I know zucchini in a sweet muffin sounds weird…my husband and I stared down these zucchini muffins very dubiously before trying them – but these little green Shrek-cakes taste amazing! I’m not exaggerating, they are delicious. The have a very similar taste and texture to carrot cake.
Originally posted in April 2013 for the Recipe Redux Cupcake Conundrum month. Updated in October 2018.
I love to bake! I feel my job can be very science-focused and so it is important to have a creative outlet, for me that is cooking and baking. In 2009, when I lived in the UK, I even went on a couple of day courses to improve my cake and cupcake decorating skills. I also avidly collect baking and cake decorating books, how-to’s, recipes and magazines.
Zucchini muffins make little hand-held sweet treats with a healthy twist by including veggies and nuts in the batter and are made with just ⅓ cup of oil. They are very quick to prepare (although they do need to be in the oven for a little while) and you don’t even need a blender, a wooden spoon with do the trick.
- 1½ cups cake flour
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pecan nuts or walnuts
- 1½ cups coarsely grated zucchini
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- cinnamon sugar to top each muffin
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In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the nuts.
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In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and mix just until combined (do not overmix).
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Divide the mixture into a muffin tin coated with non-stick cooking spray or lined with cupcake liners and top each muffin with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.
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Bake at 180°C until golden and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean, approximately 30 – 35 minutes.
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Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the tray and cool completely on a wire rack.
Be sure to check out what the other Recipe ReDux’ers have got up to this month!
Cheryl x
serena
April 23, 2013 at 9:53 pmNo WONDER your frosting skills are so impressive! You took classes…would love to hear more about those classes! The cupcakes look yummy…and wow nice amount of zucchini!
Dr Barb, Nutrition Budgeteer
April 21, 2013 at 8:09 pmYour cupcakes look great! Think people would try them no matter what you have in them. Love your idea of calling them “Shrek cakes.” Think these would be a hit with kids.
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil)
April 21, 2013 at 7:54 pmI have no doubt these are delicious because I adore zucchini bread. I’m keeping this recipe on hand for when we get hit by our zucchini glut this summer!
Sarah
April 21, 2013 at 5:42 pmThese sound delicious! I just made a zucchini recipe yesterday and now I wish I had made them into delicious cupcakes like you did!! Thanks for sharing!
Janet Comber
April 21, 2013 at 4:50 pmSo enjoy this site, very informative with delicious recipes and “mouth-watering” pictures.
Janet