Chocolate Zucchini Slice

It's the start of another busy year of school for the boys. I'm always looking for new snack food to keep them going between meals, after school, before sport and when they're not actually sitting down to a meal. Growing boys need their food. Food. Food. Food. I can't seem to fill them up.  It's like living with a couple of Pavlov's dogs, they see me and think "food". I may as well have "Short-Order Cook" tattooed on my forehead. This moist, chocolatey slice, not too sweet and full of things like zucchini and banana, is perfect for a grab-and-go snack... it's not bad for an exhausted mothers afternoon tea either.

Chocolate Zucchini Slice
Makes 12

225g shredded raw zucchini
125g plain flour

45g cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 egg
1 banana, mashed
125 ml canola oil
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spray a 23 x 13 x 8 cm baking pan with olive oil spray.

Grate the zucchini. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, bi-carbonate of soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Then fold in the chocolate chips.

In another large bowl whisk the eggs. Then add the oil, mashed banana, sugar, and vanilla extract and whisk until well blended. Fold in the grated zucchini.Then fold into the flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely before slicing.