Ready or not Christmas is coming! What better way to welcome the Christmas season than with a batch of these festive Gingerbread Cupcakes.
I’m not sure what the best part about making these Gingerbread Cupcakes were. The amazing aroma that filled my kitchen or the delicious flavor that filled my mouth.
Gingerbread is definitely one scent that will put anyone in the the Christmas spirit. Even the grinchiest grinch might have trouble resisting a little Christmasy smile. One bite and their heart will be flowing with Christmas joy.
These cupcakes were actually made for a friend of mine. She was having a little Christmas party with a group of high school friends and asked if I could bake these for her. I’m so glad that I made extra because we couldn’t resist doing a little lot of taste testing.
This Gingerbread Cupcake Recipe has a similar texture to Red Velvet Cupcakes. Tender, moist and equally as delicious but with warm gingerbread spices instead of the light cocoa flavor of Red Velvet.
When you make a cupcake that’s as delicious as this one it’s equally important to give it a proper topping. The Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting couldn’t have been a more perfect companion. Smooth, creamy and just the right amount of sweetness.
Since these cupcakes were headed to a party I wanted to make sure I dressed them for the occasion. I figured that the perfect outfit would be a little Gingerbread man cookie nestled on top with a little sprig of rosemary. Finally, I finished it off with a little sprinkle of powdered sugar. They were festive, fun and ready to party!
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 3 1/4 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Hot Water
- 1 Tablespoon Baking soda
- 1 Stick Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable oil
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar ,packed
- 1 1/3 Cups Molasses
- 3 Large Eggs ,room temperature
For the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ,8 ounce package Cream Cheese ,softened
- 2 Sticks Unsalted butter ,softened
- 3 Cups Confectioner Sugar ,+ more if frosting is too runny.
- 1/4 Cup Caramel Sauce ,homemade or store bought
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line standard cupcake tin with cupcake liners. I ended up with about 33 cupcakes from this recipe. Set aside
- In a medium bowl combine, flour, baking powder,ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Whisk to mix together and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix hot water and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix, brown sugar, butter and vegetable oil together with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in molasses until well combined.
- Add baking soda/water mixture alternating with dry ingredients until well combined.
- Mix in eggs one at a time until well combined .
- Fill each cupcake liner with about 1/4 cup of the batter. Place in the middle rack of preheated oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes.
For the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add Confectioner sugar a little at a time and beat until well blended.
- Mix in caramel sauce until well combined.
- Top each cooled cupcake with frosting.
- Decorate with a gingerbread man, sprig of rosemary, and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Dust with a sprinkle of confectioner sugar if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Half Bake Harvest.
Spread a little Christmas joy this year with a batch of Gingerbread Cupcakes!
Some of my fondest memories of Christmas are of all the incredible recipes that I knew Mom and Grammy with be whipping up. Create some Christmas memories in your kitchen this holiday!
I am not a big lover of gingerbread but this recipe changed my mind! loved the frosting with the caramel sauce.
They taste great but my cupcakes dropped in the middle and I don’t know why? I made sure to follow the recipe exactly as listed.
I’m sorry that happened to you Pam. I’ve made them several times without that issue. If you are sure that you didn’t forget an ingredient the only other possibility is that maybe they were still not baked through. Cupcakes can definitely cave in if they are under baked. Even if you kept them in your oven for the allotted time.Oven temperatures can sometimes vary. Next time just be sure to insert a toothpick in the center of the cupcake. If they are cooked through the toothpick should come out clean with nothing sticking to it. Another test is to lightly press your finger on the top center of the cupcake. It should spring back when it is cooked, if not place them back in the oven for another minute and retest them again until they are cooked.
I’ve made these twice now. Once in 2019 for a family Christmas/brother’s birthday dessert. I followed the recipe exactly and they were delicious. I made these as well as 2 other flavored cupcakes but these outshone the others by far. So moist and a really great gingerbread flavor. They also look beautiful with the salted caramel drizzle.
I love Gingerbread and these were lighter and fluffier than any I’ve had in cake form before. I made them again for my birthday this year. They’re on my list as a favorite! Thank you!
So glad you found a a new favorite to add to your list, Gina! One of my favorite things about these Gingerbread cupcakes is how light and fluffy they are as well. It makes me want to eat Gingerbread all year long!
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!