Gingerbread cupcakes are made with seasonal spices for the ultimate holiday dessert. Top each cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and serve at your holiday parties!
6tablespoons(85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1cup(226 g or 8 oz package) cream cheese, room temperature
1cup(120 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
½teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1-2teaspoonsmilk, as needed for consistency
Mini gingerbread men or cookies for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and egg on medium-high speed until light brown, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
With the mixer on low, add one third of the flour mixture to the melted butter mixture, then 1/4 cup water. Repeat ending with the flour mixture. Stir just until no flour pockets remain, avoid over-mixing.
Fill prepared muffin tin with batter until each cupcake liner is two-thirds full. Bake for 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
For the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar and cinnamon, then mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. If frosting is not yet a spreadable consistency, add the milk starting with one teaspoon, adding more if necessary.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag with desired tip. Pipe swirls on top of the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or gingerbread cookie decoration.
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cupcakes are good to keep at room temperature for a few hours while serving.Freeze cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before bringing to room temperature and serving.Mini cupcakes: Fill mini muffin tin halfway with batter. Reduce baking time to 10 minutes. Yields approximately 32 mini cupcakes.High altitude adjustments: I have baked these cupcakes at sea level (Connecticut) and tested them at high altitude (Denver, CO). To make at high altitude, add 1 Tablespoon of flour. Reduce baking soda to ¾ teaspoon. Reduce brown sugar by 1 Tablespoon. Add 1 tablespoon of water. Bake at 365 F for 16 minutes.