Moist, tender, and not too sweet, these dark chocolate zucchini cupcakes are perfect for both snacks and celebrations with the addition of frosting.
Chocolate and zucchini are a match made in heaven, as far as I’m concerned. I love the way that zucchini adds moisture to baked goods (which you may have been able to tell by my other recipes for Zucchini Lemon Bread, No Fail Zucchini Bread, and Zucchini Cinnamon Freezer Muffins, to name a few) and these dark chocolate zucchini cupcakes are no exception.
Of course we probably all hope that adding zucchini to breads and cakes adds a bit of nutritional value – and maybe they do, but hey, they are cupcakes, after all! Though I did try to make them as real-food healthy as possible by using less sugar and more chocolate than normal cupcakes in addition to using a healthy fat and whole wheat pastry flour. Personally, I think they’re as good of a snack with just a dusting of powdered sugar as they are a dessert when frosted, but I’ll let you be the judge!
This frosting, though – well, that’s another story. It is firmly in the decadent dessert camp, making it perfect for celebrations.
I have one – and only one – chocolate frosting that I use and it’s THE best frosting ever. And I don’t say that lightly. Everyone loves it. But of course it uses lots of butter and powdered sugar, so it’s definitely a special occasion kind of thing (here’s the link to this amazing Chocolate Silk Frosting recipe).
You can also dust these cupcakes with powdered sugar or use your favorite frosting recipe – these are great with a peanut putter frosting, too.
Make Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
There’s nothing fancy or time consuming with this recipe, it’s simply a matter of mixing the wet ingredients with the dry and dividing the batter between lined muffin tins. The batter is thicker than traditional cupcake batter, though, filling the cupcake liners only half to three-quarters full. I find thicker batters result in moister cupcakes and it also helps keep the chocolate chips evenly distributed rather than all falling to the bottom.
The recipe makes 24 cupcakes and they freeze beautifully (frosted or not), so you can have cupcakes whenever the occasion – or snack – calls for them.
With less sugar and more cocoa these cupcakes really do have a dark chocolate flavor, which I’m always aiming for with any chocolate recipe (by that I mean, less sweet and more true cocoa flavor). Bring on the chocolate!
Click the arrow for the printable recipe!
I made these but used 1/2 bean puree and 1/2 coconut oil (to increase fiber and protein and decrease a bit of fat) and they baked up super fluffy and high and were so filling! And don’t worry you don’t taste the beans at all…just yumminess! Thanks!
Wow, Jenny – that sound really interesting!
This sounds delish and I’m going to try it very soon. Do you think it would work if I substituted the coconut/olive oil for apple sauce? I generally do that in baking, but I wouldn’t want to spoil this recipe.
I firmly believe (good) fats are good for us, Marina, and applesauce ups the sugar/carb ratio so I don’t ever do that. It makes the texture a bit more rubbery, too, in my opinion (when I’ve tasted other’s baked goods with only applesauce) – but you are free to do whatever you’d like! That’s one of the joys of making things from scratch yourself. 🙂
I had your Zucchini Cinnamon Freezer Muffins on my menu plan for this morning, but when this showed up in my inbox yesterday I decided to give it a try instead. I was surprised at how thick the batter was so I doubled checked the recipe and noticed that the picture of your unbaked cupcakes look just as thick. I used half the batter for full size muffins and half for mini muffins (mostly because I don’t have two muffin tins). We are still waiting for the full size cupcakes to finish but the mini ones are wonderful (no frosting, but we will top with straight peanut butter to make these little treats work as a breakfast). Thank you!
I’ve not had them for breakfast before, but I like them with pb frosting, so plain pb would be good, I bet. I’ve found the thicker batter produce a really moist cupcake that doesn’t dry out as much as thinner batters. It is different, though. Glad you enjoyed them!
I keep seeing so many zucchini baking recipes on Pinterest but I’ve yet to try any of them. I think these pictures have convinced me that I need to try them out! 😉
I love that you offered sucanat and olive oil as substitutes. I use both instead of traditional ingredients. ( Just a note that light olive oil is best for baking, extra virgin for savory dishes.)
Did you use the Special Dark cocoa? Can’t wait to try this with the whole wheat pastry flour. I want to start using it in more of my treats. Thanks, Jami!
Actually, Daisy, I use whatever olive oil we have and I don’t notice a difference, but others might – you’re right. I buy an organic cocoa in bulk, so no special cocoa. What makes these dark is the amount of cocoa to sugar ratio – meaning, they’re more chocolatey than sweet. 🙂
Delicious!!! My mom used to bake zuchini bread when I was younger. I’ve often thought about it, but haven’t yet. I’m definately going to try these cupcakes!!! They look delicious!!