Zucchini Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

These Zucchini Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting are so delicious you won’t believe they are packed with vegetables.  They are super moist, have just a hint of spice and are topped off with a light and fluffy cinnamon buttercream frosting.  

The Best Zucchini Cupcake Recipe

We recommend adding this recipe to your dessert repertoire STAT.  If you’ve got a garden, this is a great way to use up some of that zucchini that just never seems to stop coming.  And if you've got picky eaters, you’ll have your kids eating their vegetables in no time.

Much like carrots, zucchini works like magic in baking, keeping these cupcakes incredibly moist for days.  If you’ve never tried baking with zucchini, this recipe is a great place to start!  Or if you’re in the mood for something a little less sweet, you can also check out our Homemade Zucchini Bread.

Should I Peel the Zucchini for Cupcakes? 

If your zucchini are still pretty small, under a foot long, nope!  Just give it a quick rinse, cut the ends off, and grate away.  The peel helps the grated zucchini keep a bit of structure while baking, and it looks pretty, too.

To grate the zucchini, we find that using a box grater is the easiest.  If you notice a lot of liquid being released from the zucchini, you can gently pat with a paper towel.  Some have more liquid than others, so this may not be necessary.

Ingredients in Easy Zucchini Cupcakes

For Zucchini Cupcakes:

• Zucchini - you should wash and trim the ends off of your zucchini, but don’t peel before you grate.
• Butter - use melted, unsalted butter.
• Sugar - we use white sugar for this recipe.  You can also try with half brown sugar and half granulated sugar if you’d like.
• Eggs - any kind of large eggs will work.
• Orange Juice - you can use orange juice from a container, or fresh squeezed.
• Almond Extract - if there is a nut allergy, this can be omitted.
• Flour - this recipe calls for all-purpose flour.  If you want to make the recipe a bit healthier, you can substitute half of the flour with white whole wheat flour. 
• Spices - we love to use cinnamon and ground cloves as they taste great with zucchini.  You could also substitute a bit of allspice.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda - these are what make your cupcakes rise in the oven.  
• Salt - salt in baked goods is really important for both the structure and the flavor.

For Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting:

• Butter - you’ll want this to be room temperature.  If you forget to pull it out ahead of time, you can microwave for about 5-10 seconds at a time just until soft (do not melt!).
• Cinnamon - this is an optional but delicious flavor.
• Vanilla Extract- pure vanilla extract is best. 
• Powdered Sugar - you should always sift your powdered sugar to remove any lumps that have formed.
• Milk - you can substitute heavy cream or even evaporated milk if you’d like.

How to Make Zucchini Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl or electric stand mixer, combine the shredded zucchini, melted butter, sugar, eggs, orange juice, and almond extract and mix to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cloves until well-combined.
4. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until all the ingredients are combined.  Do not overmix!
5. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and lightly spray with pan spray. Fill each of the cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. 
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until lightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack until ready to frost.  They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature if you aren’t ready to frost them right away.

How to Make Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and then beat with a whisk, or whisk attachment, until light and fluffy, or about 3 minutes.
2. Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract and whisk.
3. Next, add the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk, whisking again until light and fluffy.  You may need an additional 1 tablespoon of milk to get the desired light and fluffy consistency.
4. Spread or pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes, or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Tips on Piping Buttercream Frosting

Sure, you can frost your Zucchini Cupcakes using a spoon or a spatula but it doesn’t take much more than a little practice to pipe them like a pro!  Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Play around with tips to see which you like, but our recommendation for a simple design would be either a star or a round tip.  
• You can purchase disposable and reusable piping bags, or in a pinch you can use a plastic freezer bag.  In the case of a freezer bag, place the piping tip that you have chosen to use inside the empty freezer bag and let it fall to one corner.  Cut the corner so that the tip stays inside the bag but the bag isn’t in the way of the tip.  Fill with buttercream and pipe away!
• It’s best not to overfill your piping bag because your hands will warm up the frosting.  
• If you mess up, just carefully scrape the buttercream back into the bowl and try again!  

Variations

Chocolate Zucchini - simply substitute ½ of a cup of the all-purpose flour with cocoa powder and toss a cup of chocolate chips into the batter, and you’ve got yourself some chocolate zucchini cupcakes.

Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting - the cream cheese frosting in this Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting would taste amazing on these cupcakes.  

Add dried fruit and nuts.  Walnuts, pecans, dried currants, raisins or dried cranberries are all great additions to zucchini cupcakes so feel free to mix and match.  We recommend adding no more than 1 ½ cups of extra mix-ins total.

Can I Freeze Zucchini Cupcakes?

You can freeze the not yet frosted cupcakes by storing in an airtight container, or freezer bag, for up to 3 months in the freezer.  

You can thaw them out overnight in the fridge, or if you want to eat it more immediately, you can also thaw it out in a 325-degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Just be sure to let them cool completely before frosting.