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. 
Looks great – I love all the sprinkles! 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever made ice cream with coconut milk. I’ll have to remember to try this next time I want to make ice cream! which is often, but I already have three flavors in my freezer right now haha.
beantownbaker — June 14th, 2013 @ 9:47 am
Wow three flavors in there at once! You should definitely try using coconut milk. It’s very creamy.
i really need to get my ice cream maker base in the freezer 🙂 yum!
beantownbaker — June 14th, 2013 @ 9:47 am
Mine goes right back in the freezer once it gets washed so it’s always at the ready!
I never thought to make ice cream with coconut milk! What an awesome idea!
beantownbaker — June 14th, 2013 @ 11:45 am
It’s pretty much the only way I make ice cream. SO GOOD.
Yummy! What delicious looking ice cream!! I want a bowl and it’s only 6am!
beantownbaker — June 15th, 2013 @ 11:44 am
Ice cream is an acceptable breakfast food 😉
vanilla Beans Are In The Directions But Not The Ingredients…Should They Be Included?
beantownbaker — June 15th, 2013 @ 5:21 pm
Sorry about that. There are no vanilla beans in this ice cream. I have fixed the recipe instructions to reflect that.
fun way to use up leftovers 🙂
This recipe is great! The ice cream looks absolutely delicious 🙂
So excited to try this with coconut milk! It looks super yummy! Pinning! 🙂
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 6:57 am
Hope you enjoy it!
What a fun combo! Now, I need to decide whether to make your sugar cookie or your snickerdoodle ice cream first!
beantownbaker — June 24th, 2013 @ 3:47 pm
Oh – that’s a tough call! They’re both good.
sounds delicious!
I love sugar cookies and putting them in ice cream was a great idea so i just had to include it in my ice cream round up. Happy Fourth of July!
beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
Happy 4th to you too! Thanks for featuring my ice cream in your roundup.