Vegan Tromboncino Squash Brownies
Fudgy vegan tromboncino squash brownies — rich, chocolatey, and plant-based. A delicious way to bake with this Italian heirloom squash.
If you’ve ever wondered what to do with a bumper crop of tromboncino, these vegan tromboncino squash brownies will surprise you. Sweet, rich with chocolate, and extremely fudgy, they’re proof that vegetables can create very indulgent desserts.
Why Bake Brownies with Tromboncino Squash?
Tromboncino is perhaps one of the least appreciated squashes in my opinion. You can treat them like a courgette (or zucchini), but they contain less water and don’t turn to mush when cooking. Plus all their seeds are found only in their bulbous portion, and have a sweeter flavour.
Baking with courgette is not new. Because they are full of moisture but with a mild flavour, they help keep cakes and bakes moist, but without making them taste vegetable-y
But baking with tromboncino is taking it a step further. They contain less water than a courgette, but enough to keep it moist inside. This means they don’t break down as much as a courgette, so instead of a potentially soggy brownie, you end up with an exceptionally fudgy brownie. Don’t worry though, they break down just enough to be undetectable.
Ingredients Breakdown
Tromboncino Squash
Also known as Zuchetta, Italian Hanging Squash, or simply, Summer Squash. If you have a young one, you can leave the skins on, but if it’s a bit older, it’s a good idea to peel it for baking purposes.
Dark Chocolate (Dairy Free)
If you are like me and love dark chocolate, go with 70% or above cacao. If you prefer it a little milder, go with 50%.
Vegan Butter
I use the Flora block for baking. I think it is the closest alternative to real butter when baking.
Ground Flaxseed
Ground Flaxseeds, when mixed with water, makes a gel like substance that does a very good job of mimicking eggs in baking recipes. The standard ratio is one tbsp ground flaxseed + three tbsp water = one egg.
If you don’t care about making this vegan, two eggs will be needed to replace the “flax eggs
Cocoa Powder
Use an unsweetened one if possible, or you may find your brownies to be a little bit too sweet. If you can’t find unsweetened, either skip it entirely or reduce the sugar by 10 grams or so.
Sugar
I used light brown sugar because I like the slight caramel flavour it gives. Simple caster sugar would work just as well.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat and prepare tin
Heat oven to 160 °C fan (180 °C conventional). Line a brownie tin with baking parchment, leaving overhang for easy lifting. This recipe is made for a standard 8 inch by 8 inch tin (20cm x 20cm) but mine was occupied at the time of baking, so I used a 14cm x 23cm. This meant the volume is slightly smaller and the brownies were deeper than they would be in a square pan. It also meant longer cooking time, although in the recipe I have written the cooking time of a standard square brownie tin. - Make flax “eggs”
Mix ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl. Leave for a ten minutes until thick and gel-like. - Grate the tromboncino
If your squash is quite young and the skin is thin, you can leave the skin on. If it’s a bit older (like mine was) you might want to peel it. Use the fine side of the grater to make it really undetectable.
When you get to the bulbous part with the seeds, use a spoon to scrape them out. We won’t be using them in the brownie.
Again, if you are using an older squash like I did, you may want to squeeze the excess water out of it. If it’s a younger, fresher one, there is no need. They don’t contain much excess water.
- Melt chocolate and fat
Place dark chocolate and fat in a heatproof bowl. Melt over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth. - Combine wet ingredients
Stir the sugar into the warm chocolate mixture. Add the flax “eggs”and stir through until glossy. - Fold in tromboncino
Add the grated squash and stir gently until evenly distributed through the batter. - Add dry ingredients
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Don’t overdo it here. Just make sure there are no dry pockets in the mix, and that’s enough.
- Bake
Pour batter into the prepared tin, smoothing the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is set and a skewer comes out with moist crumbs (not raw batter). - Cool and cut
Leave brownies to cool completely in the tin, then lift out using the parchment. Slice into neat squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.
Vegan Tromboncino Squash Brownies
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate dairy-free
- 100 g vegan butter
- 250 g tromboncino squash coarsely grated and lightly squeezed
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water
- 80 g plain flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 160 °C fan (180 °C conventional). Line a brownie tin with baking parchment, leaving overhang for lifting.
- In a small bowl, mix ground flaxseed with water; set aside 5–10 mins until gelled.
- In a heatproof bowl, gently melt dark chocolate and chosen fat over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.
- Off the heat, whisk in sugar, then the flax eggs and vanilla until glossy. Fold in the grated tromboncino.
- Sift in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently just until no dry streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the lined tin, smooth the top, and bake 35-45 mins, until the top is set and a skewer comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
- Cool completely in the tin, lift out with the parchment, and slice into 12 squares, wiping the knife between cuts for clean edges.
Notes
Notes & Variations
- Gluten-Free – Swap the plain flour for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. For the best texture, use one with xanthan gum or add a pinch yourself.
- Extra Chocolatey – Fold in dark chocolate chunks or chips before baking for pockets of melted chocolate.
- Nutty Boost – Stir through chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts for crunch, or swirl peanut butter on top.
