I made these cupcakes today.
They taste fantastic. The texture is perfection, the flavor spot on, the cake supremely moist.
But they paled in comparison to the frosting.
I kid you not, I made the best cream cheese frosting I have ever made in my whole life today.
I got it from Martha Stewart. At least. I thought I did.
Her recipe calls for 1 cup of powder sugar.
I somehow translated that into FOUR.
I am insane.
Ingredients
- 1 package cream cheese (8 oz)
- 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place room temperature butter, cream cheese, and vanilla into mixer and blend for 1-2 minutes on medium until fully incorporated. Add powder sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting is light and creamy.
You must try this.
Today. Seriously. Put it on toast if you have to, but this frosting will change your life.
And when I say change your life I am totally over exaggerating.
But it does taste delightful.
These are mini cupcakes with a little shaved zucchini added on top.
I know it seems weird, but the frosting is so rich and creamy that the soft and light texture of the freshly shredded zucchini is really exhilarating.
I even liked it so much that I went back and added a bunch!
Then I dropped some of the freshly grated zucchini into a dish of sugar and coated them entirely.
Not sure the extra sugar was needed, but the new texture was fun!
All in all, I enjoyed everything about these cupcakes.
The recipe was delicious, even if I totally screwed it up.
I also adapted the cupcake recipe from Martha.
Zucchini Cupcakes
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 med. zucchini coarselyshredded (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/3 cup Canola oil
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp imitation vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In bowl, mix flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In separate bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add this to flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Use 1/4 cup measuring cup or ice cream scooper and scoop into prepared cupcake pan.
Bake for 18-22 minutes.
Put in freezer (right out of oven) for about 45 min. to and hour.
Frost and enjoy!
They look so pretty!
They look delicious. I love cream cheese frosting too!
Beautiful photos!
I am so all over those cupcakes. I love zucchini anything! Oh, and that frosting would seriously change my life while I go up 2 dresses sizes from eating it in one sitting. Oh, I so would too. I was actually daydreaming today, while I was driving down the road, about the cream cheese frosting from the rainbow cake. I’m not kidding. YUM!!
YUMMY! They look so good. I wish I had some now, its been a rough day and a cupcake would make things a lot better.
That is crazy!!! You first had me at Zucchini cupcakes, then cream cheese frosting…then insane amounts of powdered sugar cream cheese frosting…then topped with zucchini…then topped with sugar coated zucchini!!! Where or where do you come up with this???
By the way, I love the green backdrop you used in your photos. How did you do it? It really makes the pictures POP!
Looks so yummy! I love your photos!!
Drooling already! I think I’ll make them for a BBQ on Friday! Your photos are absolutely gorgeous!
These look so very good!!
And anything with cream cheese sign me up baby!!
I’m not going to lie though anything with veggies in a dessert makes me very nervous. Not because I think it will taste bad, but because I am afraid I’ll make it taste horrible. But I think I am going to have to try these, especially the cream cheese icing;)
Okay, so I tend to like my Cream Cheese Frosting really cream cheesy and not as sugary. This recipe scares me because it has 4 times the sugar originally intended. So, my question is is it cream cheesy enough?
hi
do you have the cream cheesy fosting recipe
that is not so sweet?
can you email it to me?
sweetdarlacat@yahoo.ca
Nope. I am pretty sure you would not like it. It is SWEET.
Better stick with what you love!
I dont care for zucchini, but your pictures are very well done. You have grown so much in your photography! I’m happy for you.
I think I will make these cupcakes soon. Thanks
Those look amazing!!! I want to make them right now
, but it’s almost 11PM 
Maybe tomorrow 
sounds good to me!
These minis are so cute! Love the topping, and the frosting looks so light and fluffy!
I will try your frosting! I am a huge cream cheese frosting fan. My favorite way to eat it is off of a spoon.
I can’t believe you were able to get smooth with a hand mixer! I have blogged this and hope to make this cupcake on Saturday! Thanks again! Amy
Stunning set of pictures!
And, of course, the cupcakes looks awesome as well.
Ooh these look good! I have so many zucchini growing that I’m looking for ideas to use them up. I’ll definitely have to try these.
These look delicious – thanks for sharing!! It’s such a great time for all things zucchini right now!
I love, LOVE that you quadrupled the sugar! Just another reason why i love you, Amanda!
Hmm…somehow, you’ve managed to make zucchini cupcakes look not only appealing, but drool-worthy to me. That’s really saying something!
YUM…. I can just smell them baking!!! When I was little….I had a piano teacher who used to bake zucchini bread for the judges on the days we had piano auditions. I always remember her house smelling soooo good..and have always tried to find a recipe that re-created that same glorious home-baked aroma! Will have to try your recipe for the cupcakes and the frosting!!! Of course yours look beautiful too!!!!!
