Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Submitted by shelle1970
Spiced gingerbread cupcakes topped with tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. The warm spices meet bright citrus in every bite, creating a holiday treat that’s cozy and refreshing at once.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
90 minCOOK
20 minREADY
110 minThese cupcakes pack all the deep, molasses-rich flavor of classic gingerbread with a surprising twist: lemon cream cheese frosting that cuts right through the sweetness.
The batter looks curdled when you add the baking soda mixture to the molasses, but that’s exactly what should happen. It all comes together in the oven.
Chilling the frosting for 30 minutes makes it pipeable and helps it hold its shape on the warm cupcakes.
Pro Tips
- Flat tops are normal: Gingerbread cupcakes bake flat or slightly sunken because of the heavy molasses. This is perfect for frosting, not a mistake.
- Room temperature matters: Make sure your cream cheese and butter are fully softened before beating. Cold cream cheese creates lumpy frosting.
- Zest before juicing: Always grate your lemon zest before cutting and juicing the lemon. It’s nearly impossible to zest a juiced lemon.
- Crystallized ginger punch: Chop the candied ginger finely so you get little bursts of spice in every bite rather than chewy chunks.
Variations
- Skip the lemon and use orange zest and juice for a marmalade-inspired frosting
- Add ½ cup chopped pecans to the batter for crunch
- Top with white chocolate shavings instead of crystallized ginger
Ingredients
Directions
Into a bowl sift together the flour, the ground ginger, the cimmamon, the cloves, the allspice, and the salt.
In another bowl cream ½ stick of the butter, add the granulated sugar, and beat the mixture until it is fluffy.
Beat in the molasses and the egg, beating until the mixture is smooth.
In a measuring cup combine the baking soda with ½ cup boiling water and stir the mixture to dissolve the baking soda.
Stir the mixture into the molasses mixture (the mixture will appear curdled) and stir the molasses mixture into the flour mixture, stirring to combine the ingredients well.
Line twelve ½-cup muffin tins with paper liners and spoon the batter into the liners, filling them halfway.
Bake the cupcakes in the middle of a preheated 350℉ (180℃) oven for 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
(The cupcakes will be flat or slightly indented on top.)
Transfer the cupcakes to a rack and let them cool.
In a bowl cream together the cream cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, add the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla, and beat the mixture until it is fluffy and smooth.
Beat in the zest and the lemon juice and chill the frosting for 30 minutes.
Frost the cupcakes and top each with some ginger.
Makes 12.
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