Bakin’ With Bacon and The King

Greetings Fellow Baconians!   It’s me – your King – here with another whopper of a recipe!!!

Bear with me on this one………a lot of my recipes are rather easy to do and this one isn’t particularly TOUGH but there are a lot of ingredients……and as always you can substitute things (like all wheat pastry flour can be regular pastry flour) but never skimp on the bacon.   Right?    The recipe calls for making the bacon in a pan in the oven but of course you can do it in a skillet.   Remember what I’ve said before – recipes are an outline – you can improvise a little without compromising the deliciousness!

 

Bacon Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients and Yes, it’s a little complicated BUT – oh me oh my is it gooood!

***NOTE THIS RECIPE IS FOR TWO LOAVES*** one for now and one to freeze for later!!  

Makes 2 loaves.

1.5 lbs. thick-cut bacon

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups grated zucchini squash
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

For the frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Grease two 9” x 5” loaf pans or line with parchment paper. Wash zucchini and then grate it. Place in a colander and drain for an hour. Or, wring zucchini out using your hands, removing the excess liquid.

2. Cook the bacon. Lay strips of bacon on several rimmed baking sheets. Place in oven and set temp to 400 F. Bake until bacon is done, about 20 min. Place cooked strips on paper towels and allow to cool. Reduce oven temp to 350 F.

3. Microwave butter for 10-15 seconds or until soft. In a large bowl, add melted butter and cocoa powder. Stir until mixture is smooth and there are no lumps. If mixture is too thick, add some of the vegetable oil and stir until smooth.

4. Add the remaining oil, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Add the eggs and stir again. Then add the zucchini, stirring until incorporated.

5. In a separate bowl, mix the whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to the wet mixture and stir gently until incorporated, being careful not to over mix the batter. Add ½ of the cooked, chopped bacon and stir one last time.

6. Pour mixture into the loaf pans, dividing equally. Bake at 350 F. for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the bread comes out clean. Allow to cool.

7. In a mixer with the flat beater attachment, beat 2 sticks of softened butter. Add the powdered sugar in batches, mixing until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Frost the cooled zucchini loaves generously, and then top with the remaining chopped bacon. Serve and enjoy!

 

We deserve things like this right?  AND you get your veggies along with the goodness of chocolate and bacon.  My Mom (The Royal Mom!) said when she first heard someone talk about zucchini bread she thought “YUCK”!!   She loved zucchini but making bread with it?    Then a friend made a loaf and brought it over and – well – now she understands.    So if zucchini bread wasn’t on your radar before you saw this recipe – by all means jump on the zucchini train!

It’s a WRAP!   See you next Saturday for more fun in the castle kitchen!!