Spicy gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting is perfect for the holidays – or any other occasion for cupcakes!
My friend Coleen at The Redhead Baker is hosting Cupcake Day today. Several of us participated in this sweet day, and I contributed these gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Since December usually means gingerbread, I thought these would be perfect for Cupcake Day.
The cupcakes had the perfect amount of spices and were slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I recommend baking these for 17 minutes and checking after that because my cupcakes were a little too done for my personal tastes. The cupcakes are then topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting with a hint of cinnamon mixed in. I sprinkled the tops of my cupcakes with additional cinnamon to polish off the look.
Don’t forget to check out the other fabulous cupcakes that these talented bloggers made:
- Hot Cocoa Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes by The Cooking Actress
- Vanilla Candy Cane Cupcakes by Noshing With The Nolands
- Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Nerds Cupcakes by Amy’s Confectionery Adventures
- Vegan Midori Melon Cupcakes by NinjaBaker
- Chocolate Bourbon Cupcakes with Candied Butter Pecan Frosting by From Gate to Plate
- Dark Chocolate Rum Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream by Lemony Thyme
- Gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting by Eva Bakes
- Cranberry Apple Cupcakes by The Pajama Chef
- Almond Joy Cupcakes by Our Eating Habits
- Buttered Rum Cupcakes by Adventures in All Things Food
- Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Cone Head Cupcakes with Ice Cream Frosting by The Spiffy Cookie
- Candied Buddha’s Hand-Eggnog Cupcakes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Almond Joy Cupcakes by Food Lust People Love
- Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting by Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting for 2 by Kate’s Recipe Box
- Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Peppermint Patty Cupcakes by Comfortably Domestic
- Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Biscoff Marshmallow Buttercream by Making Miracles
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting by {i love} my disorganized life
- Lemon Cupcakes by Miss Information
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes by Kosher Kitchen
- Peppermint Cream Cookie Cupcakes by Take a Bite out of Boca
- Cupcake Christmas Wreath by Lick the Spoon
Gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup water divided
Frosting
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 8- ounce package cream cheese softened
- 4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease or fill a standard muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix together butter, sugar, molasses and egg on medium speed. Turn the speed down to low and add 1/4 cup of the water and then the dry ingredients. Repeat.
- Evenly distribute the batter into your prepared muffin pan and bake in your preheated oven for 22-24 minutes (I recommend baking for 17-18 minutes and checking at that point) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting
- In the (clean) bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer down to low and add the powdered sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Then add milk until you achieve your preferred frosting consistency.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and decorate the cupcakes.