Chocolate zucchini cupcakes with marshmallow ghosts

Any cupcake can be topped with a marshmallowy
ghost using 7 minute frosting – an old
recipe made by beating egg whites with sugar
in a double boiler – but we like them atop moist
chocolate zucchini cakes.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1/3 cup (85 ml) butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup (60 ml) canola or other mild vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1 3/4 cups (410 ml) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (185 ml) cocoa
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
1 cup (250 ml) plain yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) grated raw zucchini,
packed (1 small zucchini)
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped walnuts or
chocolate chips (optional)

Marshmallow Frosting:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp light or golden corn syrup or honey
1/3 cup water
2 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla, coconut, maple, mint,
or other flavored extract
chocolate chips, for faces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar on high
speed with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until
thick and pale yellow. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

3.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking
powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture
in three additions, alternating with the yogurt in
two additions. Stir in the zucchini and the nuts and/
or chocolate chips, if you’re using them, and divide
the batter among paper-lined muffin tins, filling them
almost full.

4.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the tops are springy to the
touch. Cool completely before topping with marshmallow
frosting.

5.
To make the frosting, in the top of a double boiler
or in a clean stainless steel bowl set over a pot of
simmering water, combine the sugar, corn syrup,
water, and egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer
on high speed for 7 minutes, or until the frosting
stands in billowy peaks. Remove the bowl from the
pot and beat in the vanilla. Use to frost the cupcakes
immediately, peaking it to take the shape of ghosts.
Press in chocolate chips, flat side out, to make eyes,
and using a paring knife, trim a few into moon shapes
to make mouths.

Makes about 1 ½ dozen cupcakes.

Per cupcake

263 calories, 7.5 g fat
(3 g saturated fat, 3.3 g monounsaturated fat,
1.2 g polyunsaturated fat), 32 mg cholesterol,
47 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 1.6 g fibre.

Originally published in ParentsCanad magazine, October 2013.