You know when you have those last two bananas that look less then appealing and because of that no one will eat them? Well that same situation just happened in my house. I refused to let them go to waste, but I didn’t want to make plain old banana bread. I wanted to jazz it up a bit.

Now I love chocolate, so I’m thinking chocolate banana bread. Then I thought if I add zucchini, I can say its good for you, right, not to mention the moisture it will add. Remembering that I just purchased Chai Spice from King Arthur’s Flour, I thought, why not give it a spicy touch.

So their you go, Chocolate Zucchini Banana Loaf With Chai Spice Frosting. It sounds good, right? So I went right to making it.

I must say, I hit the jackpot with this one. Not only is it supper moist ( and good for you, remember it has zucchini ) but it was delicious. Just the right amount of spice to jazz it up.

Now you could leave off the frosting and it would be a perfectly good Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread, but I will say that that little extra spice from the Chai makes it, in my point of view.

Did the taste test on the family. Two thumbs up from everyone. This one is a keeper!

If you don’t have a jar of chai spice on hand, no problem you can make your own.

Chai Spice:

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cardamon
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
• ! Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• !/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Place all spices in a small bowl. Mix well to completely combine. Place in an air tight container and store in a cool dry location for up to 6 months.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/3 Cup Honey
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Icing:

• 1/4 Cup Butter, At Room Temperature
• 4 Ounces Cream Cheese, At Room Temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Chai Spice
• 1 Tablespoon Heaven Whip Cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Using a box grater on the smallest setting, grate zucchini and place in a clean kitchen towel. Ring out all the moisture in the zucchini then place in a medium size bowl.
3. To the zucchini, add mashed banana, vegetable oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until completely combined.
4. Add flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix to incorporate. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and place into pre heated oven on middle rack. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
6. While the cake is cooling, place softened butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed with paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer powered off add the powdered sugar, vanilla, chai spice and heavy cream. Once again mix until light and fluffy, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Remove cooled cake from loaf pan. Spread frosting on top, dust with chai spice and serve.
8. Enjoy.