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Zucchini Cupcakes are a tender spice cake flavored with cinnamon and cloves and topped with an amazing caramel frosting The caramel frosting is definitely the icing on the cake!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe!
The number one reason to try these zucchini cupcakes, is the frosting! They are topped with an amazing caramel frosting and I promise, even your zucchini haters are going to love these. Once they taste the flavor of this caramel frosting they aren’t going to care what is in the cupcake!
The number two reason to try this recipe is that it is the perfect way to use up some of that bumper crop of zucchini. But if you don’t have zucchini growing like crazy in your yard, find a neighbor that has some or buy it at the store so you can make these zucchini cupcakes!!
Ingredients Needed
- Eggs
- Sugar. Both granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Oil. Use vegetable oil or another mild flavored oil
- Orange juice
- Almond extract
- Flour. I use unbleached all purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Spices. Ground cloves and Cinnamon
- Zucchini
- Butter
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
How To Make Zucchini Cupcakes
You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to mix up these zucchini cupcakes.
- 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 stir to combine.
- Grease a muffin tin or use cupcake liners.
- Fill muffin cups two-thirds full with batter.
- Bake at 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in pan and then remove to wire rack.
How to Make Caramel 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 cooled zucchini cupcakes.
Leigh Anne’s Tip
- The caramel frosting is a stiffer frosting and you can spread it on the zucchini cupcakes with a knife but I prefer to pipe it on. I used my largest star tip which was a 1M star tip. Use a piping bag with your star tip.
- If you peel your zucchini, no one will ever know there is zucchini in these cupcakes!!
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!!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is zucchini a vegetable or a fruit?
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. Since this is a food blog, we are going to call it a vegetable.
Can I use a cream cheese frosting on my zucchini cupcakes instead?
Absolutely. To make a cream cheese frosting combine: 1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream or more as needed.
In a bowl beat the butter until smooth, add in the cream cheese and mix to combine.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add enough cream to get the desired consistency.
Some of my other favorite zucchini recipes:
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Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1-1/3 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2-1/2 cups 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 cups shredded zucchini
Caramel Frosting
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 to 2 cups 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 F 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
Tips & Notes:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream or more as needed.
In a bowl beat the butter until smooth, add in the cream cheese and mix to combine.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add enough cream to get the desired consistency.
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Nutrition Facts:
D Deschenes says
Perfect recipe and instructions. Reliable result and pure decadence for fall treat
Polyna says
I made these and will definitely make again. I had to make the frosting twice (one batch was not quite enough for decadent piping on the cupcakes) and on the extra batch, after preparing as per recipe, I ended up beating in about 6 oz extra icing sugar and about 1.5 oz extra butter (room temperature) and a bit of extra milk; this gave the frosting a fluffier texture and only slightly less caramel flavour. My resident taste tester, and myself, preferred this version. I sprinkled a few butterscotch chips on top of each frosted cupcake. Yum!
Renee A. says
When 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!**
Leigh Anne says
Cat – 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!
Cat says
Maybe 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.