Gingerbread Cupcakes

A cupcake with a gingerbread man on top.

These fluffy and moist gingerbread cupcakes have a sweet cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Decorate with a gingerbread man cookie, and they are the perfect holiday cupcake!

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 18

Servings cupcakes

Calories 434kcal

Author Nina

Ingredients

Gingerbread cupcake

1½ cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teasoon ground cloves
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup brown sugar packed
2 large eggs
⅓ cup molasses
½ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Gingerbread cookies

12 gingerbread men cookies
2 tablespoons egg whites
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ cup pomegranate seeds optional
12 sprigs rosemary optional

Instructions

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 12 cupcake pan cups with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whish flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix butter and brown sugar together for 3 minutes. Add eggs and mix together. Then add molasses, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix until everything is combined.
Add dry ingredients into the bowl, and mix until everything is just combined. Do not overmix. Divide dough into the prepared 12 cupcake cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool to room temperature before frosting.

Cinnamon Frosting

Add cream cheese and butter to a large bowl. Mix until well combined. Add sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix together.

Royal Icing

If making the gingerbread men cookies, follow this for the royal icing to decorate them.
Add egg whites to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly add powdered sugar until the icing becomes smooth.
Decorate the cookies with the royal icing and aside to let the icing set at room temperature.

To Assemble

Pipe cinnamon frosting onto cooled cupcakes. I used Wilson 1M piping tip. Add decorated gingerbread man on top, if using. Add pomegranate seeds and a rosemary sprig to each cupcake, if using.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Video

Notes

Instead of buttermilk, substitute with 2 ¼ teaspoons of vinegar and ½ cup milk.
Don't overmix the dough. We want a moist and fluffy cupcake.
If you want to use fresh ginger, substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger with ½ teaspoon fresh ginger.
Instead of decorating with gingerbread men cookies, decorate with festive sprinkles, sugared cranberries, or a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Nutrition