CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH HIDDEN VEGETABLES

Preparation time 15 mins Cooking time 20 mins Makes 18

100g zucchini (about 1 small)

unpeeled, trimmed, chopped 100g carrot (about 1 small)

unpeeled, trimmed, chopped 50g broccoli stalk, roughly chopped 150ml milk

30g baby spinach leaves

½ cup cocoa powder

125g butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

3 free-range eggs

1 cup plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder ½ cup wholegrain rolled oats Fresh berries, to decorate Hundreds & Thousands, to decorate

ICING

½ cup icing sugar mixture 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 Tbsp water

STEP 1 Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Line 18 holes of two 12-hole, 1⁄3 cupcapacity muffin tins with paper cases.

STEP 2 Put zucchini, carrot, broccoli stalk and milk in a blender and blitz until smooth. Add spinach and cocoa and blitz again.

STEP 3 Put butter and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Pour in zucchini mixture and whisk again until smooth. (It’s OK if mixture looks a little split.)

STEP 4 Sift in flour, bicarb and baking powder and stir until smooth, then stir in oats. Pour evenly into prepared holes. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Set aside in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

STEP 5 To make icing, put all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth.

STEP 6 Drizzle cupcakes with icing and top with fresh berries or Hundreds & Thousands.

To see BHG food editor Elle Vernon and chef Martin Boetz make these cupcakes, and for more Cooks Co-op episodes, visit bhg.com.au/cooks