Chocolate Cream Cheese Zucchini Bread KETO ( Carolyn)

 Summer brings an abundance of zucchini. Taking zucchini bread up a notch by adding chocolate. Awesome. But wait, add a cream cheesecake swirl and it's decadent and super awesome!!

Servings: 12    |    Net Carb:   4

Ingredients:

Zucchini: You need about 12 ounces of zucchini for this recipe, give or take an ounce. It should be weighed prior to draining and squeezing.

Cream cheese: Soften the cream cheese properly before beating it. You should be able to poke it lightly with a finger and leave a good dent in it.

Sweetener: I used Swerve Confectioners for the cream cheese ribbon, and Swerve Granular for the bread. If you can only purchase one, get the Confectioners variety as it can be used in both parts. You can also use BochaSweet or allulose.

Almond flour: If you want a nut-free keto chocolate zucchini bread, use sunflower seed flour.

Cocoa powder: I recommend dutch process cocoa powder for a richer, deeper chocolate flavor.

Protein powder: Protein powder helps keto baked goods rise properly in the absence of gluten. I recommend using grass-fed whey protein or egg white protein.

Eggs: You need three large eggs for this recipe.

Butter: Make sure the melted butter is not too hot when you add it in.

Pantry staples: Salt, baking powder, vanilla extract

Tips:

Baking pan: Loaf pans come in 8×4 inches and 9×5 inches. The smaller sized pan produces a taller loaf, but it does take longer to cook through. Whereas 9×5 inch pans produce a wider, shorter loaf that bakes faster.

I do recommend using a metal pan for this recipe, as glass and ceramic don’t conduct heat efficiently. But once they do heat up, they hold the heat too much. The outside of your bread will cook much faster than the middle.

Zucchini weight: Measure out the zucchini before you salt it and drain it, for accuracy. Zucchinis differ greatly in size so measuring by weight is best for this recipe.

You can skip the cream cheese swirl if you prefer. The bread will cook through faster so keep your eye on it.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
• ½ teaspoon salt divided
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract divided
• 2 cups almond flour
• ⅔ cup Swerve Granular
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup unflavored whey protein powder or egg white protein powder
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• ⅓ cup melted butter

Instructions:

Place the zucchini in a sieve and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss to combine, then let drain one hour. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a metal loaf pan well. 8×4 inch pans will take longer to bake than 9×5 inch pans but both work.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sweetener and ½ teaspoon of the vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, granulated sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.

Add the zucchini, the eggs, melted butter, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir until nicely combined. The batter should be scoopable but not quite pourable. If it's too thick, add a little water, one tablespoon at a time.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared loaf pan, and dollop with half of the cream cheese mixture. Swirl to combine, then repeat with the remaining batter and remaining cream cheese mixture.

Bake 45 to 60 minutes (more for 8×4 inch pans, less for 9×5 inch pans), until the top of the bread is just firm to the touch. (The cream cheese swirl will still feel soft).

Remove and let cool 1 hour, then run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan and flip the bread out onto a plate to cool completely.

Notes:

Storage Instructions: Because of the cream cheese swirl, this bread should be stored in the fridge. Wrap it up tightly and store for up to 7 days. 

It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. 

Source:  All Day I Dream About Food