Zucchini-Pineapple Cupcakes with Lemon Sour Cream Frosting

Tags

cinnamon, cupcake, lemon, pineapple, sour cream, zucchini

One last zucchini recipe to finish off the week! I realize a lot of people are switching to fall mode now, with pumpkin and apple recipes and lots of warming comfort foods. These do not fall under that category. But in my defense, it is still hot here and still feels like summer, so I can’t bring myself to shift from summer to fall just yet. There is an apple stand on my way to work that’s just calling my name, but I’m not yet ready for apple pie or other yummy apple goodies. Their time will come soon enough, and there will be a large box of apples waiting for me when I’m ready!

As for these cupcakes, they’re very light with a bright flavor, perfect for summer or hot days. I was drawn to these because I thought the pineapple and sour cream were unique twists. I try to avoid cake mixes since it’s so easy to make your own from scratch, but sometimes it’s nice to have the simplicity of using a box mix (and I couldn’t figure out a simple way to replicate box mix). The original recipe called for an orange icing, but I’m not a huge fan of orange in baked goods and lemon seemed like it would go better. While I can’t compare the lemon with the orange, I thought the lemon went perfectly, but feel free to switch it up!Zucchini-Pineapple Cupcakes with Lemon Sour Cream Frosting

Cupcakes:
1 package (about 18 ounces) yellow cake mix without pudding in the mix
3 eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini, about 1 medium zucchini
1 (8-ounces) can crushed pineapple, well drained

Frosting:
3½ cups powdered sugar
⅔ cup sour cream (not non fat or fat-free)
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons lemon zest

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin pan cups with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; beat according to package directions. Fold in the zucchini and pineapple, mixing well to distribute evenly. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting: While the cupcakes are cooling, combine powdered sugar, sour cream, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl with electric or stand mixer at low speed. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes with an offset spatula. Garnish with additional lemon peel, if desired. Serve at room temperature. Store leftover cupcakes in refrigerator.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

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Morning Harvest Muffins

Tags

apple, carrot, cinnamon, muffin, pineapple, zucchini

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! How about some muffins to add to your Mother’s Day brunch, or breakfast in bed to show Mom you love her.

I love breakfast, but I don’t like eating it in the morning when I’m supposed to. It seems like so much effort when it’s so early in the morning. That’s why I love easy to grab things like muffins! The perfectly portable breakfast, or a tasty mid-morning snack. I prefer the sweet and fruity instead of savory muffins. As much as bacon is a breakfast item, I just can’t wrap my mind around it being in a muffin (or in a cupcake). Hence I stick to the sweets, loading my muffins with fruits, mild vegetables, and spices.Morning Glory muffins always seemed appealing in name and appearance, but due to my pickiness, I don’t eat half the ingredients in the muffins. No coconut, no nuts, no raisins… The best solution seemed to create my own muffin, combining different aspects from muffins and quick breads that I love. Thus was born the Morning Harvest muffin! Zucchini bread meets carrot cake meets apple muffins. If you prefer, you can dice the apples instead of shredding them.

Pressing most of the juices out of the fruits and vegetables helps to reduce some moisture in the muffins, preventing sogginess but still keeping them moist

Morning Harvest Muffins
Note: If you wish to make them a little bit healthier with more fiber, use 1½ cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour

2½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
⅔ cup oil
¾ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup carrot, peeled and shredded (about 2 carrots)
1 cup Granny Smith apple; cored, peeled and shredded (about 1 apple)
1 cup zucchini, shredded (about 1-2 zucchinis)
½ cup crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a large bowl combine the flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.

Place the shredded apples, zucchini, and crushed pineapple in a fine mesh strainer and press until most of the juice is extracted. Transfer to the bowl of dry ingredients and add the shredded carrot. Toss to coat the fruits and vegetables with flour, then make a well in the middle of the mixture.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Pour into the well in the dry ingredient mixture. Stir until just combined; do not overmix.

Scoop into prepared tins, filling most of the way with batter. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a couple minutes in the tins, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Carrot Cupcakes

Tags

carrot, cinnamon, cream cheese, cupcake, pineapple

A little late for Easter, and a little early for Mother’s Day, but perfect for either holiday or anytime the craving for sweets with carrots and cream cheese hits. I made these for Easter as a last minute treat. Easter, Easter Bunny, carrots, carrot cake. It’s a logical thought process, if I do say so myself!

Carrot cupcakes are healthier than your standard cupcake… carrots make things healthy, right? The addition of oil instead of butter also helps them remain moist, even after being refrigerated with the cream cheese frosting.

These cupcakes are phenomenal. Everyone who tried them loved them, even people who aren’t big fans of carrot cake. Perfectly spiced, extremely moist without being soggy, and delicious cream cheese frosting. There may be an excess of frosting after frosting the cupcakes, but it should be the perfect amount for icing a cake and decorating. Besides, any extra can be saved for a later use… or eaten as a snack… your choice!

Carrot Cupcakes
Of course, anything that can be made into cupcakes can also be made into cakes. To make carrot cake, grease two 9-inch cake tins, split the batter evenly between the two tins, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup buttermilk
1½ cups white sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pound carrots, peeled
¾ cup crushed pineapple
1 cup raisins (optional)

Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with paper baking liners for 30 cupcakes. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred the carrots. You should have about 3 cups. Transfer the carrots to a medium bowl. Place the pineapples in a colander and press to release the majority of the juices. Add to the bowl with the carrots and add raisins, if using. Wipe the food processor bowl clean. Using the metal blade, blend the eggs and sugars until frothy. With the food processor running, add the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract through the feed tube in a slow and steady stream until fully incorporated. Slowly add to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix well then add the carrot mixture. Mix until well blended and no more flour is visible.

Scoop into the prepared cupcake tins, filling ¾ full of batter. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make the frosting: Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer and beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until soft and creamy. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, beating until the sugar is fully incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, beating for an additional minute. Frost cupcakes as desired; to thicken the frosting for more detailed decorations, place in the refrigerator until desired consistency is reached. Store iced cupcakes in the refrigerator.