chocolate zucchini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

i first met chocolate zucchini cake in college. on my way to my campus job, i'd often stop at a sundry shop to pick up a coffee or grab a soda. while standing in line one day, i picked up the moistest chocolate cake i'd ever seen. it wasn't until it was half-way devoured that i read the label...chocolate zucchini cake. zucchini? i had to read the ingredients to be sure that the zucchini in the name was really the vegetable and not some fancy baking technique. indeed it was! who knew?

not only was the cake moist and delicious, it had a vegetable in it! for a college student with questionable cooking skills and eating habits (24 hour pizza delivery did not help), this qualified as 'eating healthy.'

after college, i got a 'real' job and no longer frequented the university campus. i soon forgot all about chocolate zucchini cake....until last week. i saw it listed on a menu and decided to figure out how to make it at home.

thank goodness for allrecipes.com. i followed this cake recipe, with some minor tweaks based on the wise commenters. since the original recipe was for a 9x13 pan, i cut the recipe in half to make 12 cupcakes. the recipe below is for the full batch because 12 just weren't enough.

the whipped cream cheese frosting recipe is from chow.com.

make these at least a few hours ahead of time to give the cake time to set....otherwise the cupcake will stick to the liner and gnawing off the cupake is not glamorous. in addition to polite table manners, it also tastes better if it sets.

cupcakes
special equipment

• muffin tins (enough to make 24 muffins)

ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cups grated zucchini (partially peel and completely seed before grating)

directions

1. pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees f. line the muffin tin with liners or spray with baking spray (or grease and flour them).
2. in a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon). 
3. add the eggs, vanilla, apple sauce, and oil and mix well.
4. gently fold in the grated zucchini until it's even distributed throughout the batter.
5. spoon batter into individual muffin wells (fill each about 2/3 full)
6. bake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out cleanly.
7. allow to cool completely (or even better, let sit for a few hours) before frosting (recipe below) 

frosting
special equipment

• stand mixer with a paddle attachment

ingredients

• 12 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. combine all ingredients in the stand mixer's bowl and beat on low speed until all the sugar has been incorporated
2. increase speed to medium-high and beat frosting until it has a light consistency (3-4 minutes).

notes:

• according to the website, the frosting will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.