• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3/4 to 1 cup maple syrup
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 medium zucchini, grated (about 1 cup - no, you do not need to squeeze the moisture out! Moisture is good!)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose (or whole wheat) flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• Optional: 3 tablespoons chocolate chips, sprinkle of flaky sea salt

Substitutions:

• Melted butter—> coconut oil, olive oil (for a much richer cake), vegetable oil, dairy-free butter substitute.
• Maple syrup—> brown sugar, white sugar, honey (only use 3/4 cup).
• Bananas—> no sub for bananas, we need ‘em! With a banana bread they need to be extremely overripe, but with this one a ripe banana will work.
• Zucchini—> yellow summer squash also works.
• Eggs—> flax eggs will work for a vegan! Just google how to make them.
• Vanilla extract—> 1/2 teaspoon almond extract would be delish. It’s much stronger, which is why you need so much less!
• All purpose flour—> whole wheat flour can be subbed 1:1. You can swap in 1/2 cup of almond flour but NO MORE THAN THAT or it won’t bake properly! A gluten-free flour such as “Cup for Cup” will work too
• Cocoa powder—> omit if you want to! I’d add 1/4 teaspoon more cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg if you have it for some more traditional zucchini bread flavor.
• Baking soda and baking powder—> eh you kinda need them. There are swaps you can google, but they’re often more difficult to find than just going out and buying baking soda and powder.
• Cinnamon—> you can omit, but it’s so nice with the cocoa!
• Chocolate chips—> cacao nibs!
• Flaky sea salt—> I love salt with chocolate, but it’s totally optional. Don’t use kosher salt, it’ll just sink into the batter and give you a salty cake versus yummy distinct salt crystals.