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Courgette Cupcakes – Fluffy Muffins with Courgette or Pumpkin
Here is my recipe for courgette cupcakes.
These delicious cupcakes are made using the giant courgettes that appear in late summer and early autumn.
Later in the season, you can make these delightful little cakes with pumpkin – mild-flavoured Halloween pumpkins are perfect for this recipe.
I prefer light and fluffy cupcakes.
These cupcakes with courgette (or pumpkin) are featherlight.
They are comforting small, spiced cakes.
That remains fresh for days because of the courgette (or pumpkin).
The featherlight muffins are also dairy-free, making them suitable for lactose-intolerant guests.
These are the best courgette or pumpkin cupcakes I have made so far. And they are straightforward to make.
You can go straight to the recipe or read the other sections:
- The Gift That Started It All
- What is a Giant Courgette?
- Alternative to Courgette
- Tips for the Recipe
- Important Notes
- The Recipe: How to Make Courgette or Pumpkin Cupcakes
The Gift That Started It All
My sister and brother-in-law grow courgettes.
The last time we visited them, they gave us a couple of large courgettes.
These courgettes were HUGE.
In late summer, many shops sell very large courgettes; the ones we got were even bigger.
The smallest courgette we received was the equivalent of 4-5 regular-sized courgettes, and the largest was even bigger.
Since giant courgettes have a good shelf life, we still have courgettes in the fridge…
You can use large courgettes in the same way as the smaller courgettes/zucchinis, but giant courgettes have a completely different texture (see What is a Giant Courgette?).
That is why they’ve been used in these cupcakes (several times) – and instead of pumpkin in savoury recipes.
The courgette adds moisture and keeps the cupcakes fresh for longer – it doesn’t make the portion-sized cakes healthy.
If you want healthier muffins, you should take a look at my breakfast muffins, which are less sweet and far more filling – the recipes are in Danish, but I have a Google Translate plugin.
What is a Giant Courgette?
When courgettes grow THIS big, their texture resembles Halloween pumpkins more than the smaller courgettes/zucchinis we can get year-round.
Courgettes/zucchinis (and cucumbers) are summer squash.
They are small, immature pumpkins with thin skins.
Summer squash can be eaten raw with the skin on.
Winter squash, such as Halloween pumpkins, Hokkaido pumpkins, butternut squash, etc., are mature pumpkins with yellow to orange flesh, fibrous seeds, and hard (usually) inedible skin that generally needs to be removed.
These are the pumpkins we typically use cooked in various dishes.
So, it makes sense that giant courgettes, which have been allowed to ripen longer on the plant, are more like winter squash than their unripe relatives.
Even though these giant courgettes resemble pumpkins in texture, they are still very mild in flavour.
This mildness makes them a versatile ingredient that can be used in many pumpkin-based recipes, such as pumpkin soups and cakes, without overpowering the other flavours.
Or where the pumpkin (or courgette) is an ingredient that adds moisture to the dough and extends shelf life, such as in pumpkin buns – both the sweet and savoury ones, made with yeast or baking powder – the recipes are in Danish, but I have a Google Translate plugin.
Alternative to Courgettes
Since you can use oversized courgettes in pumpkin recipes, you can easily substitute courgette with pumpkin.
Large Courgettes are easy to obtain in late summer, and shops begin selling Halloween pumpkins by September.
It’s early to carve your pumpkin lanterns in September if they need to last until 31st October.
So, it’s fortunate that you can eat these giant pumpkins.
A Halloween pumpkin has a lot of flesh, and because of its mild flavour, it’s an ideal substitute for courgette in these cupcakes and other pumpkin recipes.
Recipe Tips
Courgettes, Pumpkins, and Oil
In this recipe, it doesn’t matter whether you use an oversized courgette or a Halloween pumpkin.
Giant courgettes develop a centre like a pumpkin, filled with fibres and large seeds.
So, you should remove the fibres and seeds from the courgette as you would from the pumpkin.
If your courgette is particularly large and tough-skinned, you should peel it – or cut the peel off with a knife – as it can otherwise create an unpleasant texture in your super-soft cupcakes.
The same goes for the pumpkin.
I don’t grate the courgette/pumpkin; I use a mini chopper, which I find much quicker and easier.
You could also use a food processor or a grater instead of a mini chopper.
If you opt for the latter, I recommend grating the courgette finely.
These cupcakes don’t contain dairy products; instead of butter, there is oil.
I use rapeseed oil, but you can use whatever neutral oil you have at home.
Mix the vegetables with the oil and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Eggs, Sugar, etc.
There are eggs in these cupcakes – the egg needs to be whisked with sugar until light and fluffy.
You can use regular white granulated sugar or light cane sugar.
You’ll also add salt and citric acid to the sugar-egg mixture.
Salt and citrus acid must also be dissolved and combined evenly in the batter.
The salt is essential for flavour, and citric acid helps activate the baking soda.
When whisking the eggs with sugar (along with salt and citric acid), it’s crucial to whisk for a sufficient amount of time so that the sugar dissolves – this means whisking for around 4-5 minutes on high speed with a hand mixer.
The mixture might be too small for a stand mixer, but you could try it.
The Dry Ingredients
The flour needs to be well mixed with (sifted) leavening agents, vanilla powder and cake spice mix before folding it into the wet ingredients – here, I use a (silicone) whisk.
