Chocolate Zucchini Fudge Cupcakes

I'm about to enter the next phase of my health-kick. Step one was to eat healthier, specifically by eating more whole grains and vegetables. Step two is to limit baking sweets to one day a week, no Oreos, AND workout at least 3 days a week. I'd really like to make that last bit "do a cardio workout at least 3 days a week and do yoga at least twice," but that's pushing it. I did more exercise this past week than I've done the past month (thankfully that's an exaggeration)! I went to tap twice, did yoga 3 times, swam around the pool for awhile one afternoon, went for 1 run, and biked to work 3 days. I'm quite proud of that.

In terms of my baking limitations, I succeeded this week. Last Sunday, I made Rhubarb and Sorrel Scones. On Tuesday evening, I baked, but I made buttermilk oatmeal sandwich bread to use up buttermilk. I don't count that as "baking sweets" because the whole loaf of bread only had 3 tbsp. honey and I used it for sandwiches (ok, and for French toast on C's day off). I made it all the way to this Sunday before I baked again. One of C's favorite doctors is leaving the clinic where he works once a week. He wanted to make her something as a goodbye/thank you gift. She loves chocolate. This inspired me to make chocolate zucchini cupcakes, only to realize that he needed to take at least a dozen/the entire batch. I convinced him to make his own brownies for clinic so that I didn't have to give up all of my delicious cupcakes.

More on the cupcakes! I first made chocolate zucchini cupcakes (or more aptly, chocolate zucchini and carrot cupcakes) while I lived in St. Louis. I can't remember why I made them, but I did and frosted them with a super fudgey chocolate frosting. One of my classmates said they were her favorite chocolate cupcakes. For her birthday, I made another batch and they were equally as delicious. I don't like making the same recipe twice, but when someone requests something, or when I have a recipe someone really likes, I'll make exceptions. Since I'd made this recipe twice already, I knew I wouldn't be satisfied making it again unless I tried to improve it. I spent the afternoon flipping through cooking magazines looking for chocolate recipes and stumbled upon a recipe for chocolate cake with a fudge ripple. Immediately, I knew what I had to do: add a fudge ripple to these already delicious cupcakes. Oh, and add some whole grains.

Objective
Make my usual chocolate zucchini cupcake recipe, but add more chocolate to make it even better.

Materials
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated carrot (or chop finely in a food processor)
1/4 cup half-and-half
4 oz. semi-sweet/bittersweet chocolate

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Transfer to a sifter and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Continuing to mix on medium-low speed, add the egg, then add the vanilla.
4. Sift half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add the yogurt, then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing after each addition until the ingredients are barely homogenous. Stir in the grated zucchini and carrot. Set aside.
5. Place the bittersweet chocolate and the half-and-half in a microwavable container. Stir every 30 seconds and microwave only until the chocolate melts. Note: chocolate chips wont work as well as chocolate. If you only have chocolate chips, it's fine if they are still a tiny bit chunky, as long as they are soft. Fold this mixture into the cupcake batter, trying to leave ribbons of fudge without blending it in completely. (Alternatively, fill the muffin tin then add about 1/2 tbsp. per muffin cup and use a knife to mix it into the batter.)
6. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Divide the cupcake batter evenly between the cups.
7. Bake for about 18 minutes. When done, the tops should spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean (though the fudge ripple might make the toothpick-test a bit challenging). Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen the muffins from the pan by running a plastic knife around the edge. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Results
These cupcakes have a rich chocolatey flavor and aren't too sweet to prevent the chocolate from being the star. The "fudge ripple" adds moisture and eliminates the need for frosting. You can see the zucchini and carrot if you look for them, but you certainly can't taste them. They are very rich, so you'll probably need to wash them down with a glass of milk.

Discussion and Future Directions
This was a huge success. In truth, I was worried about my "fudge ripple" because a lot of it was sitting on top of the cupcakes when I put them into the oven. That made them look a little less than perfect, but it made them taste a lot more perfect. If you're a chocolate lover, I suggest these cupcakes over the Chocolate Zucchini Cake I made last summer. The fudge ripple is really the star. I'm disappointed that I didn't think of this before! I don't think I'll ever put chocolate chips into my chocolate zucchini cupcakes/cake again because the fudge ripple leads to a far better texture. But, if you're looking for a frosted cupcake, these are a little too rich. Chocolate frosting would probably turn them into a new version of "death-by-chocolate." Plus, they're delicious as is, so why add the extra calories? But, just in case you want it, I put the recipe for my fudgey frosting in the supplementary materials.

Next time you have zucchini, carrots, or half-and-half that need to be used up before they go bad, I suggest you make these cupcakes. You could use cream or even try whole milk for the fudge ripple if that's what you have in the fridge. Even if you aren't a cake-lover, you might still like these. If you aren't a chocolate-lover, you will hate them. Really though, zucchini season is quickly approaching. As you're about to start your yearly battle of what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-yet-another-zucchini, I suggest you add this to your arsenal.

Supplementary Materials

Fudgey Chocolate Frosting
(makes enough for a 9x13" cake or 24 cupcakes)
Sift 2 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. cocoa powder into a small bowl and set aside. Add 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. milk and 1 tsp. vanilla to a liquid measuring cup and set aside. Cream 6 tbsp. butter, then alternatively beat in the dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Continue to beat until fluffy.