Gingerbread cupcakes are made with spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, and are typically garnished with cream cheese or buttercream frosting. They can be decorated with candies or sprinkles and are perfect for cooler seasons and holiday parties.
Gingerbread cupcakes are individual cup-shaped cakes that have a rich flavor. Their flavor is similar to gingerbread cookies as many of the same spices such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice are often used. Either cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting is typically used to garnish gingerbread cupcakes.
Some bakers like to add both cinnamon and molasses to frosting or icing to give cupcakes even more of a gingerbread flavor. While buttercream frosting is typically very sweet, the cream cheese variety used on cupcakes may contain lemon or orange juice and added zest to reduce the sweetness for a more refreshing taste. Maple syrup can be added to cream cheese frosting to add richness and sweetness. For chocolate gingerbread cupcakes, cocoa can be added to the buttercream frosting and cupcake batter.
While there are several recipe variations, it is common for gingerbread cupcake directions for the various spices to be mixed with the dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda, and salt. Molasses and vanilla extract are often mixed into a mixture of beaten egg and brown sugar. Portions of the dry ingredients are then mixed into the wet ingredients until everything is well blended. The complete batter is then ready to cook in muffin tins lined with cupcake paper for baking. The spices in the batter can make the gingerbread cupcakes create a delicious aroma in the kitchen as they bake.
After the cupcakes have completely cooled, they can be frosted. Some bakers like to spread on the icing or frosting with a knife before adding candies or sprinkles to decorate the tops. Others like to pour frosting from a cake decorating bag into a tall peak and perhaps add some candy or chopped nuts. Especially if the gingerbread cupcakes are being made for a special occasion such as Christmas, they can be baked but frozen until closer to the occasion. Then the cupcakes can be defrosted, frosted and decorated before serving.
Holiday gingerbread cupcakes are often decorated to fit the season. They can be served at Christmas parties or a festive dinner for dessert. The rich array of spices used in cupcakes make them ideal for cooler rather than hotter seasons. Gingerbread is one of the cupcake flavors that can be especially good with coffee or another hot drink like warm apple cider.
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