Moist, tender, and not too sweet, this recipe for dark chocolate zucchini cupcakes is perfect for both snacks eaten plain and for 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 is easy 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, these are cupcakes after all!
I did try to make them as real-food healthy as possible by using less sugar and more cocoa powder than normal cupcakes in addition to using a healthy fat and 100% whole wheat pastry flour.
Because of these changes (subtle that no one notices, trust me), I think they make a good snack plain or with powdered sugar.
But of course when frosted like I show here, they are a delicious and show-stopping dessert.
The Frosting Option
This frosting - well, that's another story. It's rich, smooth, and 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 - trust me, it's to.die.for.).
You can also simply dust these cupcakes with powdered sugar or use your favorite frosting recipe. I really like these with peanut putter frosting, too.
Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
Ingredients
- zucchini
- eggs
- brown sugar or coconut sugar
- cold-pressed sunflower oil, melted coconut oil, or lightly flavored olive oil
- vanilla
- whole wheat pastry flour
- cocoa powder
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
PRO TIP: Got huge zucchinis you missed in the garden or friends gave you?
To use the best part of gigantic zucchinis, cut the ends and then into manageable pieces (in half or thirds). Cut those pieces into halves and then into quarters.
Hold a knife at the top inner seedy portion of each quarter and cut down to remove all the pithy centers. Discard centers and shred the outer portions only.
Directions
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, so you'll fill 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.
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake FAQs
You can use a box grater or a food processor to shred zucchini. I use a processor because it makes quick work of it, but hand graters tend to make smaller pieces, so if you'd like it to be less noticeable, use a hand grater.
You can choose to peel or not - that's totally up to you in this recipe (though it's a key step in this incredible while zucchini cake!).
No, we want all that great moisture from the zucchini for this recipe, so use it freshly grated.
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).
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.
Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup cold-pressed sunflower oil, melted coconut oil, or lightly flavored olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips**
- [Chocolate Silk Frosting] or powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Add zucchini, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla to a large bowl and mix well.
- Add remaining cupcake ingredients, mixing until all is combined.
- Spoon the batter evenly between the lined cups (the cups will be about half full).
- Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (of cake batter - some melted chocolate may be on them). Cool in pans 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
- Frost with this ultimate chocolate frosting or dust with powdered sugar when they are completely cooled.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Zucchini Recipes to Try
Amazing White Zucchini Cake with Caramel-Nut Frosting
Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread (sweetened with honey)
Zucchini Lemon Bread with Glaze
This recipe has been updated in 2019 and 2022 - it was originally published in November of 2012.
Anamika @ Supplement Crunch says
Wow! This looks incredible! I am making these this weekend for sure!
Jenny Park says
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!
Jami says
Wow, Jenny - that sound really interesting!
Marina says
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.
Jami Boys says
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. 🙂
Rachael Resurreccion says
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!
Jami says
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!
[email protected] says
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! 😉
daisy says
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!
Jami says
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. 🙂
Crystal says
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!!