Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

The zucchini trend continues here on the blog.  After I posted my recipe for zucchini muffins with lemon glaze I received a comment letting me know that zucchini was not a vegetable.  What!!?  How did I not know that zucchini was really a fruit. I did a little Googling and learned that in the culinary sense, zucchini is used and treated like a vegetable but in the botanical world it is a fruit.  If you want the scientific reason behind it go ahead and Google it.

Since this is a food blog, we are going to call it a vegetable.

Zucchini is one of those vegetables I have had to learn to like.  Baked Zucchini with Mozzarella is definitely one of my favorite ways to enjoy it in savory form.  But to be honest, my favorite way to eat zucchini is either in zucchini bread, zucchini muffins or today’s recipe for zucchini cupcakes.

These cupcakes are topped with an amazing caramel frosting and I promise, even your zucchini haters are going to love these.  Once they taste the caramel frosting they aren’t going to care what is in the cupcake!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1-1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/2 C orange juice
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2-1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1-1/2 C shredded zucchini
• Caramel Frosting
• 1 C packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C butter or margarine
• 1/4 C milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 to 2 C confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar. oil, orange juice and extract
2. Combine dry ingredients; add to the egg mixture and mix well
3. Add zucchini and mix well
4. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full
5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until they test done
6. ...............................

for full recipes please see : www.yourhomebasedmom.com

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