whisk together flour, salt, soda, and cocoa in a small mixing bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla till creamy. Stir in sour cream, zucchini, and orange zest. Add dry ingredients and chips and stir just till moistened.

Grease and flour to large loaf pans. (8 or 9″) Spread 1/4 of the batter in the bottom of each pan. Then add half of the filling to each pan. Divide the remaining batter between the two pans. Bake at 325° for 60-80 minutes. (Depends on the size of your loaf pans.) When the bread is done, a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part should come out clean. Cool in pans for about 10 minutes before removing to cooling racks.