Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes w/ Mocha Frosting – Low Carb

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Holy lot of zucchini batman!  It’s been a long and crazy week of zucchini-themed low carb recipes here on IBIH, and I’m wrapping up with a fantastic low carb cupcake made with pureed zucchini and an intensely chocolatey cocoa powder.

Adorning the top is a smooth and rich low carb mocha frosting that is to die for!

In fact I’d gladly eat this frosting as a mousse with a couple of berries for garnish – when you try it you’ll know what I mean!

But let’s talk about the cupcake itself, which is where all that zucchini is hiding.  It’s good.

REALLY. GOOD.  For reals.

Fluffy and super rich, it has everything you want in a great cupcake!  It’s not only tender and *cringes* …moist (ugh I hate that word but it’s the only one that applies here,) it is SO very chocolatey in the best possible way!

A note that as with all chocolate desserts, especially sugar free ones where there is less to hide behind, it’s very important to use a good quality cocoa powder.

I prefer a “dutch processed” cocoa (or a blend of dutch and natural) because it tends not to be bitter – this is the one I used, which you can find in a lot of grocery stores.

I highly recommend it, but if you can’t find it then at least use a cocoa powder labeled “premium” even if it costs a few dollars more than the usual brands.  You won’t regret it!

As in the low carb and gluten free Sun-Dried Tomato and Asiago Zucchini Bread that I posted yesterday, I pureed the zucchini into these muffins which gave it the lovely fluffy texture without chewy shreds of zucchini weighing down the cake.

You can see in the cross section below that it isn’t overly dense, but has a light, cake-like texture.

I could go on and on about how delicious these are – and they are, but after posting four days in a row I’m sick of myself right now.

I’M. BORING. MYSELF.  With myself.  Ugh.

I can’t imagine how you guys must feel, which is why I usually only post 2 or 3 times a week – a schedule I’ll be returning to next week with great relief!

Meanwhile, why are you even STILL HERE?  You should be making these cupcakes already!

Go on – beat it!  SCAT.

Then report back ASAP, because YOUR words are never boring to me!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes w/ Mocha Frosting – Low Carb

★★★★★

4.9 from 8 reviews

These delicious low carb Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Mocha Frosting are rich and fluffy perfection! Gluten free and Keto friendly too!

• Author: Mellissa Sevigny
• Yield: 8 cupcakes 1x
• Category: Low Carb Dessert Recipe
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the cupcakes:

• 6 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup shredded zucchini, packed
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar substitute (I used Swerve)
• 3 Tbsp premium cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp Swerve Confectioners
• 1/4 tsp coffee extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp premium cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F)
2. Combine the wet ingredients (butter, eggs, vanilla extract, almond milk, zucchini) in a magic bullet or blender and blend for 20-30 seconds or until smooth.
3. Combine the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum) in a medium bowl and stir until mixed and there are no lumps.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the liquid is absorbed and a thick batter is formed.
5. Spoon the batter evenly into 8 cupcake liners or greased tins.
6. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 22 minutes. Remove and cool before frosting.

To make the frosting:

1. Combine the softened Mascarpone cheese, sweetener, coffee extract, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and mix gently with a fork until smooth. (Don’t mix too aggressively or your Mascarpone will separate!)
2. In a large bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff.
3. Mix 1/3 of the whipped cream gently into your mascarpone mixture until smooth.
4. Fold (GENTLY) the Mascarpone mixture into the remaining whipped cream until all streaks of white are gone and the mixture is smooth but still fluffy.
5. Spread or pipe onto your cooled cupcakes.
6. Chill to store, but these are best served at room temperature.

Notes

To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for sweeteners, flours, etc. you can check out the IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page!

Approximate nutrition information per serving:

1 cupcake no frosting: 193 calories, 21g fat, 2.7g net carbs, 5g protein

1 cupcake with frosting: 318 calories, 33g fat, 3.5g net carbs, 7g protein

Note: I used organic heavy whipping cream which has no fillers and therefore only trace amounts of carbs. If you use regular, add about .5g net carbs per frosted cupcake.

New to the low carb lifestyle and need some help? Try my FREE 3 day keto kickstart menu plan to get into ketosis fast! Then follow it up with any of my 12 free weekly menu plans – complete with shopping and prep lists!

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