These look so precious…not to mention delicious
Wow! I’m going to be making these today- after I pull out the Zucchini Bread that’s baking in my oven right now! i have one more zucchini and was wondering what to do with it- thanks for the suggestion
Plus I have about 10 pounds of cream cheese I need to start using up ( my husband is a truck driver and he brings me odd things home off the truck once in a while )
your the best baker in the world looking so yum.and taste good.ill to make like that for my kid.
OK – So I don’t do zucchinni (can’t even SPELL it!) but these look AH-MAZING!
And…not only should you be baking for a national publication – you should also be taking photos of said baked good for one too!
WOW!
This looks phenominal!
Gorgeous pics! I’m definitely going to have to
try these babies out. They look sooooo good! Maybe when I have a cheat day I’ll make these. Thanks for
sharing!
You’re just awesome!!!!
And I’ll have to try your version of the frosting!!!
love love love these photos!
oooh, i’ll bet that is some SWEET, sweet frosting. cream cheese frosting is second only to caramel frosting to me, but it’s much easier to make and apply so i seem to eat it a lot more…
great post, my dear.
In your list of ingredients you did not mention baking powder but in the cooking directions you do. How much are we supposed to use? I looked at the Martha recipe and since you used a different amount of flour, I’m not sure how to judge it. Thanks.
Beautiful photos! Love that you discovered an even better recipe by making an error.
I’m a big fan of zucchini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting as well. I’m gonna have to try your zucchini-sugar topping, though. That’s gorgeous!
I love the little frosting “hats” on your cupcakes! So adorable. And we’re so used to seeing zucchini bread, I don’t know why I never thought to make muffins with the batter!
These look great… I love zucchini cupcakes! I am adding this recipe to my list of must-bakes!
I am loving the way you topped the mini cupcakes with the frosting. They are adorable.
I am making these today!! I can’t wait. I made my first cutouts like you make them…all fancy. BUT mine weren’t as pretty as yours. I did farm ones for my son’s 2nd birthday party.
Gorgeous photos! I love how you mistakenly quadrupled the sugar and it turned out perfectly. I am going to try your version of the recipe next time I make cream cheese frosting!
OH! These look amazing!! I seriously don’t understand how you are not 500 pounds!
These are in the oven now, and I was wondering if the batter is supposed to be REALLY thick and hard to mix? I felt like something was wrong, but I follewed the recipe exactly. I ended up adding a bit more oil. Also, why do you stick them in the freezer? Thanks for the recipe…it sounds yummy!
now thats a great cupcake….I would have devoured them! and your frosting must have been amazing….it would be well worth the sugar shock after!
Just curious as to why you stick them in the freezer, straight out of the oven? I plan on making these today, but I’m not sure if I have room in my freezer!
I love zucchini bread, so I know I would love these cupcakes!
I have to tell you that I made these cupcakes this past weekend and my daughter’s friend said “They’re so good…you can’t even taste the zucchini in there!” The frosting is AMAZING and the whole recipe is easy peazy. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Amanda. Lovely photos and very interesting recipe. I would like to try to make this.
My question is, how important is it to freeze the cupcakes immediately after baking? What does it do? And what happens if I don’t? And if I do freeze it, do I need to wait for it to defrost? Thanks.
No, you do not need to freeze them! I just like to take this extra step to lock in moisture, and get a really soft and scrumptious cupcake… but if you cant, they will still be yummmy.
oh, yum! I’ll have to make these, my oldest loves zucchini bread so maybe he’ll love these too!
Thanks Amanda. I am going to try this receipe. Thanks for sharing. ^.^
these look beautiful!!!
hey! I am a beginning baker and my sister showed your blog to me. I just made zucchini cupcakes yesterday (but w a different recipie) and you’re right that are delicious! I recently made a blog detailing my baking experiences, but it’s nothing like yours. I’m just using one of those free blog things. Do you have any advice for a new aspiring baker??
Those look yummy!! Absolutely yummy. I am such a sucker for cream cheese frosting. Your recipe is very similar to what I do…I think the only difference is I use less powdered sugar and a teaspoon of real vanilla.
Seriously I could just live in CC frosting. I’d use it for lotion but that would just be creepy.
I made these yesterday and they were DELICIOUS!!! Ive been following ur blog for a while now but haven’t commented on anything but u definitely need to know that u are such an inspiration.
I just finished making these cupcakes. They are fantastic! It’s 12:25am, and I have already eaten three cupcakes!! The frosting is delicious. I usually don’t like cream cheese frosting, but I’ve converted!
Thanks Verily!!!
