Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

5 from 2 votes

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These Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes will blow your minds! Soft, sweet, moist! The Poured Chocolate Frosting will make you want to never pipe frosting onto cupcakes again! This stuff is what dreams are made of. Basically like a cross between my Zucchini Brownies and Chocolate Cupcakes. YUM!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake with Chocolate Icing and Sprinkles

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes |A Chocolate Delight

These chocolate zucchini cupcakes with poured chocolate frosting…Lemme tell you, will change your life. They taste as chocolatey and sweet as they look and are pretty fast to throw together 🙂 Shredding the zucchini a little finer, wringing it out and then stirring it into the cake batter keeps these cupcakes moist while going mostly undetected because of all that cocoa powder. So delicious!

Shredded Zucchini in a bowl

Main Ingredients Needed

Start by gathering up these ingredients to make these incredible Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes:

For the Cupcakes

  • Butter + Vegetable oil – to flavor and moisten.
  • Sugar – to sweeten.
  • Vanilla + Cocoa Powder – two flavoring ingredients. Vanilla is more subtle while the unsweetened cocoa powder makes these cupcakes chocolatey.
  • Egg – used for structure and texture.
  • Sour Cream – for creamy texture.
  • Baking Soda+ Baking Powder – to help the cupcakes rise.
  • Salt – to balance out all the flavors.
  • Flour – this fills out the cupcakes.
  • Zucchini – for its high moisture content. Be sure to wring out with paper towels before adding to the batter.
  • Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – to sweeten and to add more chocolatey goodness.

For the Frosting

  • Butter – for flavor.
  • Chocolate Syrup – for that chocolatey flavor (I used Hershey’s brand).
  • Milk – for a pourable consistency.
  • Vanilla – for flavor.
  • Powdered Sugar – to sweeten and to thicken the frosting.
  • Sprinkles (optional) – add some red and white sprinkles for festive Valentine’s Day cupcakes.

How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes |Directions

For full details on how to make Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Step 1: Preheat Oven + Grate Zucchini

Preheat the oven.

Wash and grate zucchinis. Wring out excess water and set aside. I used my stand mixer and grater attachment, but a manual box grater will do the job as well. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set them aside.

baked Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes in a muffin tin

Step 2: Mix

Add butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, egg, and sour cream in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients. Scrape sides of the bowl and stir again to ensure even mixing. Stir in grated zucchini and chocolate chips.

Step 3: Fill Muffin Tins + Bake

Scoop into lined muffin tins bake until completely cooked.

Step 4: Make Frosting

Once cupcakes come out of the oven, melt butter, chocolate syrup and milk together in a small saucepan. Once butter has melted and mixture has come to a light bubble, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth.

Spoon over warm cupcakes and top with sprinkles if desired. I was a little heavy-handed, but that is not a bad problem to have. #Ilovechocolate

After everything cools, the tops start to harden slightly and they become even more amazing!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting and heart sprinkles

Want More Cupcake Recipes to Try? Check These Out:

Overall, a great treat for Valentine’s Day! 

The printable recipe card is below. Enjoy 🙂

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with sprinkles on a white plate.
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5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Poured Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes will blow your minds! Soft, sweet, and moist this stuff is what dreams are made of. Perfect for Valentine's Day!
servings 18 cupcakes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

for the cupcakes

for the frosting

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup hershey’s chocolate syrup
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • sprinkles optional

Instructions

  • Using a food processor or box grater, grate 1-2 small zucchinis. Wring out excess water and set aside. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
    grated zucchini in bowl
  • Stir butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, egg and sour cream in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients. Scrape sides of bowl and stir again to ensure even mixing. Stir in grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
    chocolate cupcake batter in bowl
  • Scoop into lined muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until completely cooked.
    baked chocolate cupcakes in muffin tin pan
  • Once cupcakes come out of the oven, melt butter, chocolate syrup and milk together in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Once butter has melted and mixture has come to a light bubble, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Spoon over warm cupcakes and top with sprinkles if desired. Serve.
    chocolate cupcake with pouring chocolate over the top

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

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424 Responses
  1. Deb

    I would love to make these cupcakes with this awesome KitchenAid mixer! Besides, it would look great in my kitchen and would get a lot of use. I love to bake!

  2. Katrina L

    Holy Cow those chocolate cupcakes look yummy! I also have grated zucchini in the freezer, so I think I will have to try this recipe out with my new mixer. 😉

  3. Stacey F

    Bread Dough! Lots of it! Cupcakes! Lots of them! And with the attachment, it would make my life so much easier when home cooking for our senior hound dawg! No more chopping and slicing all his veggies by hand every Sunday!!!! 🙂

  4. Tina

    This KitchenAid Mixer/Food Processor is absolutely dreamy! & I can’t wait to try this recipe! Valentine’s Day is close enough…think I will make some tonight.

  5. Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat

    These look amazing! I LOVE zucchini but if you can believe it, I’ve never baked with it! I think I’d make some zucchini loaf of some sort… and probably these cupcakes too! Your photos are beautiful!

  6. Anna

    I would make my favorite soft sugar cookies, followed by more cookies! Then I’d use the food processor attachment and make healthy zucchini bread.

  7. Sandra

    Oh my goodness, these cupcakes would be first! My kids would love to come home from school to these babies, I would earn some major mom points!

  8. Sue

    I would start with the Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake recipe you posted. Then I would move on to shredding anything edible I could get my hands on because the attachment is so darn cool!

  9. Becky Dibling

    I have my all of my mothers old recipes. I have been trying to get by with an old hand mixer so everything comes to mind! These cupcakes look yummy! Cant wait to try therm.

  10. Kimberli Bean

    I would make these cupcakes to start, I haven’t had zucchini in baked goods since I was a kid & my boys never had but they love chocolate, so this recipe is perfect to sneak in those veggies!!

  11. keri @ shaken together

    I’ve got an almost 15 year old (sob!) and there is a birthday cake to be made! A KitchenAid would be the perfect way for both of us to celebrate!!

  12. Gabriela

    I don’t know what I will make , millons of things came to my mind :), but one thing for sure, it is going to look great in my kitchen.XOXO

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