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    Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Fudgy Date Frosting

    Published: Sep 24, 2022 Last Modified: Sep 24, 2022 by Allison

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    Wholesome, decadent-tasting healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes with fudgy date frosting: These are the perfect healthier sweet treat to whip up and enjoy for dessert!

    Remember last Sunday, when I said that I was looking forward to sharing a few new recipes this past week and getting back into my posting groove?

    overhead shot of all the cupcakes on a big white plate on a light pink background

    Me too. Let me tell you, I am still trying to figure out how anyone who works full-time and blogs regularly does it! I am so sorry for the lack of posts this past week and the accompanying radio silence. Between marathon training, work, and trying to make time for family and friends, it’s been tough to muster up the energy at night to edit my growing backlog of food photos and actually write my posts. But believe me, the intention has been there. And I am going to try my very best to get caught back up this week!

    First order of business: this delicious chocolate zucchini cupcake recipe! Do you still have zucchini in your garden or at your farmer’s market? These would be a great way to use up the last of it! And if not, grab a zucchini at the grocery store and give this recipe a try. Trust me, these cupcakes are delicious. Not too sweet, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar, and more wholesome than your average chocolate cupcake thanks to ingredients like eggs, Greek yogurt, light spelt flour, cacao, and, of course, zucchini.

    close up straight on shot of one of the chocolate zucchini cupcakes on a white plate

    why you’ll love these healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes

    They’re:

    • Easy to make
    • Refined sugar-free
    • Moist
    • Oh so chocolatey
    • Kid-friendly
    overhead shot of five cupcakes on a white plate

    ingredients in these wholesome chocolate cupcakes

    For the cupcakes:

    • Eggs (If you don’t eat eggs, you can try flax eggs. To make a flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 2.5 tablespoons of water.)
    • Butter
    • Greek yogurt
    • Maple syrup
    • Coconut sugar
    • Milk or almond milk
    • Vanilla
    • Light spelt flour
    • Baking soda
    • Baking powder
    • Sea salt
    • Cacao or cocoa
    • Chocolate chips
    • Zucchini

    For the chocolate date frosting:

    • Medjool dates
    • Almond butter
    • Cacao powder
    • Sea salt
    • Vanilla extract
    • Almond milk
    angled straight on shot of a chocolate cupcake on a small white plate with icing and colourful sprinkles on top

    step by step instructions

    Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

    In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, yogurt, maple syrup, coconut sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cacao. Mix well until incorporated.

    Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Evenly the batter between the muffin cups.

    Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

    Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

    Next, make the icing: In a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, combine the dates, almond butter, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Process until the dates are broken down into a fine consistency. Add the almond milk and continue to blend until a very smooth consistency is achieved. This will take a couple of minutes.

    Once the cupcakes have cooled fully, frost and top with sprinkles, if desired.

    process shot of the batter in a bowl
    process shot of the batter before the chocolate chips and zucchini are folded in
    process shot of the cupcakes before going into the oven
    process shot of the freshly baked cupcakes still in the pan
    process shot of the freshly baked cupcakes on a wire cooling rack
    straight on shot of one of the cupcakes on a small white plate with other cupcakes in the background

    storage instructions

    Store these cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for three days. They can also be stored in the fridge for a week. I have not tried freezing them yet.

    more cupcake recipes

    • Vegan Banana Spice Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
    • Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (Maple Sweetened)
    • Vegan Maple Vanilla Cupcakes
    straight on shot of a cupcake with a bite taken out of it on a small white plate
    overhead shot of a cupcake with a bite taken out of it on a small white plate

    Finally, I hope that you love these healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes with fudgy date frosting! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below.

    If you enjoy these recipes and want to see more, be sure to subscribe to my email list. You can also follow Up Beet Kitchen on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

    Enjoy!

    Print
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    Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Fudgy Date Frosting


    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Allison
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Wholesome, decadent-tasting healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes with fudgy date frosting: These are the perfect healthier sweet treat to whip up and enjoy for dessert!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the cupcakes:

    • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
    • ⅓ cup salted butter, melted
    • ¾ cup Greek yogurt, at room temperature (use 2% milk fat or higher)
    • ½ cup maple syrup
    • ½ cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
    • ¼ cup milk or almond milk, at room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 cups light spelt flour (spooned and leveled)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
    • ½ cup chocolate chips
    • 1 cup grated zucchini

    fudgy chocolate date icing

    • 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (must be fresh and soft)
    • ⅓ cup almond butter or cashew butter
    • ¼ cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
    2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, yogurt, maple syrup, coconut sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cacao. Mix well until incorporated.
    3. Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Evenly the batter between the muffin cups.
    4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    5. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
    6. Next, make the icing: In a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, combine the dates, almond butter, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Process until the dates are broken down into a fine consistency. Add the almond milk and continue to blend until a very smooth consistency is achieved. This will take a couple of minutes.
    7. Once the cupcakes have cooled fully, frost and top with sprinkles, if desired.

    Notes

    If you can’t find light spelt flour, you may use 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole spelt or whole wheat flour instead.

    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake

    Keywords: healthy chocolate zucchini cupcake recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @upbeet.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #upbeetkitchen

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Shannon

      September 25, 2022 at 8:32 am

      My family loves cupcakes, and these are fabulous! My boys devoured them and asked me to make another batch!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Jackie

      September 25, 2022 at 1:37 pm

      This is a perfect cup cake!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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