These soft gingerbread cupcakes combine all of the flavors of the holidays in one moist cupcake! Top them with a spiced buttercream for the ultimate holiday treat!
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Let me begin by saying just like with molasses cookies, these gingerbread cupcakes are not super sweet – they’re more spicy, as in they have a lot of flavor and spice combinations.
If you want something that’s sweeter or better for kids, try these hot chocolate cupcakes – they’re cute and delicious!
But if you want something elegant and with a higher flavor profile, these gingerbread cupcakes are for you. Plus, they’re beautiful! Make these and this red velvet cake for the perfect holiday dessert table!
I’m definitely making them next time for my 12 days of Christmas party!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Spicy – you can taste the holiday flavors in these cupcakes, in a good way! They’re not spicy as in hot spicy, they’re just very flavorful.
- Not super sweet – if you like your cupcakes sweet, these aren’t for you. If you like complex flavors, these are for you!
- Moist – these cupcakes are super light and fluffy, especially when topped with the spiced buttercream.
- Easy to make – there’s nothing to making these cupcakes. You just combine ingredients and bake.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Buttermilk – if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can always combine 1 cup milk and 1 TBS of lemon juice and let it sit for 10 minutes to create your own buttermilk.
- Brown sugar – both light or dark brown sugar work in this recipe since it’s not going to really impact the color of the cupcakes at all.
- Butter – make sure that you at least use high-quality butter for the buttercream frosting. And make sure that it’s at room temperature (soft to the touch) before you start making either the cupcakes or the frosting.
- Molasses – I like a good organic molasses like Wholesome molasses, but you can use whatever you have or can get.
- Flour – this recipe works best with all-purpose flour.
- Heavy cream – the cream gives the buttercream a nice smooth texture so don’t substitute it with milk or half and half.
Instructions
First, prepare by preheating the oven to 350°F and lining 14 cups (one 12 cup plus two extras) of a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, baking powder, and salt together then set aside.
Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Next add the eggs, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined with creamed mixture. Then add the molasses and whisk to combine.
Set your mixer on low speed and add half the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until just combine.
Make sure you don’t over mix and that you scrape down the sides of the bowl as it mixes.
Pour batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full to avoid overflow.
Bake for 20 – 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, make the spiced buttercream frosting.
Beat the butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
Next add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and all the spices and mix on low speed until well blended. Then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and blend well.
Now add the vanilla and heavy cream and beat on low until blended, then mix on meduim-high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy.
Once cupcakes have cooled completely, use a cupcake piping tip to frost the cooled cupcakes.
Garnish with sprinkles, gingerbread cookies, or other holiday flavors.
Expert Tips
Store any leftover gingerbread cupcakes in an airtight container for up to five days.
Freeze the cupcakes before frosting them. Place cupcakes in an airtight container then when you’re ready to enjoy, let thaw on the counter until they come back to room temperature.
Garnish with crumbled up gingerbread cookies, mini gingerbread men, iced gingerbread cookies, or holiday sprinkles.
Pipe the frosting with a star tip in a piping bag for a pretty snowflake looking frosting.
Recipe FAQs
More easy Cake Recipes
- Cherry cake – a delicious vanilla cake with cherry filling and a sweet glaze!
- Banana pudding cupcakes – cupcakes filled with banana pudding and topped with a homemade whipped cream frosting!
- Snickers poke cake – chocolate cake topped with caramel, sweetened milk, nuts, and chopped Snickers bars!
- Red velvet cake – a showstoppingly gorgeous cake that’s perfect for the holidays!
- Strawberry poke cake – cake flavored with strawberry simple syrup and topped with fresh strawberries!
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Gingerbread Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup packged brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup molasses
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
Spiced Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 TBS heavy cream
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup muffin tin and 6 cups of another muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, spices, baking powder and salt together then set aside.1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
- In a large mixing bowl using a handheld or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth and creamy.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup packged brown sugar
- Add eggs, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium high until well combined.2 large eggs, 1/4 cup oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add molasses and mix to combine.1/4 cup molasses
- With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients, alternating half dry ingredients, buttermilk and remaining dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.1/2 cup buttermilk
- Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full to avoid overflow.
- Bake for 20 – 22 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Spiced Buttercream
- Beat butter on medium high speed until smooth and creamy.1 cup unsalted butter
- Add half the powdered sugar and spices and beat on low until incorporated. Then add the remaining powdered sugar and beat on low speed until blended.3 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Add vanilla and heavy cream and mix on low until well incorporated, then mix on medium high until light and fluffy.1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 TBS heavy cream
- Frost cooled cupcakes then top with gingerbread cookies or sprinkles as desired.
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