Get ready for the holiday season with these irresistibly spicy gingerbread cupcakes topped with thick, creamy cream cheese frosting.
Table of Contents
I Love All Things Gingerbread!
I’ve always been a fan of gingerbread cookies, so it should come as no surprise that these Gingerbread Cupcakes are on my list of top desserts to make during the holidays.
Whether baking these for a family gathering or satisfying your seasonal cravings, these holiday cupcakes will surely be a hit.
This easy-to-follow gingerbread cupcakes recipe will fill your home with the warm aroma of gingerbread spices.
When you first bite into one of these cupcakes, you will instantly taste the gingerbread flavoring paired with the sweet and light cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The cupcakes are soft and moist, melting in your mouth with each bite. You can top these cupcakes with festive sprinkle as you see in the picture above, or with fondant gingerbread men like you se pictured below.
What You’ll Love About This Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe:
- Perfect for the holidays: These gingerbread cupcakes scream the holiday season with their festive flavors and creamy frosting.
- Spice-packed: Ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg give these cupcakes a cozy punch of spice in every bite.
- Simple ingredients: Everything you need is easy to find, and most items are already in your pantry.
Ingredients and Estimated Cost
Per Serving Cost: $0.99
Recipe Cost: $23.97
For the Gingerbread Cupcakes:
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour: $1.14
- 3 Tablespoons ground ginger: $2.48
- 2 teaspoons baking soda: $0.38
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon: $0.68
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg: $0.97
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves: $0.98
- ¼ teaspoon salt: $0.01
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter: $1.48
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar: $0.67
- 3 large eggs: $0.57
- 1 ¼ cups molasses (preferably blackstrap molasses): $3.98
- 1 cup hot water: $0
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter: $1.18
- 12 ounces cream cheese: $2.96
- 8 cups powdered sugar: $3.24
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon: $1.81
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: $1.44
NOTE: Recipe prices and the amounts needed are based on grocery store websites. Actual costs may vary depending on your ingredients.
Equipment You’ll Need:
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake liners
- Piping bag
- Wire rack
- Rubber scraper
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
Step-By-Step Instructions
For the Gingerbread Cupcakes:
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to create the flour mixture. Set this aside.
- Cream the Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter and dark brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy—about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the Eggs and Molasses: Add the eggs, one at a time, beating at low speed after each addition. Then, pour in the molasses and mix at low speed until combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed. Slowly pour in the hot water, continuing to mix until the cupcake batter is smooth and combined.
- Fill the Muffin Tins: Fill 2 muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners and use a 4-tablespoon scoop to scoop the batter. Each liner should be about ⅔ full.
- Bake and Cool: Bake the cupcakes in a preheated 350°F oven for 16-18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through for even baking. Test with a toothpick to ensure they are done (it should come out clean). Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the Butter and Cream Cheese: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the Dry Ingredients: Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Pulse on low speed until the powdered sugar is fully incorporated. Then, beat the mixture at medium-high speed for 1 minute until it is creamy.
- Frost the Cupcakes: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Frost each cupcake generously and garnish with festive sprinkles.
Recipe Substitutions
- Molasses: If you can’t find blackstrap molasses, you can substitute regular molasses, though the flavor will be slightly milder.
- Butter: Salted butter can be used in place of unsalted butter. Just reduce the added salt in the recipe.
- Light Brown Sugar: If you’re out of dark brown sugar, light brown sugar can be used as a substitute, though the flavor will be less rich.
Storage Tips
- Room Temperature: Store these gingerbread cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: If you’re not serving them right away, store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 2 months. Just wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
- Thaw: Thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
More Gingerbread Recipes
If you love gingerbread like I do, then you must try these six gingerbread recipes:
- Gingerbread Dip
- Hanging Gingerbread Cookies (perfect for teacher gifts!)
- Gingerbread Waffles
- Gingerbread Oreo Truffles
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Gingerbread Cookies with Orange Glaze
- Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
cupcakes
These spicy, delicious Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting are just the treat for holiday parties, bake sales, and more!
