Gingerbread Cupcakes

These gingerbread cupcakes are really soft, moist, and full of spice. They have a delicious frosting made of creamy vanilla and gingerbread-flavored cream cheese swirled together. Imagine the taste of tasty, spiced gingerbread cookies, but in a cupcake! I added cute mini gingerbread cookies on top. These cupcakes are ideal for the holidays, especially if you’re a fan of gingerbread!

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup molasses (unsulphured, not blackstrap)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp cardamom (optional)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210g)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Frosting:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 4 oz cream cheese, slightly softened for 20 minutes
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp molasses (unsulphured, not blackstrap)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 12 mini gingerbread men cookies

NSTRUCTIONS

Cupcakes

1. Put muffin liners in a regular-sized muffin tin with 12 holes. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
2. In a big bowl or using a stand mixer, mix together ¼ cup of butter, ¼ cup of vegetable oil, and ⅓ cup of brown sugar. Keep mixing until it becomes creamy, smooth, and light in color.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and two large eggs one at a time. Mix well after each egg and don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl. Also, add ½ cup of molasses and ½ cup of buttermilk, and mix everything together until well combined.
   Add 1 tablespoon of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of cloves, and optionally ¼ teaspoon of cardamom to the batter. Mix everything well.
4. In the same bowl, sift in 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Use a whisk to gently fold until the batter forms, ensuring there are no dry streaks.
5. Fill the muffin liners with the batter, about ¾ of the way up, leaving space for them to rise in the oven.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.
7. Allow the muffins to cool, then remove them from the muffin tin.

Frosting

1. Put ¾ cup of softened unsalted butter into a large bowl or stand mixer. Use a paddle attachment or stand mixer to beat it until it becomes creamy and light in color.
2. Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, and beat well after each addition. Aim for a total of 2-3 cups of powdered sugar.
3. Put in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and beat until everything is well combined. Make sure the frosting is light, fluffy, and holds its shape. Add more powdered sugar if needed for a smoother texture.
4. Set aside half of the frosting in a separate bowl.
5. Into the remaining frosting, add 2 tablespoons of molasses, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of ginger. Beat until the mixture is smooth.
6. For a swirled effect, fill a piping bag with both vanilla and gingerbread frostings, placing them on opposite sides.
7. Pipe swirls of the frosting onto the baked and cooled cupcakes. Press a gingerbread man cookie into the side or top of each cupcake’s frosting.
8. Optionally, sprinkle more cinnamon on top and serve!

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