Gingerbread cupcakes are perfect for the Christmas! A moist gingerbread cupcake flavored with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, topped with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. This gingerbread cupcake recipe makes a great holiday dessert.
Ingredients for Gingerbread Cupcakes
Gingerbread Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon + ginger + cloves – This warm spice combination gives these cupcakes the classic gingerbread flavor.
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Sour cream – Room temperature.
- Molasses – For this recipe, I used unsulphured molasses.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great flavor.
- Milk – Room temperature.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature.
- Cream cheese: Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar: Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract adds great flavor.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness.
Additional Ingredients
Tools & Supplies for Making Gingerbread Cupcakes
How to Make the Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside. Cream the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and vegetable oil. Add the egg, sour cream, molasses, and vanilla extract. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the cream cheese frosting: Cream the unsalted butter and cream cheese until light and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on low speed until well combined. Turn the mixer speed to medium-high and whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Frost the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 869 piping tip with the cream cheese frosting. Pipe two dollops of frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with holiday nonpareil sprinkles.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes to learn simple tips and tricks to make the best cupcakes!
- To add a little extra spice, replace the cream cheese frosting with cinnamon cream cheese frosting or cinnamon buttercream frosting. Decorate with gingerbread cookies!
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
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Gingerbread Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tbsp sour cream room temperature
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Additional Ingredients
- 1 tbsp holiday nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the granulated sugar, butter and vegetable oil with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the egg, sour cream, molasses and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Slowly pour in the milk, continuing to mix on low. Add the remaining flour and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add room temperature butter and cream cheese. Whip on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Add in the vanilla extract and salt. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. If you want a light, fluffy frosting, switch to a whisk attachment.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 869 piping tip with the cream cheese frosting. Pipe two large dollops of cream cheese frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle the cupcakes with holiday nonpareil sprinkles.
Notes
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