(Right now, the cake spice mix recipe is in Danish, but I’ll translate it soon.)
I use regular organic plain flour because the first time I baked these cupcakes, I didn’t even think about using cake flour – and plain flour works perfectly.
The cake spice mix is one of my favourite spices.
I use it for spiced cakes, in pumpkin granola, pumpkin breakfast bars, and pumpkin compote and jams – the recipes are in Danish, so use the Google Translate plugin.
I’ve switched to homemade vanilla powder.
Even though vanilla beans are expensive, making your own vanilla powder is much cheaper than buying it in the stores.
Mixing and Baking
When folding the dry ingredients into the wet ones, ensure you don’t deflate the airy egg mixture – and don’t overmix the batter.
If you mix the flour too much, it will develop gluten strands – great for bread and rolls, but not so great for cakes. (English recipes)
That’s why it’s a good idea to fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a spatula or silicone spoon instead of whisking the batter.
Your batter doesn’t need to be completely smooth – just ensure no big pockets of flour are left.
Since there’s baking powder in the batter, you should bake your courgette cupcakes straight away.
Once you have baked your cupcakes, don’t remove them from the muffin tin.
Let them sit for 20 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack – this is especially important if you’re not using paper liners in your silicone or metal muffin tins.
These cupcakes with courgette (or pumpkin) have a wonderful texture, light and airy.
They will fall apart if they haven’t had time to set.
Thanks to the courgette/pumpkin and oil in the batter, these little spiced cakes stay fresh and delicious for days.
Store them in an airtight container or sealed freezer bag at room temperature.
You can also freeze your cupcakes for later.
Or use them to make rum balls and Danish “træstammer”. (Recipes in Danish)
Be aware
When working with courgettes, cucumbers, or pumpkins, The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration recommends tasting the vegetable first, and discarding it if it tastes bitter.
It’s a good idea to taste both ends of the vegetable.
“If it doesn’t taste mild as usual but bitter or metallic, spit it out and discard the courgette, as it contains a high level of the toxic bitter compound cucurbitacin, which can cause acute illness.”
How to Make Courgette or Pumpkin Cupcakes
Even though I write “courgette” in the recipe, you can easily substitute courgette with pumpkin.
Courgette Cupcakes - Fluffy Muffins with Courgette or Pumpkin
Equipment
- Mini chopper, food processor, or a grater
- Hand mixer with whisk attachments or a stand mixer
- Sieve
- (Silicone) whisk – optional
- Spatula
- Digital kitchen scale
- Bowls (and a mixing jug)
- Measuring spoons
- Digital meat thermometer
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 120 g cleaned giant Courgette or Halloween pumpkin – without seeds and skin
- 140 g vegetable oil
- 200 g sugar
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ¼ tsp citric acid
- 2 eggs M/L (2 eggs approx. 110 g total)
Dry Ingredients
- 190 g plain flour
- 2 tsp cake spice mix
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp (homemade) vanilla powder
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (392°F convection oven).
- Prepare one or more muffin tins with room for 12–24 muffins using paper liners placed in every other cavity. *
- Start by preparing your vegetable and clean it before weighing it. Large, coarse courgettes will have a centre similar to a pumpkin’s, with fibres and large seeds, so you need to remove both the fibres and seeds from courgettes and pumpkins. If it's a very large and coarse courgette (or pumpkin), remove the skin, as it will give your super-soft cupcakes an unpleasant texture.
Preparation
- In a mini chopper, chop the Courgette into coarse pieces. Add the oil and blend until you only have small chunks of Courgette left in the oil mixture. If you don’t have a mini chopper or food processor, use a grater and finely grate your courgette/pumpkin, then mix the oil in afterwards.
- In a bowl, sift the flour, cake spice mix, vanilla powder, baking powder, and baking soda together – use a (silicone) whisk for a uniform flour blend.
- Weigh out the sugar, salt, and citric acid into a mixing jug or bowl. Crack the eggs into a small bowl or cup before adding them to the sugar. Whisk at the highest speed for 4–5 minutes.
- Fold the sugar-egg mixture into the courgette-oil mixture.
- When the mixture is almost homogeneous, add the flour mixture. Fold it gently - you shouldn’t have large pockets of flour, but the batter doesn’t need to be completely smooth.
Baking
- Distribute the batter into your muffin cases. Fill them almost to the top. Depending on the size of your cases, you’ll get around 12 in total. Adjust the baking time if you’re making more or fewer, i.e., larger or smaller cakes.
- Place your muffin cases in the oven at 200°C fan (392°F convection oven) and bake for 5 minutes.Then, reduce the temperature to 175°C fan (347°F convection oven) and bake for approximately 15 minutes, for a total of about 20 minutes.Ovens bake differently, so check your cupcakes before time.When the internal temperature reaches 98°C (209°F), your small cakes are done.
- Place the muffin tin on a wire rack, and let the cupcakes cool for about 20 minutes before removing them from the tin – this is important.Then, let them cool completely on the wire rack.
Storage
- Your cupcakes will stay fresh for several days. Store them in a dry, airtight container with a lid or a sealed freezer bag – I store mine at room temperature.
Notes
If you use US Customary, remember that the recipe is made using Metric and converted via a plugin.
Private notes
I hope you enjoy making these cupcakes as much as I do.
Please comment below if you have questions or want to share your baking experience.
Happy baking!
