Zucchini Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 3 Free-range Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 3 Teaspoons Vanilla
• 1/2 Cup Yogurt
• 2 Cups Grated Zucchini
• 1 1/2 Cups White Flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 3 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 To 1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg, I Like Lots
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 8oz Package Cream Cheese, Softened
• 2-3 Tablespoons Butter, At Room Temperature
• 1/2 To 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
• Zest From 1 Lemon
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line your muffin tin with muffin wrappers.

In a large bowl beat eggs with a whisk.

Mix in oil and sugar until well blended.

Add vanilla, yogurt and zucchini and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift together until well blended.

Stir into egg mixture.

Divide batter into muffin tins. This generally makes between 15-20 muffins/cupcakes depending on how full you fill each cup.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean.

Frosting:

I learned the hard way that the key to cream cheese frosting is making sure you butter is sufficiently softened. If it’s the least bit too hard it just ends up in lumps in your frosting. So make sure it’s really soft.

Beat cream cheese and butter with mixer until fluffy.

Slowly add in the sugar, mixing well. I have added as little as a half cup and up to one full cup. It really depends on your taste.

Mix in about half the lemon zest. Taste. If it doesn’t have as much lemony flavor as you’d like, add a bit of the lemon juice.

Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, frost and top with some of the lemon zest. Enjoy!