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. 
Hm…domes…good for cupcakes, sorta annoying for layer cakes. 🙂
I wonder if you bumped up the baking temperature a bit, if the cupcakes would have a more dramatic rise? Obviously you’d need to reduce the baking time…but you knew that. 😉
It doesn’t look like any of the white cakes I’ve made in cupcake form have had a nicely domed top, but Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake was the most rounded. It’s a great tasting cake too.
Go-tos are ALWAYS good to find. I’m going to have to try these because I am still on the lookout for a go-to white cake. They look awesome!
These look awesome! I understand your desire for that perfect dome, though.
I’m happy to have one for chocolate cake, but I wish I had more go-tos! I think part of my problem is that I rarely repeat things. I just keep trekking down that endless “to bake” list of mine… Haha
Oh my word! You sound like me talking about “go to” recipes. That is my quest in life…well, in baking anyway. AND white cake is one that I have NOT found a “go to” recipe for and believe me, I have been searching for years. Literally. I also came across Bridgette’s blog where she did the white cake comparisons and I forget which one I chose to make, but I did not care for the results at all. Sigh. I was disappointed because I was certain that I would no longer have to search. I’m still at it. I also agree with you on the dome part. I definitely want my cupcakes to have a dome on them and if they don’t, I consider them a failure – no matter how good they taste. I’m kind of obsessed with the whole doming aspect.
Well, it looks like you have possibly found your “go to” white cake recipe. I guess I will keep searching. Your look amazing. Seriously – I feel like reaching through my computer screen and eating that cupcake that you have cut in half. Yummy!
Good post! Thanks for sharing.
These are beautiful! I also like domed cupcakes, but it never works out that way.
This recipe is my go-to for white cake, too!! I’m so happy to see someone else post about it.
I love the crumb on those!
You might try starting your cupcakes at about 25 degrees more than usual, then when they just start to doom, reduce the temp back down. This has worked for me when I have had a flat top type batter.
I have always had a similar problem so I thought i would do some searching and came upon this comment…
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-603740-.html
Give it a try and let us know if it works!
-Vanessa
i found it, this is my go to white cupcake recipe. even tho they dont rise like i would like i have been searching and searching for months for a white base cupcake. i took this recipe and made from it a chai cupcake with cardamom whipped cream frosting. it was amazing!!!! now am trying a peaches and cream cupcake, am a little concerned, it was very wet. we will see may need to cut some of the milk. thanks!!!!!!
i found it, this is my go to white cupcake recipe. even tho they dont rise like i would like i have been searching and searching for months for a white base cupcake. i took this recipe and made from it a chai cupcake with cardamom whipped cream frosting. it was amazing!!!! now am trying a peaches and cream cupcake, am a little concerned, it was very wet. we will see may need to cut some of the milk. thanks!!!!!!
Is this beaten or unbeaten egg whites? Thanks!
where is the recipe for the buttercream?
beantownbaker — March 13th, 2013 @ 8:50 pm
Here is the recipe for the buttercream
Hello. I found your site off pinterest in a continuing search for the perfect white cake. I have possibly a very strange question, and i’m hoping you can help guide me here. I’m doing a birthday cake for my husband and my daughter, and I’m making it a flag inside (red and white layers w/ a blue center circle). my husband loves red velvet, so i’m hoping to do that for the red layers, but i’m having a hard time figuring out the perfect mix of flavors to do the white layers? would this recipe mix well w/ red velvet?
beantownbaker — October 8th, 2013 @ 7:07 pm
I think this recipe would go great with red velvet. I love the idea of a flag cake, although I’ve never made one myself.
My first cake made from scratch and this recipe made it a success. Super happy with the results. Thank you!
beantownbaker — November 11th, 2013 @ 9:09 pm
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Great job in taking on the challenge of making a cake from scratch.
Hi! I found this recipe whilst searching for one to make a purple ombre layer cake for my best friend’s birthday. However, I am from the UK and whilst having US measuring cups, I don’t really know what cake flour is? I’m sorry if this sounds ridiculous but we don’t have it over here! Can I use Plain Flour instead as the recipe includes a raising agent? And is it the cake flour that gives the cake its white colour? Please help! Kindest regards, Naomi x
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:20 pm
The white color of the cake comes from the fact that there are no egg yolks in the recipe. I have never substituted anything for cake flour, but here is what Joy the Baker has to say about it: http://joythebaker.com/2013/12/baking-101-the-best-cake-flour-substitute/
Hi, I’m baking a bday cake for my sis and I’m attempting to make the purple ombré cake too. Will be using the white cake recipe. Just wondering
1. Can I still use the same 24 cupcakes quantity to make 3 layers of 6″ round cakes?
2. Would the cake be still moist if I bake the cake 1 day ahead?
Thank u so much!