Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting are the best way to eat zucchini. The caramel frosting is definitely the icing on the cake!
The zucchini trend continues here on the blog. After I posted my recipe for zucchini muffins with lemon glaze I received a comment letting me know that zucchini was not a vegetable. What!!? How did I not know that zucchini was really a fruit. I did a little Googling and learned that in the culinary sense, zucchini is used and treated like a vegetable but in the botanical world it is a fruit. If you want the scientific reason behind it go ahead and Google it.
Since this is a food blog, we are going to call it a vegetable.
Zucchini is one of those vegetables I have had to learn to like. Baked Zucchini with Mozzarella is definitely one of my favorite ways to enjoy it in savory form. But to be honest, my favorite way to eat zucchini is either in zucchini bread, zucchini muffins or today’s recipe for zucchini cupcakes.
These cupcakes are topped with an amazing caramel frosting and I promise, even your zucchini haters are going to love these. Once they taste the caramel frosting they aren’t going to care what is in the cupcake!
Caramel Frosting
The caramel frosting is a stiffer frosting and you can spread it on with a knife but I prefer to pipe it on. I used my largest star tip.
If you peel your zucchini you can hide it’s presence in the zucchini cupcake, sneaky, sneaky!
I do think though that one of these zucchini cupcakes should definitely count as one of your daily servings of fruits and vegetables!! So if you are being over run with zucchini in your garden or your neighbors have some to share give these cupcakes a try – even if you have to go to the store and buy zucchini!!
What’s your favorite way to eat zucchini? Mine is in a cupcake!!
Some of my favorite cupcake recipes:
Some of my favorite kitchen tools I use to make Zucchini Cupcakes:
CUPCAKE/MUFFIN SCOOP – this scoop is the perfect size to make sure you can evenly sized muffins and cupcakes every time.
MUFFIN TIN – use it for muffins, dinner rolls or cupcakes.
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Zucchini Cupcake Recipe
Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1-1/3 C sugar
- 1/2 C vegetable oil
- 1/2 C orange juice
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2-1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1-1/2 C shredded zucchini
Caramel Frosting
- 1 C packed brown sugar
- 1/2 C butter or margarine
- 1/4 C milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 to 2 C confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar. oil, orange juice and extract
- Combine dry ingredients; add to the egg mixture and mix well
- Add zucchini and mix well
- Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until they test done
- Cool for 10 minutes and remove to wire rack
- For frosting, combine brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes
- Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm.
- Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until frosting reaches desired consistency, you want it a bit stiff if you are going to pipe the frosting on.
- Frost cupcakes
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Originally posted August 20, 2009
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Michelle Payne
August 20, 2009 at 11:50 pmThey sound devine. Guess what I am baking tomorrow! Score, a dear friend dropped off a ton of the green stuff at our door Monday. I’ve been baking and ran out of ideas. Now they can be put to good use for our family potluck on Saturday.
Karine
August 21, 2009 at 3:51 amThese cupcakes look delicious and a great way to use zucchinis!
Snow White
August 21, 2009 at 4:50 amI LOVE zucchini cupcakes/bread/cakes etc. Yum. These look yummy, especially with that frosting!!
Michelle Nebrig
August 21, 2009 at 6:25 amThis is so exciting! My two young children are HUGE fans of zucchini muffins that we get at a local bakery and zucchini bread that we bake together at home. So, I think the zucchini cupcakes are going to be a huge hit! Then again, is this recipe going to be so good that it will deter them from ever again eating our favorite bread and muffins?? 🙂
Laura Powell
August 21, 2009 at 7:55 amI posted this same recipe last year. It is fabulous. I’ve got another great zucchini cupcake recipe I’m gonna post on Monday or Tuesday. You’ll have to try that one too. It is delish. It’s a zucchini spice cupcake with cream cheese frosting.
Sherra
August 21, 2009 at 11:16 amI would absolutely eat zucchini in a cupcake with caramel frosting. 😉
Stephanie
August 21, 2009 at 10:16 pmYum! Gotta give this recipe a try. My favorite ways to eat zucchini are in zucchini chocolate bread and brownies. I love being able to say that there are vegetables in my dessert 🙂
kimke
August 25, 2009 at 3:41 pmYou inspired me. I just made them, they look divine. HAving a group over tonight. I am sure they will love them! Thanks–you’re the best!
Christine Ishmael
August 25, 2009 at 5:29 pmI can’t wait to try these…we’ve been taking care of the neighbor’s chickens and found a GINORMOUS zuchinni…thanks for sharing…!
Jean
August 26, 2009 at 11:08 amThanks for this recipe, and just in the nick of time, when we are being overrun by zucchini from the garden. (We’ve had zucchini lasagna, zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cake, you get the idea!) The cupcakes are delicious, and will be a hit when I make them again for my granddaughter’s 2nd birthday next week! Thanks for sharing!
Cat
August 26, 2009 at 7:13 pmMaybe one day I’ll read your recipes without having to actually ask something before I make it, eh? Shredded zucchini – large or finely shredded? I know it makes a difference in some recipes.
I understand what you mean about not planning to become a caterer – I work with our lunch program at school and people often tell me to open my own place but then, I think,…it would stop being fun. I like to try different things and HAVING to do same old same old, would make me nuts, I think. I’m a free-er spirit than some, perhaps. Hey – you wouldn’t have been camping in Idaho last week, by chance? I was almost positive that was you but perhaps there is a twin of you roaming around Idaho.
Leigh Anne
August 27, 2009 at 9:03 amCat – Keep those questions coming! I used the large part of my cheese grate but I am sure either would be fine. Enjoy!! No I wasn’t camping in Idaho but it sounds like fun!
Renee A.
January 26, 2010 at 3:47 amWhen duty calls for me to bake something, where do I look first? Right here! It’s here that I can find the “tried and true recipes” and trust they will be extraordinary. You make me look good, Leigh Anne! I made the zucchini cupcakes for my group. Full of flavor and the frosting was decadent. A big thank you! **hugs!**