Zucchini cupcakes are a classic spice cupcake filled with shredded zucchini and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. If you love zucchini bread, you'll want to give these cupcakes a try!
Why you'll love this recipe
Flavor/texture: Moist, tender, and filled with cozy cinnamon. Tastes like your favorite zucchini bread! Topped with cinnamon cream cheese buttercream frosting.
Use up that garden zucchini. What better way to use up zucchini than to make cupcakes?
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ready in about an hour. Great for summer and fall parties!
You may also like: Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
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Cupcake ingredients
- Zucchini - You'll need 135 grams or 1 cup of finely grated zucchini. Do not drain or squeeze the liquid from your zucchini - the liquid adds moisture to your cupcakes. For this recipe, you'll need about 1 medium or 1.5 small zucchini.
- Brown sugar - Adds sweetness, caramel flavor, and moisture to the cupcakes.
- Vegetable oil - Adds moisture to the cupcakes.
- Eggs - Add moisture and structure.
- Vanilla extract - Adds depth of flavor to the cupcakes.
- All-purpose flour - Adds structure and balances with the wet ingredients in the recipe. I have not tested this recipe with other types of flours, so I don't suggest making any substitutions. Baking is an exact science, and altering main ingredients can change the density and texture of your cupcakes. Instead, search for a recipe that includes the flour you'd like to use.
- Leavening agents - This recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder. They cannot be substituted for one another - you'll need both for the proper lift.
- Salt - Balances with the sweetness and enhances the flavor of your cupcakes.
- Cinnamon - Adds warm spice flavor to the cupcakes. Cinnamon could be substituted with pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice for a slightly different flavor.
Frosting ingredients
- Cream cheese - You'll need block-style cream cheese for this recipe. Whipped cream cheese doesn't add the proper texture to the frosting and can cause it to turn out thin.
- Butter - I recommend unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt in the recipe, but unsalted butter can be substituted if needed (omit the salt listed in the frosting ingredients).
- Confectioner's sugar - It may be labeled as icing sugar or powdered sugar at the grocery store. Confectioner's sugar sweetens your frosting and stabilizes it, making it thick enough to pipe onto your cupcakes. Adding less sugar to this recipe will make it thin. If you'd like a less sweet frosting, I'd suggest something like an ermine frosting instead.
- Cinnamon - Adds warm spice flavor to the frosting. Cinnamon could be omitted to make a regular cream cheese frosting if desired.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of the frosting and helps balance the sweetness.
- Vanilla - Adds flavor to the frosting. Could be omitted without affecting the recipe.
How to make zucchini cupcakes
- Whisk dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then stir to combine together. Portion into 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake until golden brown across the top and the tops pop back when gently pressed in the center.
- While cupcakes cool, use a hand mixer to prepare frosting in a large bowl.
- Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, then serve and enjoy.
Tips and tricks
Use room temperature ingredients - Eggs should be room temperature to incorporate seamlessly into the batter. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place eggs (in the shell) in a bowl and cover with warm tap water. After 10 minutes, your eggs will be ready.
Properly measure your flour - The biggest issue I see in baking is the improper measuring of flour. Scooping flour directly from a bin into a measuring cup compacts the flour, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe. This causes baked goods to turn out dry and bland. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale along with the gram measurements in the recipe card. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Gently stir your flour, then spoon into a measuring cup until heaping. Level off the top with a knife.
Don't overmix the batter - There's no need to use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this recipe. The batter comes together with a bowl and a spoon. Overmixing can overwork the gluten, causing cupcakes to turn out tough and/or not rise properly.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely - Do not unwrap warm cupcakes. They'll stick to the liners and crumble apart until they're cooled throughout.
Don't frost warm cupcakes - Buttercream frosting melts around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent melted frosting, allow your cupcakes to cool completely.
Storage
Zucchini cupcakes will keep at room temperature for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer. To thaw, place on the counter top for 1 to 2 hours.
Cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated if it sits out for longer than 2 hours. Remove baked goods from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to soften the frosting.
Frequently asked questions
Shredded zucchini adds moisture and creates a tender texture in baked goods without adding flavor. Because of this we're able to reduce other moisture adding ingredients slightly. In this case, we're omitting milk from the recipe and using zucchini instead. It's a great way to use up inexpensive garden zucchini that grows quickly in the summer.
I recommend shredding zucchini using the small or "fine" side of a box grater. The smaller pieces melt right into the cupcakes as they bake. A larger grate also works but adds a more noticeable texture. Here's the box grater I use: Amazon: OXO Good Grips Box Grater
No, there's no need to peel your zucchini. The skin and flesh melt seamlessly into the cupcakes as they bake. If you'd prefer not to see the tiny green flecks, you're welcome to peel your zucchini first.
No, zucchini has a mild flavor that makes it ideal for baking. Cucumber has a fresh "melon" flavor that's much more pronounced and not ideal for hiding in baked goods. For more information: Zucchini vs Cucumber - What's the Difference?
Buttercream frosting is popular because it's made with two main ingredients - sugar and butter (and in this case, cream cheese). Confectioner's sugar adds stability and thickness, giving it the ability to be piped. Adding less sugar causes buttercream to turn out thin and runny. Instead, I recommend searching for a frosting that's developed to be less sweet without alterations. I recommend ermine frosting, which is a simple cooked flour frosting made on the stovetop.
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1.5 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (135 g) finely shredded zucchini, do not squeeze liquid out
- ¾ cup (160 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (99 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces (227 g) block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3.5 cups (400 g) confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add finely grated zucchini (including any excess liquid), brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with a spoon until just combined.
- Divide batter between 12 cupcake tins, filling to about ⅔ full. Bake for about 17 to 19 minutes, OR until the tops pop back when gently pressed (or a toothpick comes out clean or with dry crumbs - not wet batter).
- Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add cream cheese and butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until fluffy and smooth, about a minute.
- Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt and mix until incorporated.
- Add confectioner's sugar, half at a time, and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated. Switch to high speed and whip until light and fluffy, about a minute.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- Prefer less frosting?: This recipe makes enough frosting to pipe your cupcakes with tall, dramatic frosting. If you'd prefer to pipe shorter frosting or spread a small amount with a knife, cut the frosting recipe in half.
- Storage: Cupcakes will keep for 3 to 4 day in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated if it sits out for longer than 2 hours. Remove baked goods from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to soften the frosting.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!