I have been thinking about these cupcakes since you posted them…and finally made – no scratch that – ATTEMPTED to make them last night. I. am. not. baker. In the midst of juggling dinner and crying baby and bored children while I was mixing up the ingredients, I neglected to add baking powder. I wanted to cry as I realized my mistake, right after I put them in the oven. However, my fail was not as disasterous as I had imagined it would be. My family and I all thought they were actaully delish, with a unique “cornbreadish” type texture…even the 2 year old who insisted that she “would not like the yummy new bread” decided she did like it after all, and ate several mini muffins. [I also used whole wheat flour which, I think, added to the texture. Anyways, thanks for posting this – it is delicious enough to overcome my horrific baking!
-Heather
I made these yesterday complete with the cream cheese frosting from heaven. My husband said they maybe were the best thing I’ve ever baked and there were ZERO left after our guests departed. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Thanks for the kind words Alice Q. I concur, and therefore, the menu items that were off would not deter my patronage. Thanks for taking the time out to write it! I think spirituality is really important too, we certainly agree on that point. A leader without spirituality is missing a key element.
Your cupcakes are adorable! Do you think the cream cheese frosting is stiff enough to frost a layer cake? Thank you!
Ok… I know that I’m super late to the party, but I just found your site (beautiful pics btw) and use the very same recipe for all my cupcakes. I’ve been trying to figure out how to frost like that. What sized tip do you use? Is this a #9 round or something smaller? I can’t seem to figure it out.
I made these and they were so delicious! I didn’t want them quite as sweet with the cream cheese frosting so instead I put a lime glaze on top which provided the perfect tang to the zucchini. Mmmm.
ok, so what makes it even funnier is that i translated FOUR cups of sugar to say FLOUR. i thought, wow, how do you make frosting with FLOUR??!!! HAAAAAAA
Going to try this frosting!!! YUM!
Alright, if you say it’s the best-I’m giving it a go. I totally trust your baking instinct. And I love how fluffy the frosting is!
Just made your cupcakes with zucchini from my garden for a friend who is recuperating from hip replacement surgery. It was part of a grand afternoon tea (but I chickened out and only used two cups of powdered sugar in the frosting!
What a lovely final photo!
I found this post via Two Peas and am totally stalking your cake plates. AGAIN!!!! OMG, wherever did you find that ONE cupcake stand??!! How darling is that??!!
Ok, I think this cake plate thing is now becoming an obsession with me, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. Gonna need a support group or intervention soon.
I just baked these today an they are very good!! I used zucchini from my garden and made the “to die for” cheesecake frosting (which is now a keeper) exactly as the recipe except i added salt to the frosting – just like a pinch to cut the super sweetness. Overall both are keeper recipes!!!
This really was the best frosting ever!! I made it for the filling of some cookies and am posting it on my blog tomorrow. Feel free to check it out!http://bellesbazaar-heather.blogspot.com/2011/10/last-minute-halloween-treats.html
Your cupcakes, pictures and recipes are beautiful. I just discovered your site and was reading that you got a recipe from Martha Stewart and could not help but tell you that I was her estate gardener for a brief time and the woman is absolutely the devil. I never use her recipes because she is evil. I’ve even seen desserts that look beautiful. If I see “martha” or “stewart” anywhere, i will not use it.
Oh no!!! My goodness, I am so sorry you had such a horrible experience!
cupcakes are very interesting. almost contemporary in appearance. I did notice that you have used the foil cupcake holders. …….. with the white liner. Do you bake the cake in both the liner and the foil??? I have used them for years, but the package says to pitch the liners. Please let me know what you have done and what works for you. I will not throw away the liners — but believe me —- I really need to find a use for them. Appreciate your thoughts……….sue griffore
Honestly, I have never read the package, so always used the white liner in the foil.
I’ve been using this recipe for years — It’s the 1-1-1-1 recipe: 1 block cream cheese, 1 stick butter, 1 box 10X sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla. Delish!
You can buy powder sugar that is already portioned out into 4 cups? I had no idea! I have only purchased the 2lb bag. That box would be much easier!
The best way to eat zucchini – in a cupcake!
I have a cream cheese icing recipe that may be even better than this one – it has melted white chocolate in it. The only reason I eat carrot cake is for the cream cheese icing!
You are right, that does sound better!
It is so fun reading all the comments, replies and suggestions with the shared love of baking at the center of it all! Can’t wait to try the zucchini cupcake recipe (I make a pretty good zucchini bread), and the cream cheese frosting recipe as well. At some point, I will try the frosting recipe as the rose cake with carrot cake inside…
FOUR cups of sugar?!?! Ha! I bet it IS good!!
Hello, your cupcakes look amazing! I was wondering how you frosted them like that? THanks!