Gingerbread Cupcakes are a simple homemade spice cake—rich with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves—topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. These festive cupcakes make a cozy dessert for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or any winter gathering.
Holiday spice never goes out of style, so bake a batch of gingerbread cupcakes to enjoy through the season. They bake up moist and tender, with warm spices that fill your kitchen as they rise.
Ingredients
Gingerbread cupcakes come together with common pantry staples. Using both butter and oil yields a tender crumb that stays moist. You will need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Light brown sugar
- Butter
- Oil (canola or vegetable)
- Eggs
- Unsulphured molasses
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk* (If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice into the milk and let sit 5–10 minutes.)
How to Make Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (375°F for high altitude). Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- Cream the brown sugar, softened butter, and oil with a mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the molasses and vanilla.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture (in three additions) and the buttermilk (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined after each addition so the batter stays tender.
- Scoop the batter into lined pans, filling each cup about two-thirds full. A #24 scoop yields evenly sized cupcakes.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes (15 minutes at 375°F for high altitude) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting complements the warm spices without overpowering them. It’s smooth, slightly tangy, and spreads or pipes beautifully.
For best results, beat cold cream cheese until smooth, then add room-temperature butter and blend until silky. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix just until combined. This balance keeps the frosting creamy and not overly sweet.
These are quick, crowd-pleasing cupcakes. I decorated mine with metallic liners for a festive touch and topped each with a gingersnap cookie just before serving. If you add cookies too early, they will soften as they absorb moisture from the frosting.
Keep the options open: frost simply, pipe decorative swirls, or add sprinkles—whatever suits your occasion.
More Gingerbread Recipes
- Molasses Cookie Bars
- Soft-Baked Gingersnap Cookies
- Gingerbread Macarons
- Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
- Gingerbread Softies
FOLLOW for more recipes and baking ideas. Enjoy these cupcakes warm or at room temperature.
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cupcakes:
- 1 2/3 cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (57 g) butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) oil (canola or vegetable)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) unsulphured molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) buttermilk*
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cold
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer
- Cupcake pans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (375°F high altitude). Line pans with paper liners.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- Cream brown sugar, butter, and oil until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in molasses and vanilla.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture (3 additions) and buttermilk (2 additions), starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Scoop batter into prepared pans, filling each cup two-thirds full.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes (15 minutes at 375°F high altitude) until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
- For the frosting: beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add butter and beat until blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature about 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- To make buttermilk: combine 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice and let stand 5–10 minutes.
- If you like a very generous amount of frosting, increase the frosting ingredients by 1.5x. The original frosting yields a generous topping for 12 cupcakes but the batter makes 16.
- If decorating with store-bought gingersnap cookies, add them right before serving to prevent them from softening.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates only.
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Did you make this?
Leave a rating and share your results. Enjoy baking and happy holidays!