Courgette Cupcakes

Packed with hidden veg, fruit and nuts these courgette cupcakes are full of flavour and goodness!

If you have a garden glut of courgettes then this recipe is for you. This year, I’ve been very lucky to enjoy the fruits (and veg) of my neighbours’ labour in their gardens and allotments and have been on the receiving end of a significant amount of courgettes which I still can’t help calling zucchini. Old habits die hard!

It’s not just our neighbours and friends who are sharing their homegrown produce. There’s a real less waste and more sharing vibe in Stamford and you’ll often see a random box of produce outside someone’s home or garden with a sign saying “help yourself” – just like this box of yellow zucchini. I feel so blessed to be part of a big hearted community.

Side note, this pic was actually taken by my friend Caroline – you should totally follow her on the gram for the most beautiful words set to stunning Stamford scenes.

Anyhoo, I was going to make something savoury with my garden bounty but courgette is David’s food nemesis and he won’t eat it if he can see it so I set about hiding it in something sweet-ish. Originally I was thinking of a loaf type situation but then I thought how convenient it would be to bake in individual serves.

I’ve called these cupcakes because I like alliteration but if I’m honest, they’re neither cupcake nor a muffin. They have the texture of a baked loaf (think banana bread) very dense, very moist and packed full of flavour. I love the contrasting textures of the juicy sultanas and crunchy walnuts and the cinnamon and nutmeg add just the right amount of spice. And just like a loaf, these muffins go great with a generous slathering of butter.

Considering the relatively large amount of courgette and small amount of sugar used in this recipe, in my opinion, this makes these cupcakes almost a health food. As if that’s not enough to sell them, they’re also really freezer friendly making them a cracking chice for a lunchbox, teatime treat and my personal favourite, breakfast on the go.

You can use either green or yellow courgettes in this recipe – just remember to squeeze all the excess moisture out of the courgettes for best results. My green fingered neighbour tells me that the only difference between the coloured courgettes is that the yellow ones are apparently sweeter. So there you go!

Have you ever used yellow courgette? What’s your food nemesis?

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

350g courgette, grated

300g plain flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil

80g soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons milk

140g sultanas

80g chopped walnuts

How to – Traditional

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Grate the courgettes, transfer to a sieve and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.
3. Place the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix to combine. Stir through the grated courgette.
4. In another bowl, place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, bicarb, baking powder and add a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
6. If the mixture is very thick add 2-3 tablespoons of milk and mix.
7. Fold through the sultanas and walnuts.
8. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool and then enjoy with a generous smear of butter if you like!

How to – Thermomix

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Place flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and bicarb in TM bowl with a pinch of salt. Mix for 5 seconds on speed 5 and set aside in a medium bowl.
3. Grate the courgette for 3-4 seconds on speed 5, transfer to the rice basket and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.
4. You don’t need to wash the bowl. Add eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla to TM bowl. Mix for 10 seconds on speed 5.
5. Add the flour mix to the TM bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk and mix for 5-10 seconds on speed 5 until mixed well.
6. Add the grated zucchini, sultanas and walnuts and mix for 10 seconds on reverse speed 4 or until just combined. If necessary, stir through with the spatula to ensure that it’s mixed well.
7. Use an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool and then enjoy with a generous smear of butter if you like!