Orange Cream Cupcakes with Strawberry Vanilla Frosting

gluten-free // yields 14-16 standard cupcakes

cupcakes:

1 cup pure cane sugar

3/4 cup oat flour (gluten-free if needed)

3/4 cup blanched almond flour

3/4 cup sorghum flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons orange zest

1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract (optional)

1/3 cup melted (and lightly cooled) unrefined coconut oil (or other baking oil)

frosting:*Allow cream cheese + butter to come to room temp before making.

8oz cream cheese

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1+ cups powdered sugar

2 cups freeze dried strawberries

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon vanilla beans (scraped from 1-2 pods)

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line muffin tin(s) with liners.

In a large bowl stir together the sugar, three flours, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the orange juice, milk, yogurt, zest, vanilla, and orange extract (if using) until fully combined. Whisk in the melted coconut oil, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk/stir until fully combined and you no longer see dry flour.

Pour batter equally into muffin liners leaving 1/4-inch space from the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes then place on a cooling rack until fully cooled (at least 1 hour). Texture firms as they cool.

While cooling, place freeze-dried strawberries in your food processor. Process until ground into powder (there will be some small strawberry crumbs left). Sift through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving the crumbs to use as sprinkles. Set both aside.

With a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and turn on low (to avoid a sugar dust cloud) working to high until fluffy and smooth. Add in 3/4 cup of the strawberry powder, the vanilla extract, and vanilla beans. Beat until fully combined and smooth. Taste and add more sugar if desired or more strawberry powder for a darker color.

Frost fully cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the strawberry crumbs. Serve.

Notes:

For the best possible texture, do not sub any flours.

To pipe the frosting scoop into a quart-sized bag. Squeeze air out and seal. Cut 1/4-inch from one bottom corner and pipe onto each cupcake. I like to start in the middle and work to the outside in a swirl pattern, then work back to the middle to finish.

Frosting can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge in a sealed container.

Cupcakes should be refrigerated to maintain freshness and taken out 1 hour before serving.

My best guess to make these dairy free (haven’t yet tried): Sub 2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk instead of whole milk and yogurt. Make sure your can of coconut milk has been whisked well before measuring. Sub cashew cream frosting (orange maple – chocolate) instead of cream cheese frosting.

Do not use “dried” strawberries. They must be “freeze-dried.” Freeze-dried raspberries would also work.

Hi and welcome to Cakeday. Doesn’t that sound a million times better than Monday?

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

Me thinks so.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

Now before I go ruining this post with terrible Monday jokes I have to tell you the most important thing about this cake:

This is quite possibly the best recipe I have ever created on the entire blog. I know that is a crazy thing to say but it may just be true. It’s definitely in the top 10 recipes and probably in the top 5 and definitely a contender for #1.

Do you know what this means?

YOU MUST MAKE THIS CAKE. I don’t care if you’re gluten-free or you eat all of the gluten—all of the time. This cake is about to be your best friend. You’re going to start having dreams about it and when zucchini season is over you’re going to cryyyy. But don’t worry because you can always switch up the zucchini for carrots. In fact, this recipe is based off my most recent carrot cake recipe that was adapted from my first carrot cake recipe, both of which I adore.

But this cake WINS.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

And it’s totally going to bathe in cream cheese frosting, because sometimes you just need cream cheese frosting drenched over a cake.

Unless you can’t tolerate dairy. Then you don’t want to do that. But don’t worry, I’ve got you dairy-free peeps covered. Check: options 1 + 2 + 3

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

Also. No mixer required! You’re going to whip this right in your blender. Because it’s easier and creamier and oh my god so good.

