Gingerbread Cupcakes

Table of Contents

1. Gingerbread Cupcakes Ingredients
2. Substitutions and Additions
3. How to Make Gingerbread Cupcakes
4. How to Serve Gingerbread Cupcakes
5. Storage
6. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
7. MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
8. JUMP TO RECIPE

Gingerbread cupcakes are a perfect holiday treat to give the whole family this holiday season. Filled with molasses, ginger, and cinnamon, they’re perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth. The sweet, soft gingerbread cupcakes are topped with a delicious tangy cream cheese frosting that gives them a delicious flavor that will leave you wanting more. 

Are you crazy for gingerbread? For more gingerbread recipes, gingerbread cake, gingerbread fudge, and gingerbread truffles are three more favorites.

Gingerbread Cupcakes Ingredients

You will need:

Cupcakes

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 cup unsulphured molasses
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Optional Garnish

• Holiday sprinkles
• Miniature gingerbread men cookies

Substitutions and Additions

FROSTING: You can substitute our Cool Whip frosting for this recipe. I would suggest the cheesecake-flavored instant pudding as a great flavor profile to go with the gingerbread spices. 

BROWN SUGAR: When making your cupcakes, you can substitute light brown sugar for dark brown if that is what you have on hand. Either will work great. I just do not suggest substituting for the granulated sugar in this recipe. 

SPICES: You can make a large batch of the spice blend and store it in a small container in the pantry to use for other recipes. I like to increase the amounts of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves times four (2 tablespoons cinnamon, 2 tablespoons ground ginger, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cloves) to have a master spice blend ready to use for future recipes.

How to Make Gingerbread Cupcakes

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 24 cupcake liners into 2 standard muffin pans. Set aside.

STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Set your dry ingredients aside.

STEP THREE: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

PRO TIP: Make sure your butter is not too soft or warm. This makes a huge difference in the final outcome of your cupcakes. If it is too warm or soft, you risk your cupcakes sinking in the center once they start to cool.

STEP FOUR: Beat in your egg until fully incorporated. You may need to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl, and the paddle attachment, before proceeding to ensure that all the ingredients are incorporated.

STEP FIVE: While your mixer is on low, slowly add your unsulphured molasses and vanilla extract to the mixer and continue to mix until all your ingredients are fully incorporated. You will need to scrape down the sides of your bowl and paddle attachment again before moving on.

STEP SIX: Next, add the dry ingredients to the batter, a little at a time, allowing the flour to incorporate before adding more while you continue to stir on low. You will want to stop your mixer once all the flour has been incorporated. You do not want to overmix your batter. You will need to scrape down your bowl again at this point.

STEP SEVEN: Lastly, while your mixer is on low speed, you will slowly pour the boiling water into the batter until all the water has been added. You will need to increase your speed to medium-low for 30 to 45 seconds just to make sure that you have a fully incorporated and smooth batter.

PRO TIP: When adding your boiling water, make sure that you do so very slowly and in a continuous stream while your mixer is on low. This helps ensure your batter has the proper consistency and bakes up correctly. I like to use filtered or tap water that I have microwaved, in a microwave-safe spouted measuring cup, for this recipe. Two minutes in the microwave, on high, always works great for me for this recipe.

STEP EIGHT: You will need to remove your paddle attachment from the bowl to scrape down the sides and fold your batter a few times to ensure that all of the batter is evenly combined.

STEP NINE: Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, fill each of the prepared muffin pans no more than ⅔ full. This batter will rise a lot in the oven, so you do not want your cupcakes to overflow in the pan.

STEP TEN: Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

PRO TIP: Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cupcakes at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

STEP ELEVEN: Allow these gingerbread cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely on the counter.

Frosting

STEP TWELVE: While your cupcakes are baking, you can make your frosting by adding the room-temperature cream cheese block and unsalted butter to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

STEP THIRTEEN: Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese and unsalted butter for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

STEP FOURTEEN: Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt to the butter and cream cheese and beat until fully incorporated.

STEP FIFTEEN: Add the sifted powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, to the cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed. Continue to add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until all the powdered sugar has been added and your cream cheese frosting is thick and smooth. You can add your cream cheese frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large decorative tip to pipe out your frosting onto your cupcakes.

PRO TIP: If your frosting is too loose for your preference, you can add additional powdered sugar, starting with a ¼ cup at a time until you reach your desired thickness. You can loosen it up if it is too stiff by adding a little extra heavy cream. Start with just a splash (about 1 teaspoon), then mix it, and if that does not get you to your desired consistency, you can add an additional teaspoon.

STEP SIXTEEN: Frost each cooled cupcake with the cream cheese frosting and garnish with the optional holiday sprinkles and mini gingerbread cookies.

PRO TIP: I like to pipe the frosting onto my cupcakes. Place a large piping tip (I like to use a Wilton 2A tip) into a large piping bag or a heavy-duty zip-top bag with a corner snipped off of it, then transfer the cream cheese frosting into the piping bag. The cream cheese frosting pipes a little easier if you allow it to firm up just a little bit by placing it in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes before decorating your cupcakes. Be sure that your cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them, or your frosting will just melt right off the top of your cupcakes.

How to Serve Gingerbread Cupcakes

These gingerbread holiday cupcakes are the yummiest winter treat! Deliciously spiced, they fit in perfectly with the holiday season. Serve them for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and topped with a drizzle of caramel sauce for an extra decadent indulgence. You can also pair them with a festive beverage like homemade eggnog or hot chocolate.

Storage

ON THE COUNTER: You can bake and cool your gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting up to 1 day ahead of time. You will need to store them in an airtight container until ready to serve.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze the cupcakes unfrosted for up to a month in an airtight container. Make sure to label the container with the date you baked the cupcakes to ensure you use them up while they are the freshest. Defrost and frost when you are ready to enjoy them.

Gingerbread cupcakes are a delicious way to get into the holiday spirit. The holiday season is all about indulging in your favorite treats, and these gingerbread cupcakes should be at the top of that list! As soon as you take a bite of a gingerbread cupcake, you are rewarded with strong hints of ginger, cinnamon, and molasses. The abundance of seasonal flavors in these cupcakes makes them a perfect holiday treat for friends and family. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I freeze these gingerbread cupcakes? 

You can freeze these moist cupcakes for up to one month, but we recommend waiting to add the frosting until you thaw them and are ready to serve.

What is unsulphured molasses? 

Unsulphured molasses is made from ripe sugar cane and does not have any additives. It is generally the kind you will find at the grocery store and is different from blackstrap molasses.

Can I use store-bought frosting? 

If you are in a hurry and looking for a shortcut, store-bought cream cheese frosting would be fine.

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