Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
Nothing says Christmas like cinnamon and gingerbread!!! This awesome Christmas Cupcake creation is adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook.
18 Cupcakes
Ingredients
For Cupcakes:
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
For Chocolate Glaze:10 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 teaspoon unsalted butter
For Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting:1/2 cup (1 stick), plus 2 Tablespoons, unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3-6 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Garnish:
Gingerbread Cookies (Pepperidge Farms) dipped in chocolate glaze (optional)
Directions
For Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 cups of two muffin-tins with paper liners and set aside. In a bowl, combine the boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, ground spices, and salt; set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light. Beat in brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture, then beat in eggs.
Fill each prepared muffin cup three-quarters full, dividing batter evenly. Bake cupcakes until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool a few minutes, then remove cupcakes from tins, and let cool completely on rack.
Working quickly, dip tops of cupcakes into chocolate glaze (recipe below). Let glaze set, about 20 minutes, before decorating with piped cinnamon buttercream (recipe below).
For Chocolate Glaze:
In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, combine chocolate, heavy cream, and butter. Let mixture melt slowly, stirring occasionally. Use immediately, or cover, and keep warm over simmering water until ready to use.
For Cinnamon Buttercream:
Cream the butter with a mixer. Add 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, blending well with each addition (mixture may be dry and crumbly). Add 3 tablespoons milk, cinnamon, and vanilla and blend. Blend in remaining confectioner’s sugar. Add more milk (about 3 tablespoons) until desired consistency is reached. Add more milk to thin and more sugar to thicken. Pipe on completely cooled and filled cupcakes.
