It's the 15th of the month! You know what that means?
That's right! It's Martha Stewart Cupcakes time!
Let me just start out with a little disclaimer. These are not pretty. In fact, I only snapped maybe four pictures (two of which are out of focus. sweet.) because I wasn't feeling creative enough to somehow make the beige-ish cupcakes into works of art.
That being said, they are delicious! Really. Very autumn and definitely leaning toward a hint of Christmas. In fact, most years September tends to bring a feeling of dread since sweet summer is ending. BUT these little guys actually made me look forward to the flavors of fall and winter for once. I'm already getting excited about all the pumpkin treats to come! (Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte anyone?)
I was pretty excited to hear that Tracey from Tracey's Culinary Adventures had selected Martha's Zucchini Spice Cupcakes for September's recipe. I've wanted to try baking with zucchini for quite awhile, but never really got around to it. To make the recipe even more ideal, my bi-weekly fruit and veg delivery just happened to have a zucchini in it. Fate.
Since my kitchen seems to be pumping out cupcakes like crazy lately, I decided to try and make these bad boys as healthy and breakfast-y as possible. With that in mind I made the following tweaks:
- No walnuts. This was due to the fact that there were none in the cupboard and I was far too lazy to go buy some.
- No lemon zest. See above.
- Substituted the oil for unsweetened applesauce. goodbye fat!
- My zucchini was yellow. At first I thought "It simply MUST be green." Then I realized that zucchinis come in all shapes, colors, and sizes and who was I to discriminate? :)
- No frosting! Keepin it healthy. Although, I have tried the suggested cream cheese frosting and it is definitely a good one.
Simply put. Give these a try! They disappeared within a day...probably because I kept shoving them toward people loudly boasting of their "low fat, veggie-full, goodness." I do what I can.
This weekend was also spent putting together two bridal shower orders for Sunday. They were pretty straightforward, but it was the first time I was able to work with fondant and I really enjoyed it! Expect to see more fondant decorations in the future...
Here are some pictures for your enjoyment (and to redeem myself from the above snapshot):
Two dozen chocolate-vanilla cupcakes
The bride's name is Molly and her colors are burgundy, eggplant, and ivory!
Little fondant flowers
Bows in one of her colors!
The other order: 3 dozen minis in vanilla-vanilla and chocolate salted caramel
Mmmmm....
With more fondant flowers!
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