Ingredients
FOR THE GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES:
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons ground ginger (I told you they’re nice and spicy!)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups molasses
- 1 cup hot water heated to 100 degrees F
FOR THE CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 8 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR THE GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES:
- Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners; set aside.
- In a large bowl sift or whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and dark sugar on high speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating slowly after each addition. Pour in the molasses and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed until completely combined. With the mixer still on low speed, slowly pour in the water until combined.
- Use a 4-tablespoon scoop to scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
- Bake the 2 cupcake trays on the same rack for 16-18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Move the pans to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
FOR THE CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- In the bowls of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
- Turn the mixer off and add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla to the bowl and pulse on the lowest speed until the powdered sugar is absorbed into the butter and cream cheese.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
- Frost the cupcakes and garnish with festive sprinkles. Serve.
Notes
Cupcake Tips:
- You can halve this recipe. The only tricky part is the eggs because if you split the recipe, then you’ll have to add 1 ½ eggs. I usually just beat one egg in a small bowl and add half to the mixing bowl. I save the other half to add to my eggs the next morning.
- To get the molasses out of the measuring cup quickly, I spray the measuring cup with a little nonstick cooking spray, and it slides right out.
- In this recipe, you’ll need to scrape down the sides of the bowl quite a bit, so have you rubber scraper handy!
- If you don’t have a four-tablespoon scooper to scoop out the cupcake batter into your muffin tin, you can use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop.
- Allow your cupcakes to cool down completely before icing them. You can put them on a wire rack to speed up the cooling process.
Frosting Tips:
- Use a large cup to add frosting to your piping bag. It’s the best way to avoid making a mess while transferring the frosting to the bag.
- A star tip is great for beginners and can help you create fun designs on your cupcakes.
- If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a Ziploc bag as a replacement, but it may be harder to work with, so do keep that in mind. To do so, cut about 5 millimeters off one of the ends to make a makeshift piping bag.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 323mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 485IU | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1.9mg
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Looking forward to tasting this!
Hi again Jill! So, I’m having a ladies party this weekend (WISH YOU WERE HERE!!!) and I knew right from the start that I was going to make these cupcakes! They are so rich and will taste great for my autumn theme! Thanks for being such a wonderful baker!!!
Cindy,
I’m so glad you liked them so much that you’re trying them for yourself!
Let me know how they turn out and have fun at your party!
-Jillian
Love this idea! Super cute, and love your blog! I’m having a linky party on my blog too! I would love it if you would link up to it! Here is the link http://www.thesouthernproductqueen.com/2011/12/20/linky-party-2/
Your cupcakes are just awesome! Sure wish I had one right now. Have a wonderful week end and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
My favorite treat is anything with peppermint! Or really good German chocolate…yummy
My favorite treat is anything with peppermint! Or really good German chocolate…yummy
I bet those cupcakes look delicious! I love gingerbread! I’d love for you to link your post up at my Friday Favorites party. This week is a special Holly Bloggy Christmas edition!
Oh I saw that book yesterday and so wanted it. I hope I win
looks so yummy! Would love for you to come over and link up to my Tasty Tuesday party! http://nap-timecreations.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-cookies-and-tasty-tuesday.html
santa whiskers
my mother inlaw makes them YUM
dollhousecreation(at)gmail(dot)com
My favorite treat is anything toffee… like toffee with chocolate covered toffee. OH YUM.
Anyone reading this….. I’ve tasted Jill’s gingerbread cupcakes and it was one of those to-die-for moments! So glad you’re sharing the recipe, Jill! One of the best cupcakes of my life!!!
My favorite holiday treat is Chocolate-Covered Cherries. I LOOOOOOOVE them!!!!
These cupcakes are fantastic! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I love all the christmas treats! My favorite is peppermint chocolate bark. Anything with candycanes and white chocolate!
What a fun giveaway!
My favorite holiday treat is my grandmas recipe for carmel drop cookies, yummy!
mindylovesbj@yahoo.com
Great giveaway! Cupcakes looks delicious.
cindyskitchen@yahoo.cm
I love orange creamsicle fudge
Hope to win!