Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream {12 Days of Sugar – Day 4}

On the 4th Day of Sugar my true love gave to me Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream. . . These cupcakes are the perfect holiday day treat because gingerbread is such a classic Christmas flavor. These are gingerbread men turned cupcake and they are so, so good.  If you are a fan of gingersnaps, gingerbread or ginger whatever then you will be so in love with these cupcakes.

A moist, tender gingerbread cupcake that is packed with flavor and then topped off with a generous portion of lemon buttercream. . .sound good?  It is, I promise! The combination of the gingerbread and lemon is so perfect.  I think I’m in love.

We are already a third of the way through this sugar overload, are you hanging in there?  I’m not quite in a sugar coma yet, but I think I’m getting close.

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Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

These cupcakes are gingerbread men turned cupcake! Topped with lemon buttercream, they are so, so good.

Author: 5boysbaker.com

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp. butter , softened
• 1 ⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1 ⁄3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 ⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 ⁄2 tsp. ginger
• 1 ⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 ⁄2 cup whole milk or half-n-half
• 1 ⁄3 cup molasses
• Frosting:
• 1 ⁄2 cup butter , softened
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ⁄2 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. half-n-half (milk is fine too)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
2. For cupcakes: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. In a small bowl, stir together milk and molasses. With mixer on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 20 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
4. For frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in lemon zest, juice and half-n-half. Spread frosting generously over cupcakes.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Taste of South Christmas Magazine