Shredded zucchini makes cupcakes moist

(Shredded zucchini adds moisture and richness to these devil's food cupcakes)

July is prime season for zucchini. Visit any farmers market in the Hudson Valley and you will find bushels full of this succulent squash that can be used in a variety of recipes, both sweet and savory.
And if you are a gardener, you probably have more than you know what to do with, as zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. As this point in the season, I am giving them away and using them in many recipes.
There are plenty of ways to use this healthful vegetable, which is about 95 percent water. It’s good sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic and tossed with fresh pasta and herbs or pickled and preserved. Zucchini is cholesterol- and fat-free, low in sodium and high in potassium, manganese and vitamin C. It's also low in calories, so eat all you want.

Shredded zucchini makes a wonderful addition to baked goods, adding moisture and some hidden nutrition. Zucchini bread is perhaps the most familiar of these baked treats, but the addition of dark chocolate can turn a heavenly recipe into a devil’s food temptation.

Leave the guilt behind when making the following recipe for Devil’s Food Zucchini Cupcakes. A hefty cup of zucchini is used along with plain yogurt, which makes the little cakes moist and fluffy. You could also cut back or eliminate the margarine by substituting applesauce.
The cupcakes are delicious plain or with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar on top.

But if you want to throw caution to the wind, slather them with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing.

Devil’s Food Zucchini Cupcakes

1. 8 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine (or softened unsalted butter)
2. 2/3 cup sugar
3. 1 egg
4. 1 cup unbleached white flour
5. 1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 1/3 cup plain yogurt
8. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
9. 1 teaspoon vanilla
10. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
11. 1 cup grated zucchini

• Place the grated zucchini in a bowl and let sit while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
• In a small bowl, stir the baking soda into the yogurt, which will fizz and expand.
• In a separate large bowl or the bowl of a kitchen mixer, cream the soy margarine, or butter, and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla.
• Squeeze the excess water out of the zucchini.
• Mix the flour mixture in thirds into the batter, alternating with the yogurt mixture.
• Fold in the drained grated zucchini.
• Spoon into a 12-count muffin tin that has been lined with paper cupcake holders.
• Bake about 25-30 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.
• Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of a cupcake; if it comes out crumb-free, the cupcakes are done.
• Let cool on a rack before frosting.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

1. 4 ounces unsweetened cholate, melted in the top of a double boiler
2. 4 ounces cream cheese
3. 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
4. 1 tablespoon Earth Balance
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Beat the cream cheese, Earth Balance and melted chocolate together in a mixing bowl. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until thick and creamy (add more confectioner’s sugar if mixture is too thin).