Kick start your holiday baking with these gloriously spiced cupcakes from Katherine Kallinis and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, authors of The Cupcake Diaries.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups molasses

1 cup hot water

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a standard cupcake pan with twelve paper baking cups, or grease the pan with butter if not using baking cups.

Sift together the dry ingredients, except for the brown sugar, and set aside. (We like to sift on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper so we can easily pick it up and pour it into our mixture, little by little.)

Cream together butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high speed, 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly after each addition. Add the molasses, mixing until well incorporated.

Add one third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water and mix thoroughly. Repeat. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the last third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water, and mix thoroughly.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake pan using a standard size ice cream scoop.

Bake at 350F for 16 to 18 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

Place all ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until well combined. Frost cupcakes using Georgetown Cupcakes signature swirl. We decorate our Gingerbread cupcakes with fondant gingerbread men with red candy buttons. You can use a mini gingerbread man cookie cutter and cut out fondant gingerbread men to place on top of your cupcakes to give them an extra-special festive touch!

Courtesy: Katherine Kallinis and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne

The Cupcake Diaries