zucchini cupcake recipe

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

We’ve made these in cooking camp before. The kids were a little curious about adding zucchini to a dessert, but I think they will be pleasantly surprised. Last week we made zucchini muffins and they loved them.

I like the recipe because the zucchini makes the cakes nice and moist. They aren’t that sweet, either. I use a simple vanilla frosting but you could just dust them with powdered sugar or perhaps use a cream cheese frosting.  I have a friend who likes me to leave them plain. She prefers them un-frosted. Frosted or not these are a simple and tasty recipe that can make a dessert even the zucchini haters should love.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

½ c. butter
½ c. oil
1 ¼ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
2 ½ c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 c. shredded zucchini

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 30 muffin pans with paper liners and set aside. In mixing bowl combine butter, oil, sugar and eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture- beating until smooth. Stir in zucchini. Scoop batter into cupcake paper lined pans, filling about 2/3 full. You will get about 30, I sometimes get more. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and frost. Makes 30-36.

You can fro st them with the Classic Vanilla Frosting recipe below, but doubled the recipe. Or the boiled milk (Ermine) frosting recipe below, also doubled.

Classic Vanilla Buttercream

3/4 cup butter
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the vanilla, salt, and 1/3 cup of the milk. Gradually beat in the 3 remaining cups of confectioner’s sugar. Beat in additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) if needed, to make frosting of spreading consistency. If desired tint the frosting with 6 to 8 drops of food coloring.

Boiled Milk Frosting (Ermine)

5 T. flour

1 c. milk

1 c. granulated sugar

2 t. vanilla

½ t. salt

1 c. butter, cubed, softened at room temperature about 30 minutes

In small saucepan whisk together the flour, milk and sugar.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and gets bubbly. Cook over low heat another minute. Remove from heat and cool completely before finishing. I like to put the flour mixture in a bowl and putting in the fridge until cooled down, but not cold. Once flour mixture is cooled to room temperature beat in the vanilla, salt and butter with electric mixer until frosting is creamy and smooth.

Note: If you leave the base in the fridge too long and it gets cold, let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes before beating in the butter. If you are tinting the frosting, you can add color after the butter is fully incorporated.  

Zucchini Carrot Cupcakes

Zucchini and Carrot Cupcakes

These are really good cupcakes. They are moist and not too sweet with a slightly dense texture. Sort of a cross between carrot cake and zucchini bread, they have more texture than a traditional cupcake and plenty of flavor. I had an abundance of zucchini and carrots and figured they might play well together.

I got 24 cupcakes out of the recipe but they were a little small. Perhaps 18 would be a better way to go. I used simple vanilla buttercream to finish them off. I whipped the frosting a long time so it was extra fluffy. Here are the recipes for both the cupcakes and the frosting.

Zucchini Carrot Cupcakes

2 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
1¼ c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon- I think I would use a little more next time
½ t. salt
1 c. grated carrot
1 c. grated zucchini, squeezed dry and packed tightly
½ c. chopped nuts, optional
Beat eggs with sugar until frothy. Beat in oil then add dry ingredients. Beat on high for 4 minutes. Stir in veggies and nuts. Pour batter into 18- 24 paper lined muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool and frost. Makes 24.

Note: These cupcakes deflate a little while cooling.

Classic Vanilla Buttercream

3/4 cup butter
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the vanilla, salt, and 1/3 cup of the milk. Gradually beat in the 3 remaining cups of confectioner’s sugar. Beat in additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) if needed, to make frosting of spreading consistency. You can also tint the frosting with juice (like pomegranate or raspberry)  or food coloring.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

It seems when zucchini are abundant I can never find enough ways to use them all. That means I end up shredding and freezing a LOT of zucchini. It comes in handy throughout the year. I decided to make these cupcakes for an event I have later today. I like the recipe because the zucchini makes the cakes nice and moist. They aren’t that sweet, either. I used a simple vanilla frosting but you could just dust them with powdered sugar or perhaps use a cream cheese frosting.  I have a friend who likes me to leave them plain. She prefers them unfrosted. Frosted or not these are a simple and tasty recipe that can make a dessert even the zucchini haters should love.

 

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

½ c. butter
½ c. oil
1 ¼ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
2 ½ c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 c. shredded zucchini

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 30 muffin pans with paper liners and set aside. In mixing bowl combine butter, oil, sugar and eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture- beating until smooth. Stir in zucchini. Scoop batter into cupcake paper lined pans, filling about 2/3 full. You will get about 30, I sometimes get more. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and frost. Makes 30-36.

I used the Classic Vanilla Frosting recipe below, but doubled the recipe.

Classic Vanilla Frosting

3/4 cup butter
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the vanilla, salt, and 1/3 cup of the milk. Gradually beat in the 3 remaining cups of confectioner’s sugar. Beat in additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) if needed, to make frosting of spreading consistency. If desired tint the frosting with 6 to 8 drops of food coloring.

 

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