Gingerbread Cupcakes

On the Seventh Day of Christmas The Busty Baker baked for me… Gingerbread Cupcakes!

I love the taste of Gingerbread. I’m sure that’s kind of obvious by now. I just can’t get enough! So when I saw these cupcakes in Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, I knew I had to make them for the holidays. Gingerbread flavored cupcakes topped with little gingerbread men? Not only are they chockfull of gingerbread goodness, but they’re absolutely adorable too!

Martha suggests pairing the cupcakes with simple vanilla buttercream, but that was a little too boring for me. I wanted a bit of flavor, but not too much to compete with all the spices in the gingerbread, so I settled on a light cinnamon buttercream. It’s a lot like the Cinnamon Rum Frosting from my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, but without the rum. With only a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, it’s just the right amount of flavor to highlight the spices in the cupcakes.

With tiny little gingerbread men resting up on top, these are perfectly sweet, adorable treats to serve at the end of any holiday meal, or share with your coworkers. Trust me, they’ll love them! I had to hide one in my locker at work after bringing them in so I had one to taste test!

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Gingerbread Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Makes 22



Cupcakes:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
½ to 2 tablespoons of milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and spices; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the molasses, and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
4. When cupcakes are completely cooled, make frosting: In a medium bowl, sift together sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and salt, and beat until combined. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar mixture, and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add milk as necessary to thin out to desired consistency. (Start small with the milk. You can always add more if you need it. If you do add too much, add in some more confectioners’ sugar until it gets back to the consistency you’re looking for.) Pipe or frost onto cupcakes.

*The recipe for the gingerbread cookie topper can be found here! or printed from here!