Tuesday, September 15, 2009

MSC- Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

I knew I was going to have a giveaway involving Hello, Cupcake! and I also knew that I needed to make the Zucchini Spice Cupcakes for MSC (Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Club) so I decided to combine the two tasks.
Tracey chose this months selection, and I thought it was delicious. Head over to Tracey's blog, Tracey's Culinary Adventures, to see her beautiful pictures and make sure you take some time to look around- she always has delicious meals and treats to share.

I made half of the recipe for these cupcakes and since I was making sharks out of most of them, I decided not to make the cream cheese frosting and to just sprinkle them with powdered sugar instead. I didn't realize that I didn't have any lemon zest, until I was mixing up the batter, so I used lime and it actually worked really well. I also replaced half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. I used pecans instead of walnuts because I like them better.

These cupcakes smelled fabulous while baking and the whole house was filled with a warm, spice smell. They were nice and moist and the flavors were wonderful. A great way to use up zucchini, if you have some to use or just a nice after school treat or anytime treat, really. Truly delicious.

Make your way over to the MSC Blogroll and I am sure you will see lots of tasty cupcakes with beautifully piped frosting!
And if you don't have a copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, go get one!
Recipe for Zucchini Spice Cupcakes on Erin's Food Files

One Year Ago- His and Her's Nachos and Red Velvet Cupcakes-2 ways

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

These look great. They smelled great when I was making them too. Nice job.

Unknown said...

they look great! i love the cute decorations too!

Faye said...

They look wonderful and I love the sharks:)

Kayte said...

Oh, they do look pretty with the nuts in them...maybe I should sneak some nuts in mine next time (but then I always forget to mark which ones are mine!). Sharks...how cute.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Your shark attack is so cute and I love the look of those zucchini cupcakes. With the powdered sugar they almost convince me that they're muffins. Love your changes.

TeaLady said...

And they smelled so good baking. Love the sharks.

Cup cakes look perfect. Little green bits inside - Yum!

Barbara said...

And people say cupcakes are going out of style. NO WAY. I like pecans better too; not nearly as bitter as walnuts. Think I would have to load it with cream cheese frosting though.

Soy*Baby said...

These were a hit. I'll have to try making them with applesauce. I love the sharks. So creative.

Eliana said...

Your cupcake looks absolutely delicious.

k.a.r.e.n said...

LOVE THE SHARKS! Your cupcakes look great.

Bella Baker said...

I still can't get over those shark attack cupcakes! You are the most amazing person ever!! Who would have thought that zucchini cupcakes were underneath those sharks!!

Megan said...

I really enjoyed these too - and I love the way you decorated them.

jodie said...

Wow, impressive decorating!! I agree, they smelt amazing while baking. Great job!!

Hindy said...

You made sharks out of the cupcakes - I love our bloggers!
Yours have a nice interior colour and texture. I'd like to try these with apple sauce. Good tip!

Alyssa said...

I agree, they smell wonderful while they are baking.

I like your idea of lighting them up with applesauce.. I definitely will try this next time.

Gorgeous photos too!

Chef Jeena said...

Wow lovely decorations Mary Anne, and the muffin looks GORGEOUS!

marae said...

I love the sharkcakes! I made those a year ago for a coworkers' bday, so fun!!! The recipe for the zucchini was not my fave but I managed to eat one anyway, no cupcake left behind!!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! They look really pretty with the powdered sugar!

Monica Lifferth said...

Great job! I love the look of your blog! Very well done. The cupcakes look awesome. I loved that yummy smell too!

Nina said...

That's oh-so-very clever. Two in one! in

Engineer Baker said...

That looks absolutely amazing! I love that she doesn't fool around with the muffin / cupcake thing. Zucchini bread = cake = awesome either way :)

Elizabeth D. said...

I totally agree, they did smell awesome when they baked - they smelled like fall!

The Food Librarian said...

So darn cute! Love the shark!

Cathy said...

Oh, these look so great! I love spice anything, so I really need to make these. I am just loving this MSC book! Your sharks are too cute (scary) - I smile every time I see them!

Unknown said...

Thanks for baking with me this week Mary Ann and for the very kind words! I love that you used these cupcakes as the base for your shark cupcakes :) I bought applesauce to sub in baking recipes and never remember - glad to hear it worked in this one!

Delicious Dishings said...

Gorgeous pictures! I had trouble getting a good inside shot of mine... but I think that's because I made minis.

These are so delicious!

Marie Rayner said...

Those look fabulous Mary Ann! Great pictures!

Katiecakes said...

I love those sharks, so cool!!

Katie xox

Cindy said...

Too cute!! These were a treat to eat--but they would be so much more fun as a shark! Love it.

Unknown said...

Love the shark attack cupcakes! I've wanted to try those since I got the Hello Cupcake book.

betty geek said...

Simply beautiful and fabulous!

I should have used applesauce, great idea!

Thanks for baking along with us this month!

Anonymous said...

Cute sharks! The zucchini cupcakes sound yummy.

Stephanie said...

so who won the prize? I don't see the winners posted? Maybe I didn't look hard enough. thanks for the great blog!