The following cupcake recipe, featuring the bounty of a summer garden and the zest of orange in the frosting makes a first class treat. It was created by Diana's Cocina a fun food blog:
Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes with
Orange Marscarpone Frosting
- 1&1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1&1/2 cups zucchini, coarsely grated
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Mascarpone Frosting
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, or to taste
- zest of orange, to taste
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cups of a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla; add to flour mixture, and mix just until combined, do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool in tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes, turn cupcakes out, right side up, and cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make frosting. With an electric mixer blend cheese, sugar, orange zest and vanilla together until smooth.
- Using a spatula or butter knife, spread frosting on cupcakes. The frosted cupcakes are best eaten within 1 day. Which in this household, it's no problem :).
