Memories of yesteryears- Chocolate and Zucchini cupcakes

I have grated chocs into the cupcakes... seen here are unbaked cupcakes and "zucchinis"

Piping hot in the oven

Black beauty- they are...

As natural as they are....Chocolate and Zucchini Cupcakes



     I have  always loved these mouth-watering, easy to please Chocolate and Zucchini cupcakes. I stopped baking them after one incident that I wished to forget. But through the persuasian of a favourite student, V- I have managed to bake them -today. Yes, today....Time after time, he kept mentioning these cupcakes, persuading me through out the years to bake these for him and I kept telling him that I would not bake them anymore. Yes, my feelings were mixed when I baked them today, ~ thinking that I am old now. My student was only 14 when he tasted these cupcakes and he kept telling me how he missed these cupcakes. He is now a 17 year old teenager in the brink of adulthood. Frankly speaking, after an incident that I really wanted to forget, I stopped baking cupcakes altogether. I was frustrated and sad as well.. but today, I baked them again.

    Three years ago, when I started this blog, I was experimenting with all types of recipes, and I was concentrating on cupcakes. I just adored the mini-sized cakes, as you should know, cupcakes were all the craze years ago, many home bakers started business and got a lot of profits just by selling cupcakes. I knew one professional turned part time baker  who managed to do brisk business in cupcakes and  at one time, the income from her business surplussed her own salary. Then, the craze for cupcakes died... just like that. It's sad. Now, there are macaroons, whoopie pies and what ever baking creations some other people would like to offer.

     Back to these cupcakes, I did not know how to describe them - in words. I guess,  I might be over react with their flavours, as I have always loved them to bits. You can read my older posts on these cupcakes back in July 2008. At that time, I was inspired by  Heidi of 101 cookbooks. Today, I am going to share this recipe, so that every one would regard zucchini in a higher postion rather than some tasteless vegetables. Here goes;

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

3-4 tbs caster sugar

1 tbs honey

1/4 cup melted butter ( I have used salted)

3/4 cup coconut oil

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

2-3 tbs fresh milk

2 cups grated zucchini

2 cups plain flour

1 cup grated choc/chop chips ( I have grated Hershey's chocolate- did not put in the choc chips)

1  cup cocoa powder ( I have used Hershey's)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp all spice  powder( this- I omitted -forgotten actually)

2 tsp soda bicarbonate

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder( I put 1/2 tsp -missed reading the actual recipe)

How

    In a stainless steel bowl, mix sugar, honey, melted butter and coconut oil. You can use electric    hand mixer. (I did the traditional way.... hand-whisk). Beat in eggs, one by one. Mix well.  Stir in vanilla essence, sour cream, zucchini, grated chocolate and salt. Mix well. Add in milk, followed   by lemon juice. In a separate bowl, sift altogether --soda bicarbonate, flour, cinnamon , all  spice and cocoa powder.  Add in the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix them together.  Preheat oven for 8 mins ( 150C)-- I used conventional electric type oven.  

      Get ready your souffle paper cups. ( I used medium-sized cups). Spoon 3-5 tbs of the batter into    the cups. Make sure they are 3/4 full and there are spaces between the cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes. After 20 mins, they would be ready. Check if they are ready, by inserting  a skewer into the cakes, if the skewer comes out clean, then, your cakes are ready. Do not over  bake them...

Happy baking. May cupcakes rule your heart and brighten up your days...

Chocolate and Zucchini Cupcakes frosted with chocolate ganache

Cropped-up view

Ready to be given to my fav student, V...