Chocolate zucchini cupcakes

I realized I need to amp up the sweets on this blog - it's been all meals and gardening lately!  Here is the first in a series of desserts: Chocolate Zucchini cupcakes!  It's a cake recipe that I decided to make into cupcakes and it worked quite well.  I've used this recipe many times from a lovely blog I read, Chocolate & Zucchini (which is aptly named).  This is a delicious, moist cake which manages to hide 2 cups of zucchini among its chocolatey crumbs.  If you're trying to get your kids (or spouse) to eat more veggies, this is a great way to sneak it in!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 scant cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp instant coffee
3 large eggs
2 cups grated, unpeeled zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Grease a muffin tin and a half (this recipe made 18 cupcakes), and preheat oven to 350°.

Cream the butter and sugar together. 

Add eggs, coffee and vanilla

Mix well - one egg at a time if you can remember :)

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

 Dump 2/3 of the dry ingredients in the butter/sugar/egg mixture.  Place your grated zucchini in with the other 1/3 of the dry ingredients.

Mix up both bowls, coating and declumping the zucchini well. 

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for, stir it all together until just blended.

Now, I forgot to take a picture of the batter in the muffin tin before it went in the oven.  Fill the muffin tins just to the rim and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Baby interlude...

While they were cooking I went to take a picture of my beautiful sleeping baby's toes.

Back to the cupcakes! When a toothpick comes out clean, take out the cupcakes and let cool for 10 minutes, then pop onto a cooling rack. 

Top with your favourite chocolate icing - mine is this Nutella Buttercream.  I got it off Pinterest, and here is the oh-so-simple recipe:

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

1/2 C butter, room temperature
1 C Nutella
1 C powdered sugar, sifted

1-2 T milk

Just blend with a hand-mixer and spread it on nice and thick.

Don't think about the calories in the frosting... you're eating a cupcake with vegetables in it!!