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 tasty!
These look like heaven!!!
way to kick pecan pie up a notch! fabulous 🙂
These look absolutely amazing, I can never resist pecan pie
Mal @ The Chic Geek
I actually did make chocolate pecan pie for Thanksgiving… and quite a boozy one too! I think these pecan pie brownies would have gone over well. I’ll keep them in mind for next year!
beantownbaker — December 4th, 2012 @ 10:08 am
Boozy definitely means better in my mind!
These are in the oven now. I can’t wait to try them! Confession – I don’t think I can wait for them to cool overnight before I have a taste.
beantownbaker — December 30th, 2012 @ 11:30 am
Hope you liked them!
What a great recipe, Jen!
Holy yum!
Nice recipe. I love a simple brownie recipe which is easy for the kids 🙂
I also like the below brownie recipe.
http://www.wascene.com/food-drink/perfect-chocolate-brownie-recipe/
Thanks for sharing,
Kelly
those hing look so good before i even try to cook them so awesome baby who ever invented those you are awesome so so good mmmmmmmm………..
I found that baking the brownies for only 10 minutes before adding the rest was not long enough. The pecan pie topping fell right into the brownie batter and 55 minutes later,and what is left on the top is hard as a rock and the brownie still gooey and a little runny. I won’t be able to cut into squares but it still tastes good so I will chop it all together and we can eat with it a spoon and some ice cream.
beantownbaker — December 1st, 2013 @ 6:45 pm
Bummer that they didn’t bake all the way through for you. Although underbaked brownies are one of my favorite desserts ever! Glad you still enjoyed them.