Gingerbread houses are an annual Holiday Staple for many families. There is nothing that excites kids more than sitting in front of a carefully constructed fragrant house made out of cookies with a bag of overly sweet icing and bowls full of every type of colorful, sugar packed candy imaginable. But have you had Gingerbread Cupcakes? Gingerbread is a sweet food product flavored with ginger, and uses honey or molasses rather than just sugar. I prefer to use molasses, it’s what gives a good gingerbread recipe it’s deep earthy caramel like tones. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a soft, moist loaf cake to something resembling a ginger cookie.
Walking into a home with the scent of gingerbread baking in the oven just makes you feel right at home. Like you just want to find the closest sofa, take off your bra and snuggle into nostalgic bliss. The warm comforting scent of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice filling the air naturally makes you inhale and exhale much more deeply. You know you can make houses and people out of gingerbread, but to me, that’s kids play. As an adult our tastes become more, well, refined. We crave something, well, more adulty.
As an adult you don’t really want to be caught biting the head off the creatively decorated gingerbread man. Okay, maybe you do sometimes (its okay, I won’t tell). What if I told you there was a way you can still enjoy your gingerbread treats in a mature, sophisticated, adulty way?
Let me introduce you to gingerbread cupcakes. This cupcake recipe not only looks like it would make you want to suck the icing right out of the piping bag, but its one of the moistest spiced cake recipes I’ve made to date. Full of gingerbread flavor dressed with a basic cream cheese frosting.. it’s the thing that adult gingerbread dreams are made of.
You be the judge.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Beat in the milk, molasses, and vanilla on medium speed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice together until combined. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add icing sugar and 1 Tbsp milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and 1 more Tbsp milk if needed to thin out. Beat for 1 minute
- Swirl on the frosting using an icing bag fitted with your desired tip. Sprinkle gingerbread man sprinkles or a pinch of cinnamon to garnish.

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43 Comments
These sound so good. I have never had gingerbread cupcakes. I am sure my family will love these. Thank you so much for sharing
You’re welcome Linda! Enjoy!
Yummy Gingerbread & Cream Cheese together, sounds like a great cupcake!! I want to try because it sounds good and I am curious about using molasses instead of sugar!!
Using Molasses gives a lovely deep rich note to the gingerbread, I’d love to know what you think if you try it!
OMGosh, YUM! The pictures are making my mouth water! And I love gingerbread… I will have to try this on the weekend.
Let me know what you think!
first of all omg do these ever look delicious!! i LOVE gingerbread anything. secondly i had no idea there was little gingerbread sprinkles! how totally adorable.
that looks tasty
These sound delish!! Love the added cream cheese frosting 🙂
This post brings back memories of my grandmother’s gingerbread! I loved it! These look amazing!
What a fabulous Christmas treat?? I never have had gingerbread cupcakes but these look phenomenal with the whipped cream frosting!
The absolute BEST! Gingerbread is kind of my favorite. I love cookies and cupcakes, but that whipped cream looks really nice!
The whipped cream cheese frosting really brings out the gingerbread!
I have to try these Gingerbread Cupcakes. The Cream Cheese Frosting would be amazing with the gingerbread. I am going to save this recipe to try on the weekend.
The cream cheese frosting plays with the gingerbread so well! Happy Baking!
These cupcakes look so delicious. I am excited to try this recipe. Gingerbread is my favorite holiday treat.
There’s just something about Gingerbread and the Holidays that screams comfort and joy!
These are the cutest cupcakes ever! I love the tiny gingerbread men on the cupcake. Adorable.
Thank you Sarah, I couldn’t resist lol Happy Holidays Sugar!
Mmm, those flavors just sound so good. I should really give this recipe a try!
I hope you do, they taste even better than they look!
These look so good!! I love how they look paired with gingerbread cookies, perfect for Christmas.
They’re very tasty Vera, I thought the gingerbread cookies would sweeten the photo lol
I LOVE Gingerbread. Combining with cupcakes? That sounds divine! The sprinkles are so cute.
They are divine, I love the little sprinkles they’re so much fun!
These would be perfect to make for our Christmas Eve gathering with family. I am sure the kids would love to help bake and taste-test!
Kids are the ultimate taste testers for sure!
Give me all the cupcakes! OMG, these sound perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Awww Thank you Robin!
Yum. Gingerbread cupcakes! Sounds so good, and I love the idea of cream cheese frosting. So delicious!
They marry perfectly together 🙂
You better believe I’m making these! Gingerbread is my favorite when this time of year rolls around, and who can deny the awesomeness that is cupcakes?
Hope you enjoy Stacie! I agree.. cupcakes for life!
These look delicious. I love the gingerbread man sprinkles.
Aren’t they the cutest!?
These look absolutely delicious! I am a huge fan of gingerbread so I know I could scarf down a couple of these cupcakes.
Easily. They’re dangerous. Be warned 😉
I saw these on Pinterest and knew I had to make them. They sound absolutely heavenly since the only thing I don’t like about gingerbread is the traditional hard cookie. I love the flavor, so this is a great compromise!
Then yes, you must make them 😉
Hmm. Let’s see… Yep. It’s official. this is the tastiest looking thing I’ve sen all day. Yum!
Woo Hoo! Thank you Jennifer!
OK all I can say is Yum!!!! I’ve never thought about making it as a cupcake and set of a cookie, but I’m telling you right now it’s going to happen.
A pleasantly different way to enjoy gingerbread, I’d love to know how you liked them!