Gingerbread Cupcakes with Miracle Frosting

These gingerbread cupcakes are flavored with three kinds of ginger and topped with the most amazing magical frosting ever. Enjoy the deep flavors of gingerbread no matter what time of year it is.

These gingery cupcakes include ground ginger and fresh ginger in the cake, and a crystalized ginger topping. Plus, the frosting is just about the most magical ever.

I was inspired to make these cupcakes from a layer cake my niece brought to Christmas dinner last year. The cake was four layers of gingery and moist deliciousness surrounded by lots and lots of fluffy vanilla frosting.

The cake was amazing. Of all of the desserts everyone brought, this one was the biggest hit (thank goodness I didn't bring dessert or I would have been very pouty). I rarely have seconds for dessert, but this cake totally tempted me.

The gingerbread cake is flavored with a bit of cocoa powder to help deepen the color without adding any chocolate-y flavor. It also helps balance some of the moisture from the molasses in the batter.

Ingredients also include brewed coffee, cinnamon, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. With the exception of the cocoa powder, the recipe is much like these gingerbread baby cakes.

These cupcakes will stay fresh and moist in the refrigerator for days. Just bring them to room temperature about an hour before serving.

And the frosting.... this frosting is pretty miraculous! It actually contains a mixture of cooked flour, sugar, cornstarch, and milk, kind of like a tangzhong for bread. I'm pretty sure the science is pretty much the same.

How to make the cooked frosting:

First, you stir the frosting's dry ingredients together in a sauce pan. Next, you slowly stir in the milk and cook the ingredients over medium heat until the mixture thickens. This can take from 4 to 8 minutes. For me it happened somewhere in between.

Once your mixture thickens, transfer it to a shallow heat proof bowl and let it cool completely.

Once the mixture has cooled, beat some butter until it is light and fluffy, and then beat in the cooked milk, sugar, and flour mixture. This frosting is amazing.

I topped these cupcakes with a sprinkling of chopped crystalized ginger. I love the spiciness of the ginger chips. In fact, I had a hard time not eating them by the handful.

Pro Tips:

This recipe for the cupcake mixture calls for 75 grams of eggs. When it comes to eggs, size really does matter. 75 grams is pretty much the equivalent to 2 small eggs or 1 1/2 large eggs. 

To emulsify the eggs, add a pinch of the salt called for in the recipe and then weigh for the amount of eggs you need. 

Finally, as I constantly preach, get a scale! You'll never go back! (affiliate link). 

Did you know that June 13 is National Cupcake Lover's Day? Valentina of The Baking Fairy has rallied some of my favorite bloggers to share cupcake recipes to celebrate. Last year, I celebrated by making Cookies and Cream Cupcakes. 


I'm excited to see what everyone made.

Cupcakes for Cupcake Lovers Day!

• German Chocolate Cupcakes by The Baking Fairy 
• Buttermilk Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream by One Sweet Appetite 
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes by Daily Dish Recipes 
• Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks 
• Fiori Di Sicilia + Elderflower Cupcakes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Maple Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Date Icing by UpBeet Kitchen 
• Mickey Mouse Sprinkles Cupcakes by For The Love of Food 
• Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes by Join Us, Pull Up A Chair
• Poblano Cornbread Muffins with Goat Cheese Frosting by The Spiffy Cookie 
• Sourdough Strawberry Cupcakes by Our Good Life 
• Vanilla Bean Buttercream Cupcakes by Red Cottage Chronicles

Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe

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Yield: 10 cupcakes

Author: Karen Kerr

These gingerbread cupcakes are flavored with three kinds of ginger and topped with the most amazing magical frosting ever. Enjoy the deep flavors of gingerbread no matter what time of year it is.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes

• 124 grams (7/8 cups) all purpose flour
• 11 grams (1/8 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee
• 127 grams (heaping 1/3 cup) molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 149 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 74 grams (heaping 1/3 cup) vegetable oil
• 75 grams (1 1/2) lightly beaten large eggs
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 

For the Frosting

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

To Make the Cupcakes

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 10 cavities of a muffin tin with paper liners. 
2. Whisk the the flour, cocoa powder, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in a medium bowl. 
3. In another bowl, whisk together the coffee, molasses, and baking soda. 
4. Add the sugar, oil, eggs, and fresh ginger to the coffee mixture and whisk until combined. 
5. Mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until fully combined and the batter is smooth. 
6. Evenly divide the batter among the 10 muffin cups (about 1/4 cup of batter to each muffin cup), about a scant 1/2 inch below the top of the paper liner. 
7. Bake the cupcakes, 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
8. Turn the cupcakes out of the pan and cool on a wire rack. 
9. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle with the candied ginger. 

To Make the Frosting

1. Whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt in a nonstick saucepan. Slowly whisk in the milk until fully incorporated. 
2. Cook the mixture over medium heat, bringing it to a low bowl, whisking constantly. Continue cooking until thickened. 
3. Remove the mixture from the heat and scrape it into a shallow heat proof bowl. Let cool completely. Whip the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on high until light, pale, and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the cooled cooked flour mixture and vanilla until fully incorporated. Increase the speed to high and continue mixing until light and fluffy. 

Calories
372.56

Fat (grams)
20.74

Sat. Fat (grams)
9.23

Carbs (grams)
45.01

Fiber (grams)
0.67

Net carbs
44.34

Sugar (grams)
32.92

Protein (grams)
2.95

Sodium (milligrams)
182.53

Cholesterol (grams)
60.08

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2020/06/gingerbread-cupcakes-with-miracle.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

cupcakes, gingerbread

dessert

American

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This recipe was adapted from Gingerbread Layer Cake from The Perfect Cake from America's Test Kitchen. The book is a compilation of many of their cake and frosting recipes from over the years.

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