Perusing stacks of old cooking magazines, I picked up the July 2006 issue of Gourmet noticing Zucchini Ginger Cupcakes was dog-eared, perfect for Test Kitchen Tuesday. Ginger and orange are well-matched, the zucchini is sure to keep the crumb moist, these are a must-try. My plan is to convert it to a gluten-free recipe I can take to showers or potlucks, so wish me luck!
If you are like me, you have favorite issues of magazines squirreled away somewhere. When Gourmet ceased publishing, I was glad to have my old copies and felt a little less guilty about my messy, piled-up stash. I miss Gourmet landing in my mailbox as it once did. Gourmet.com is still around, but it is not the same as holding a glossy issue in my hands, ogling its contents. Sifting through this issue was like visiting with an old friend. 
I hope you join me in this delicious adventure!
In the next week or so:
1. Make the recipe (posted below)
2. Leave a comment describing your experience, opinion, adjustments, or suggestions. ♥ If you focus on altering it to economize, choose healthier ingredients, make it gluten-free/allergy sensitive, embellish for entertaining, or incorporate into batch/once-a-month cooking, please mention that too.
3. Subscribe to comments so you can see what others have done.
4. If you are especially proud of your creation, send a photo to savoringtoday@comcast.net, or include a link to your site with your comment.
Zucchini Ginger Cupcakes
Source: Gourmet July 2006
Yields: 12
For cupcakes
1/3 cup crystallized ginger (1 3/4 oz) — coarsely chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (2 medium)
3/4 cup mild olive oil
3/4 cup mild honey
2 large eggs — lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
For frosting
8 oz cream cheese — softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
12 paper liners
Bake cupcakes:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups with liners. Pulse crystallized ginger in food processor until finely ground, then add flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, zest, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and pulse until combined.
Whisk together zucchini, oil, honey, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl, then stir in flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely, 1 hour.
Make frosting:
Beat together frosting ingredients with an electric mixer at high-speed until combined well and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Frost tops of cooled cupcakes.
Shared on the following Blog Hops:
Hearth & Soul Hop
What a great idea. I’m sitting this one out. Way too many desserts lately. Although… hmm, maybe I could make it healthier. Great recipe.
Let me know if you do! I have a hard time leaving any recipe alone
One of my friends gave me a subscription to Gourmet the year before it “died,” and I still have all those issues. However (I am so proud of myself for this) I recently went through all my Martha Stewart magazines and tossed them! Not without first ripping out all enticing recipes, though . . . =)
Hi Jenna,
So glad you got to experience it before its end. It is the only magazine I have ever read the letter from the editor, faithfully. Ruth Reichl had a way of connecting with food that made me feel we were sharing a cup of coffee together as she introduced each issue–unpretentious, like food always held a story.
Thanks for stopping by, it was good to find your blog too!
They sounds delish.
Wow, love the ginger in these! Moist, lightly spiced, a real treat!
I wondered if I should post a new recipe with the changes I made to make it gluten-free, but I decided to stay with the program and keep it in the comments. If you think it warrants a new post, just let me know.
Here’s my notes:
Yield is 20 cupcakes, not 12
Ingredients:
1. increased crystallized ginger to 1/2 cup
2. used 2 1/3 cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour (at altitude, baked goods sometimes need a little more flour)
3. 2 teaspoons baking powder (after researching GF recipes, many recommend this amount in quick breads–and it worked!)
4. substituted coconut oil, melted, for olive oil
Directions:
1. chopped the ginger by hand for a course chop (photo above) instead of using a food processor–I wanted distinguished bites of ginger.
2. mixed the flour and dry ingredients together, then incorporated the chopped ginger into the flour before adding the wet ingredients.
Notes:
1. The batter is pretty thin and doesn’t rise much, so fill the paper cups 3/4 full.
2. Next time I will omit the cinnamon and ginger from the frosting because it made it a little gritty and doesn’t need the extra spice anyway.
I made a version that is free of gluten, dairy, egg, soy, corn, & peanut. It is very moist & bakes up like a regular cake. The best part…it was amazing! My husband and I enjoyed it for 3 days for breakfast, snack, & dessert
Here is the link to my modified version:
http://willingcook.com/recipe-zucchini-ginger-cake/
Thank you so much for getting me started on this delicious track!
These look yummy! I’m still getting tons of zucchini from our neighbors too.
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