I realize I’m slightly excited about this cake, but you will soon see why.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

SEE!!!

photography side note: Do not even ask how I managed to get this photo. You should see the other 40 before this one. The frosting is quite thick and does not easily pour out of the creamer spout, making this pour shot nearly impossible. I used my remote shutter with my tripod set up and had the shutter speed cranked high. I also pre-focused the camera right in the spot I was pouring in hopes it would get a clear shot of the pour. Somehow, 1 out of 40 worked! Just keeping it real.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

The funny thing about photographing cakes is that you basically have to photograph the entire thing and then HOPE it tastes edible [preferably better than edible] so you can post the recipe without having to remake it. I totally lucked out here because this would have been a pain in the buttocks to remake and photograph.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

But holy moly the anticipation before that first bite! I could have died.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

I’m not even going to try and describe the texture to you because I think you can tell from the photos. And it’s got this dense but light thing going on that is confusing and amazing and too hard to describe.

Even more awesome news is that you only need oat flour + almond flour to make this cake! Ahh, simplicity.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

Zucchini baked goods will always hold a special place for me as I’ve explained on the blog before. Every year growing up my mom and I would bake loaf after loaf of zucchini bread as my dad would pull the biggest zucchinis you’ve ever seen from our garden and pile them up on the back step.

By the end of the season our loaves were filled with chocolate chips [because, why not?] which were obviously my favorite. So each year I feel the need to come up with a fun new zucchini baked good and this year I think I’ll stop right here.

Make this if you know what’s good for you.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

Print this!

adapted from: my carrot cake recipe

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

gluten-free, dairy-free option // yields about 12 servings

for the cake:

1 1/3 cup large grated zucchini, use 1-2 small/medium sized zucchinis with skin on[or peel if desired]
2 cups gluten-free oat flour
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons lightly packed muscovado sugar, or brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt, or low-fat
3 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 cup dark chocolate chips

for the frosting:

8oz cream cheese
1/4 cup half + half
1-4 tablespoons 2% milk
4-6 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

*Take out all ingredients about 30 minutes before baking to let come to room temperature. Once the cake is cooling remove the cream cheese from the fridge to soften.*

Preheat your oven to 350* F.

Place your grated zucchini evenly on a kitchen towel with another on top. Press down gently and let the moisture absorb into the towel. Keep covered.

Thoroughly grease your bundt pan [I used a 9 3/4-inch by 3 1/3-inch bundt pan] or 2, 8-inch round pans on all sides with butter or coconut oil. Lightly flour and knock around to fully coat the pan. Flip over and knock on the pan to release excess flour.

In a large bowl stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the milk, yogurt, honey, and vanilla. Whisk in the oil until fully combined. Pour the wet into the dry and whisk until just incorporated [when you no longer see dry flour].

Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Pour into your pan and level. Place in the oven to bake for 42-52 minutes, or until the top is cracked and golden brown and a toothpick comes out nearly clean. You don’t want it gooey but just slightly moist.

Place the pan on a cooling rack for about 20-30 minutes. Carefully slide a thin spatula or butter knife around the center ring and edges. Flip over bracing with your hand and allow to cool fully on the rack.

Once cooled, place all frosting ingredients in your blender [starting with the lesser amount of milk and honey]. Blend until just fully creamy and add more milk for a thinner consistency or honey for sweetness. It will thicken a bit as it sits. Pour over the cake and store any excess covered in the fridge.

Serve cake and store leftovers fully covered in the fridge. Best eaten at room temperature or warmed for a few seconds out of the fridge.

----

Notes: If you can’t find full fat Greek yogurt, low-fat and probably even non-fat will work okay. Plain whole milk yogurt can most likely be used but if it’s runny reduce to 3T.

Dairy-free: Use applesauce instead of yogurt. Use unsweetened almond milk or soymilk in place of 2%. Use one of the frosting recipes here: 1 + 2 + 3

Flours: Sub flours at your own risk. I would not attempt subbing the eggs with flax-eggs.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [only 2 Flours!] | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree

Happy Cakeday, people.

Ashley

I’m on vacation this week so if your comment or email goes unanswered I’ll get to it when I return! Thank you!