These gingerbread cupcakes are soft, moist, spiced, and frosted with a creamy vanilla and gingerbread cream cheese frosting swirl. They taste exactly like flavorful, spiced gingerbread cookies but in cupcake form! I topped them with mini gingerbread cookies. They’re the perfect cupcake for the holidays and if you love gingerbread!
These gingerbread cinnamon rolls and soft gingerbread cookies are fit for anyone who loves gingerbread.
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🧁 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Frosting: Swirled vanilla and gingerbread cream cheese frosting brings these cupcakes to a whole new level!
- Gingerbread: They have similar ingredients to gingerbread cookies to give them the same spiced, molasses flavor.
- Soft & moist: The cupcake texture is soft, moist and fluffy thanks to a combination of butter and oil.
📝 Key ingredients
These cupcakes are made from two components: a gingerbread cupcake batter and a gingerbread cream cheese frosting swirl.
If you want to top them off with homemade gingerbread cookies, use my soft gingerbread cookie recipe. Or decorate with pre-made gingerbread cookies.
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Cupcake batter ingredients
- Molasses: You're looking for an unsulphured, baking molasses. Medium or dark will both work great. You do not want to use blackstrap molasses because it's too bitter and not sweet enough. Use leftover molasses to make these gooey gingerbread cinnamon rolls or gingerbread cookies.
- Oil & butter: Vegetable oil keeps the cupcakes soft and moist for days, while butter adds loads of flavor. You can use your favorite neutral tasting oil. I used grapeseed oil.
- Buttermilk: Store-bought buttermilk will give the best results.
- All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom: These spices give the cupcakes that perfect gingerbread flavor. The cardamom is optional but it really adds to the flavor.
Gingerbread frosting ingredients
- Butter: softened unsalted butter will make mixing so much easier.
- Cream cheese: full fat brick style cream cheese is the key to a stable cream cheese frosting that won't be soupy.
✔️ Ingredient substitutions
- Gluten free: substitute all purpose flour with 1:1 gluten free flour.
- Cloves: substitute with allspice which has a very similar flavor profile
- No cream cheese: substitute cream cheese with the same amount of butter (half a cup)
👩🍳 How to make gingerbread cupcakes
The process consists of two steps: making the cupcake batter and making the gingerbread frosting + decorating.
I used this soft gingerbread cookie recipe and a mini gingerbread man cookie cutter to make the decorations on top.
Cupcakes step by step
Prep: Add muffin liners into a 12 hole regular sized muffin tin. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C).
Step 1: In a large bowl or standmixer, combine butter, oil, and sugar. Beat until creamy, smooth, and lightened in color.
Step 2: Add vanilla extract and eggs, one by one, beating well and scraping the bowl in between.
Step 3: Add molasses and buttermilk, mixing well to combine. Add spices to the batter and mix well.
Step 4: Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda right into the same bowl. I use a metal sieve.
Step 5: Fold with a whisk just until a batter forms with no more dry streaks.
Step 6: Fill the muffin liners with batter ¾ of the way up, leaving room for them to rise in the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.
Let cool and remove from the muffin tin.
Pro Cupcake Tips:
- Have all the ingredients at room temperature so they combine easily and form a smooth batter.
- Measure the flour with a scale for best results.
- If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Cupcakes are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (with a few crumbs attached).
Frosting step by step
Step 1: Add softened butter into a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat with a paddle attachment or stand mixer until creamy and lightened in color.
Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating well to combine.
Step 2: Add softened cream cheese and beat well to combine. Add vanilla, beat well, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. The frosting should be light, fluffy, and hold its shape well. Add more icing sugar for more body and to smooth it out if needed.
Set half the frosting aside in a separate bowl.
Step 3: Add molasses, cinnamon, and ginger into the rest of the frosting. Beat together until smooth.
Step 4: Fill a piping bag fitted with a piping tip by adding vanilla frosting on one side and gingerbread frosting on the other side. This will create a swirled frosting effect.
Step 5: Pipe swirls of frosting on top of the baked and cooled cupcakes. Squish a gingerbread man into the side or top of each cupcake’s frosting. Sprinkle with more cinnamon (optional), and serve!
Tip: The more you beat the frosting, the lighter and fluffier it will become. If the frosting is grainy, add some more powdered sugar to help it come together.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
The frosted cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese in the frosting. Use a cupcake carrier to keep them fresh in the fridge without smashing the frosting! Store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The cupcakes are best eaten at room temperature to let the frosting soften and become soft and fluffy. Let them sit out for 20-30 minutes at room temperature to soften.
You can make ahead the cupcake batter and bake the cupcakes one or two days ahead of baking! Store the unfrosted baked cupcakes in a bag or airtight container at room temperature.
I recommend making the frosting the same day you frost the cupcakes. That way you get the perfect texture and consistency, making the perfect frosting swirls.
❔ Why does the cupcake batter have butter and oil?
The combination of both butter and oil gives these cupcakes the best flavor and texture.
Butter gives cakes a rich buttery flavor but oil gives them a texture that stays soft and moist for days.
And if you combine butter and oil in a cake, you get the best of both worlds! A beautiful flavor and a lovely soft, moist, fluffy texture.
I use a combination of butter and oil in this black velvet cake and in these maple bacon cupcakes too.
📖 Recipe FAQ
If the frosting turns out too soft and doesn't hold its shape, pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up. Beat it again. If it's still too thin, add more powdered sugar - gradually - until it becomes as thick as you need it.
You're looking for an unsulphured, baking molasses. Medium or dark will both work great. You do not want to use blackstrap molasses because it's too bitter and not sweet enough.
🎄 Related holiday recipes
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📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup molasses unsulphured, and not blackstrap
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom optional
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour 210 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Frosting
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 oz cream cheese slightly softened for 20 minutes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons molasses unsulphured, and not blackstrap
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 12 mini gingerbread men cookies
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Add muffin liners into a 12 hole regular sized muffin tin. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C).
- In a large bowl or standmixer, combine butter, oil, and sugar. Beat until creamy, smooth, and lightened in color.¼ cup butter, ¼ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup brown sugar
- Add vanilla extract and eggs, one by one, beating well and scraping the bowl in between. Add molasses and buttermilk, mixing well to combine.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, ½ cup molasses, ½ cup buttermilk
- Add ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom (optional) to the batter and mix well.1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda right into the same bowl. Fold with a whisk just until a batter forms with no more dry streaks.1 ¾ cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Fill the muffin liners with batter ¾ of the way up, leaving room for them to rise in the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Let cool and remove from the muffin tin.
Frosting
- Add softened butter into a large bowl or standmixer. Beat with a paddle attachment or stand mixer until creamy and lightened in color.¾ cup unsalted butter
- Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating well to combine.2-3 cups powdered sugar
- Add softened cream cheese and beat well to combine. Add vanilla, beat well, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. The frosting should be light, fluffy, and hold its shape well. Add more icing sugar for more body and to smooth it out if needed.4 oz cream cheese, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Set half the frosting aside in a separate bowl.
- Add molasses, cinnamon, and ginger into the rest of the frosting. Beat together until smooth.2 tablespoons molasses, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a piping tip by adding vanilla frosting on one side and gingerbread frosting on the other side. This will create a swirled frosting effect.
- Pipe swirls of frosting on top of the baked and cooled cupcakes. Squish a gingerbread man into the side or top of each cupcake’s frosting. Sprinkle with more cinnamon (optional), and serve!12 mini gingerbread men cookies
Notes
- Have all the ingredients at room temperature so they combine easily and form a smooth batter.
- Measure the flour with a scale for best results.
- If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Cupcakes are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (with a few crumbs attached).
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!