Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Gingerbread is a classic holiday flavor. I actually had never had gingerbread until I met Hubby. I guess it just wasn’t part of my eating background growing up. A few years ago I made some gingerbread cut out cookies that had a lemon cream cheese frosting piped onto them. I was remembering those cookies when I decided to make these cupcakes. I’m entering these cupcakes into Baking Bites Holiday Cupcake Contest (and just barely in time since entries are due by midnight tonight!)
I love these cupcakes because they have very festive sprinkles, (I love sprinkles), festive colors, and festive flavors. For the frosting, I made a lemon cream cheese frosting. Lemon actually pairs really well with gingerbread even though most people gave a weird look when I told them the frosting flavor.
I mentioned the festive colors. Not only are the sprinkles red and green, but the cupcake liners are as well. I love the vibrant colors of these liners and I’m hoping Santa brought me some more, because I’m starting to run low.
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: 24
Ingredients:
For the Gingerbread Cupcakes
1 1/2 c flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 c (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 c sugar
3 Tbsp molasses
4 eggs, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:
For the Gingerbread Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
Sift flour and spices together and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour mixture until just combined.
Fill each muffin tin ~3/4 full. Bake ~25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream cheese and butter until softened. Slowly add the sugar, zest, and juice and beat until creamy, about 3 minutes.
Gingerbread Cupcakes recipe from Martha Stewart
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe adapted from 52 Cupcakes
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Yum. I bet your kitchen smelled amazing while these were baking!
Awesome! These are sooooo something I would love. I’m also totally with you on the whole bar cookie thing. It’s so easy to just do one thing and then lounge until they done.
So many bloggers are making cookie bars and blondies these days. I’ve tried the snickerdoodle blondies, and they are so good!!! YUM! Lovely photos!
We do love Snickerdoodles! I have never made a good blondie and have not made many bar cookes…so it is time to start! Thanks!
~Nancy
We do love Snickerdoodles! I have never made a good blondie and have not made many bar cookes…so it is time to start! Thanks!
~Nancy
mmmm I don’t mind your bar kick one bit! yum!
Yum! What a great idea.
I’ve made been making these for a couple of years. My family and I LOVE them. I was making them so often I pretty much had the recipe memorized! Yours look great! I hope your sister gets a chance to try them sometime.
~ingrid
Btw, anything in the bar form rocks over regular cookies! 🙂
I’m pretty sure I want to leave work immediately and make these!
When I saw these pop up in my google reader yesterday, I made them right away! Mostly because we were snowed in and I had everything on hand. They are so simple, but so wonderful. We loved them! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Glad you like my recipe! 🙂 Gorgeous photos!
I am going to have to try these as I love snickerdoodles and blondies!
Great recipe!
I used it (don’t worry – gave you credit!), and added to it. Check out my More is More Bars (aka Sinckerdoodle Cranberry Chocolate Cheesecake Blondie Bars).
http://eatrunread.blogspot.com/
I made these for my boss’ family (they are having a rough few weeks) and as far as I know they were a hit with the kids! Unfortunately I did not get to try one myself, but they looked delish! Thanks for the recipe!
Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie, so cannot wait to try this recipe!
I made these this weekend and they were so good. So moist and thick and cinnamon sugary!! I posted them on my blog! 🙂
http://ashleyscookingadventures.blogspot.com/2010/03/snickerdoodle-blondies.html
Thanks so much for sharing!
I made these with a slight variation to the size and crust. My roommates and I nearly died when they were in the oven, the smell was incredible. I took a pan to class and they were devoured. I was slightly happy about this because I would have finished them myself!
http://mysceneandherd.blogspot.com/2011/03/snickerdoodle-blondies.html
So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Pinned this. Made it. LOVED it! Recommended it and have shared the recipe to others! Blogged about how great they are: http://spotofteadesigns.com/2014/04/pinned-recipes-tested-with-reviews/
beantownbaker — April 21st, 2014 @ 5:13 pm
So glad you enjoyed them (and pinned them, and blogged about them!)