Challenge Numero Dos! Zucchini Spice!

 

So, first I was in on this challenge...I kept my eye out for the perfect zucchini....Mr.Byte kept an eye out for coupons (as he does so well) for other items like cream cheese, cinnamon that we needed to replenish etc.  We were doing great!  A grocery run and an accidental stumbling upon a great little green market at lunch one day yielded a fully stocked pantry for this challenge.  

Then - Friday at work - a last minute business trip came up that would have me out of town for the week.  so after canceling the dentist appointments and making arrangements I realized...'oh no, MSC is due this week!'  now - as much as I'm a joiner and wouldn't want to disappoint this particular challenge was going to be fulfilling multiple needs...

1.  the need of keeping me a 'baker in good standing' with the rest of the club.

2. a spontaneous 'judges table' has sprung up in the office to judge my cupcakes each month - much to Mr. Bytes dismay, we do NOT keep full batches of cupcakes in the house with me baking each month ! :) 

and 

3.  I was going to be joining the ladies from Cupcakes Take The Cake on Saturday the 19th at a Brooklyn Flea to sell the remaining cupcakes to benefit a Childrens Cancer Charity.  

So it was a triple whammy of disappointment.  With the corners of my mouth turned deeply south, I sent off emails and made calls letting people know that I was going to have to tap out.

 

then - i decided to still make a 1/2 batch so that the zucchini wouldn't go to waste.  That, and it would be a nice little treat to leave poor Mr. Byte who would surely be so sad without me all week! :)

So this morning I hopped to it- attempting to get everything done early in the AM so I had time to pack later in the day and relax.  Well , at least I'd fulfill my clubs requirements now....except.....I forgot to take the pictures of the stages in all the rush.  The above photo marks the point in which i realized I'd forgotten this vital step to blogging baking adventures.  It also serves as proof that yes, i really did make them :)

   

A quick attempt at capturing the 'process'...here is my 3/4 full cups ready for the oven.  This batter is SUPER moist and wet - nothing thick and manageable about it.  aka - be ready to clean up the top of your cupcake pan if you're a lil messy like I am! :)  

Side note - Big Red wasn't even required in this recipe - so if you are sands hand or stand mixer you're all set...just get those shoulder muscles stretched and get the whisk ready to roll!

  

And here we have the final.   And now the fun part, about 5 minutes prior to frosting these moist spicy cakes - I was told I no longer was going to need to go on aforementioned business trip!  Mr. Byte and I did the dance of joy as I really wasn't looking forward to going.  So it was truly perfect timing for a cupcake to celebrate!  Good news is - The judges table will be reviewing these cuppies as promised on Monday.  Bad news - I'll be baking them again later in the week to get enough for the bake sale next Saturday! 

So - I Followed the recipe to a T.  The cream cheese frosting is the perfect blend of tart and sweet and cuts through the spices of the zucchini cake perfectly.  These are very similar to Mr. Bytes #2 favorite pumpkin spice cupcakes (not a Martha recipe).  I have a slight preference for the pumpkin as well as I simply cant refuse that wonderfully flavored  gourde! :) 

here nor there - they were loved in our household as the individuals they are.  I'll post a follow up with comments from the work 'judges table'