Zucchini Pistachio Cupcakes – an irresistible spiced dessert with a zingy lime icing and topped with crunchy pistachios. You’ll actually forget you’re eating your veggies too.
There are so many fun things to make with zucchini, due mostly to its versatility and ability to add moisture to lots of baked goods. Think chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini-marinara dogs or zucchini on pizza for some out of the box ideas. And there’s nothing like a sweet loaf of zucchini honey bread for dessert.
Zucchini Pistachio Cupcakes Recipe
Zucchini is a great addition to baking. It adds a wonderful texture and a boost of nutrition. Zucchini is similar to using bananas or applesauce to help improve moisture.
These cupcakes are sweet and extremely tender. The frosting has lime zest and juice, lending a little zing and unique flavor to every bite.
I promise you’re going love these zucchini cupcakes. Wait till you see how easy they are to make, there is no mixer required! And the crunchy pistachios on top are everything!
Ingredients for Zucchini Pistachio Cupcakes
Full recipe and instructions can be found at the bottom of the page.
Pantry Ingredients
- Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic yellow cake mix – you can use other brands, I just prefer this one when using a mix
- ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper and ground cloves – the perfect quad of warming spices, make sure they’re fresh
- vegetable oil – you can use canola oil too
- confectioners’ sugar also known as icing sugar
- pistachio nuts
Fresh Ingredients
- eggs – must be size large
- zucchini – make sure it’s not mushy when you press on the outside
- fresh lime juice and zest – make sure to zest the lime before juicing it
How To Make Zucchini Cupcakes
Step one: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with baking liners.
Step two: In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and cloves. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil and milk. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth, stir in the zucchini.
Step three: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 20-24 minutes. Let cool.
Step four: Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the lime zest and juice and add 1 Tablespoon of water. If the icing is too thick add more water in one teaspoon increments. If the icing is too thin just add more sugar. Cover each cupcake with the glaze and sprinkle with the pistachios.
Do You Peel Zucchini for Cupcakes?
No.
The outer surface of a zucchini is dark green and very tender. This is a great way to use the whole vegetable.
Cut off the ends and grate the entire vegetable using a cheese grater.
What Can I Substitute For Zucchini?
There are many substitutes for zucchini. These include yellow squash, eggplant, and other vegetables. Their taste and texture is similar to zucchini.
I have not tried these as substitutes, but they might work.
This recipe is a great way to help use up a bumper crop of zucchini. The kids will absolutely love to have one of these in their lunchboxes.
Other Zucchini Recipes You Might Enjoy:
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Zucchini Pistachio Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic yellow cake mix
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 large (10 oz) zucchini, shredded
Icing:
- 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- zest and juice of one lime
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted pistachio nuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with baking liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and cloves. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil and milk. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth, stir in the zucchini.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 20-24 minutes. Let cool.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the lime zest and juice and add 1 Tablespoon of water. If the icing is too thick add more water in one teaspoon increments. If the icing is too thin just add more sugar. Cover each cupcake with the glaze and sprinkle with the pistachios.
Nutrition
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