Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread Cupcakes
with (stabilized) Whipped Cream Frosting

I was instructed to make something with spices from "the Spice Islands," so I decided on this Gingerbread Cupcake recipe. It contains cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. I am not sure if ginger is a "spice island spice" or not, but the other two certainly are. Anyway, I chose to top them with a whipped cream frosting. Using a stabilized recipe allowed me to pipe it. Part of what "stabilizes" the frosting is cream cheese, which also added a flavor that complimented the gingerbread nicely!

<My adorable apron just waiting for me to start baking...








Gingerbread Cupcakes
{This recipe is from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella}

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup light molasses
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, molasses, and lemon zest to creamed mixture. Beat well. 
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
4. Add portions of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with portions of the sour cream, until they are completely integrated, about 30 seconds. 
5. Fill the cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.  

Whipped Cream Frosting
{from The Baker Box}

Ingredients:

• 1 block 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar- NOT powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

In your mixing bowl, with the whisk attachment, whip together the cream cheese and the sugar until nice and soft. Add flavorings and slowly poor in whipping cream. Whip for a few minutes until nice and stiff. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times while mixing.

I used the 1M Wilton frosting tip to pipe the frosting.

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Cupcakes ready for transporting in my handy-dandy cupcake carrier...>

~Esa