Gingerbread Cupcakes

These moist and fluffy Gingerbread Cupcakes are carefully designed to have beautiful domed tops. My recipe is quick (less than an hour) and includes a cinnamon and brown sugar frosting. Includes a how to video!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Can you think of a more festive and tasty way to welcome December than with soft and fluffy gingerbread cupcakes? These are outrageously moist and tender cupcakes packed full of seasonal spices and flavor. We’ll be topping them with a brown sugar and cinnamon spiced variation of my cream cheese frosting, and it complements the cozy, classic gingerbread flavor so well!

If this gingerbread cupcake recipe looks a bit familiar that’s because this is actually an update of an older recipe. While the original was one I was proud of, over the years I felt I could improve upon it. Some people struggled with cupcakes that dipped in on themselves as they cooled, so I wanted a slightly sturdier cupcake that would yield a domed top and could hold its own under a mountain of frosting. ✅✅

And, speaking of frosting, this recipe really does make a mountain. As written, this recipe will make more than enough to cover every cupcake as is shown in photos. If you don’t like a lot of frosting you can cut the recipe in half (or double the cupcakes!).

What You Need

There are quite a few ingredients in the photos above, so let me highlight some important ones:

• Molasses. This is a critical gingerbread ingredient! Molasses adds sweetness, but also acidity; a humble but distinct bite that will permeate the cupcakes (and your kitchen! Gingerbread cupcakes smell amazing as they bake!). Use an unsulphered molasses and do NOT use blackstrap molasses, which has a bitter flavor.
• Brown sugar. We’ve already spoken about the importance of molasses and the cupcakes contain more than a drizzle in their batter, but we’re going to up the ante a bit by also using dark brown sugar, which is made with more molasses than its light brown and granulated counterparts. For the frosting, we want to keep things from being too rich or too sweet and will use just light brown sugar there.
• Very hot water. Boiling would be even better, just be careful not to splash yourself! We’re adding just a small amount to help bloom the spices and molasses (similar to blooming cocoa powder). This helps infuse a rich, pronounced gingerbread flavor. 
• Sour cream. This is a new favorite cake ingredient of mine, recently debuted in my yellow cake recipe. It makes the crumb soft, moist, and tender (and no, not sour). You could also substitute plain, full-fat Greek yogurt.
• Cream cheese. Use brick-style, full-fat cream cheese in the frosting. Do NOT using the kind sold in tubs (your frosting won’t set up properly if you do).

SAM’S TIP: Your batter will be quite stiff and dry after you add the butter and oil–this is normal. It will start to thin out once you add the molasses (I switch to a mixer for this part, but with a little elbow grease you could make this entirely by hand).

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Gingerbread Cupcakes

1. Combine the dry ingredients and sugar in a large bowl, then stir in the melted butter and oil.
2. Add the molasses and stir in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
3. Carefully stir in the hot water (yes, HOT! This will help bloom the spices and makes for soft, moist cupcakes) before adding the sour cream and stirring until the batter is uniform.
4. Divide the batter into a paper-lined cupcake tin and bake for 18 minutes.

5. Let the cupcakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
7. Gradually add the sugar until the frosting is creamy.
8. Pipe generously over cooled gingerbread cupcakes.

SAM’S TIP: I love using an ice cream scoop to portion the batter into cupcake liners. It makes the process super easy, quick, and clean!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can’t get enough gingerbread? Try my gingerbread cookies or gingerbread cookie bars!

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

Gingerbread Cupcakes

These moist and fluffy gingerbread cupcakes are carefully designed to have beautiful domed tops. My recipe is quick (less than an hour) and includes a cinnamon and brown sugar frosting.

Includes a how to video!

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: cupcakes, Dessert, Dessert, Cupcakes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Total Time: 44 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Calories: 460kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cupcakes

• ▢ 1 ⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ ⅓ cup (78 ml) vegetable or canola oil
• ▢ ⅓ cup (76 g) melted butter
• ▢ ⅓ cup (78 ml) molasses use an “unsulphured” molasses, I like Brer Rabbit and Grandma’s brand
• ▢ 1 egg + 1 large egg yolk room temperature preferred
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) very hot or boiling water
• ▢ ⅓ cup (75 g) sour cream

Frosting (see note)

• ▢ 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese softened
• ▢ ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or substitute 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 3 ½ cups (440 g) powdered sugar
• ▢ Pinch of salt about scant ⅛ teaspoon

Recommended Equipment

• ▢
  Cupcake tin
• ▢
  Mixing bowls
• ▢
  Electric mixer

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

For Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves).
  1 ⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, ¼ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoons salt, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Add melted butter and oil and stir well. Batter may be a bit dry, but make sure all of the flour is moistened.
  ⅓ cup (76 g) melted butter, ⅓ cup (78 ml) vegetable or canola oil
• Add molasses and stir well.
  ⅓ cup (78 ml) molasses
• Stir in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
  1 egg + 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Add hot water and stir again until batter is completely combined, then stir in sour cream until batter is uniform (make sure to scrape sides and bottom of the bowl).
  ¼ cup (60 ml) very hot or boiling water, ⅓ cup (75 g) sour cream
• Divide batter evenly into prepared cupcake pan (filling liners approximately ¾ full) and bake in center rack of 350F (175C) oven for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack and allowing to cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting

• In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract), cinnamon, and salt. Use an electric mixer to stir together until smooth, creamy, and well-combined,
  8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste, Pinch of salt, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• With mixer on low-speed, gradually add powdered sugar until completely incorporated and frosting is smooth and creamy.
  3 ½ cups (440 g) powdered sugar
• Spread or pipe over cooled cupcakes. I like to use an Ateco 848 or Ateco 846 tip. This frosting makes enough to generously cover each cupcake (as shown in the photos).

Notes

Frosting

This recipe makes a generous amount of frosting. It will cover all of your cupcakes generously (as shown in photos) or will modestly cover 24 cupcakes. If you want only a modest amount of frosting, feel free to cut the frosting in half (or double the cupcake recipe!).

Storing

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 48 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Using this recipe for cake

I recommend using my gingerbread cake recipe instead, it is closely related to this one, but designed to be a perfect cake.

Original Recipe

I originally published this recipe in 2016. In 2022, I’ve improved the recipe to be a bit sturdier, softer, and slightly more domed (since some people with the original recipe had mentioned problems with the cupcakes sinking in on themselves). If you’re looking for the original recipe, you can find it here, but note that I am no longer accepting comments on the original recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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