Zucchini Cupcakes are moist and delicious cupcakes made with shredded zucchini and topped with the best cream cheese frosting! If you have more zucchini, be sure to try my Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Zucchini!
Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yes, these cupcakes are yummy on their own, but it’s really about the cream cheese frosting. It’s the same frosting as I used in my Homemade Carrot Cake recipe. You can simply spread the frosting on the cupcakes, once they have cooled. Or, I will give you tips on piping and how to frost cakes when the time comes. The tricks may come in handy when you realize you will want to make this frosting as often as possible!
Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
This recipe starts with the zucchini cupcakes and then those are topped with the frosting.
Cupcakes: After shredding the zucchini, just drain it lightly. This will add the moisture needed for the cupcakes.
Frosting: It’s all about the sugar in the frosting. I will let you know how to make a perfect batch for piping (if you wanted to use that method for the cupcakes) as well as if you are making a batch to spread on a cake.
How to Make Zucchini Cupcakes
It’s easy to whip up the batter for these cupcakes. First, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. Next, in a separate bowl, combine the zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
Use an ice cream scoop or a quarter cup scoop to add the batter to a lined muffin tin. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes. The cupcakes are done baking when the tops of the muffins spring back when gently pressed. You can also insert a toothpick into the cupcakes; the toothpick should come out with a few crumbs, but no wet batter. Let the cupcakes cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
So the ingredients for this frosting are pretty basic: butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar. But it’s how you put them together that makes the difference!
FOR PIPING: You will want to get all the wet ingredients combined before adding the sugar. The trick is to not OVERBEAT the cream cheese. The more you mix the creamier it gets and the harder it is to pipe. I add my sugar 1 cup at a time so that I can gauge the consistency as I go.
FOR FROSTING CAKES: When covering a cake with this cream cheese frosting you can beat for 5-7 minutes. You can also add in all of the sugar at once. This results in the creamiest cream cheese frosting you will ever have. Almost elastic!
Remember to wait until the cupcakes have cooled completely before adding the frosting. These zucchini cupcakes were piped using a large open round tip. I love how the sides are perfectly rounded!
Looking for More Cupcake Recipes?
Easy Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
Double Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
Zucchini Cupcakes with the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded (about 1¾ cups)
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113g) butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add this to flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Use ¼ cup measuring cup or ice cream scooper to evenly scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin. Fill each cup about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven let them cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place room temperature cream cheese, butter, and vanilla into stand mixer and blend for 1-2 minutes on medium speed until fully incorporated. (You can also use a hand-held mixer.)
- Add confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, until the frosting is light and creamy. Spread or pipe the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.
- FOR PIPING: You will want to get all the wet ingredients combined before adding the sugar. The trick is to not OVERBEAT the cream cheese. The more you mix the creamier it gets and the harder it is to pipe. I add my sugar 1 cup at a time so that I can gauge the consistency as I go.
- FOR FROSTING CAKES: When covering a cake with this cream cheese frosting you can beat for 5-7 minutes. You can also add in all of the sugar at once. This results in the creamiest cream cheese frosting you will ever have. Almost elastic!
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
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! 🙂