Sweet Treat Week – day 5
Several weeks ago it was a yucky weather day outside and I was in the mood to bake. I know, big surprise. So I thought of making gingerbread cupcakes and wanted to try out a recipe from Martha Stewart for Brown Sugar Cream Cheese frosting. I figured I’d use that to frost the gingerbread cupcakes. Then I needed a cupcake recipe. I wanted one that I could make using a cake mix. I found one in the Hello Cupcake Cookbook.
The recipe started of with a yellow cake mix and then you added spices and molasses along with the other ingredients to make it like gingerbread. I have to say, those cupcakes were a flop. Not tasty at all. It just tasted like a strange yellow cake. However, the brown sugar cream cheese frosting that I topped them with was good. Only thing I found with that frosting recipe is you need to use fresh brown sugar. My brown sugar was fairly fresh but I still ended up with a few clumps of brown sugar in the frosting. One of them happen to clog my decorating tip when I was piping on the icing.
After this experience I still wanted to find a gingerbread cake mix cupcake. I thought about altering the Hello Cupcake version and use a spice cake mix. Then I checked out “101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 minutes” by Wendy Paul from the library. By the way, I liked her book and it would make a great Christmas gift. Anyway, she had a gingerbread cupcake recipe in her book using a spice cake mix. The results with her recipe were so much better. This time I use good old regular cream cheese frosting to top them with. Now with both versions I put a cute gingerbread man cookie on top, from a bag of store bought cookies. But I also think they would be yummy with a little fresh orange zest on top if you want a more sophisticated look for your cupcake.
Gingerbread Cupcakes
- 1 box spice cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- Mix together cake mix, eggs, molasses, oil and milk.
- Pour into paper liners and fill 3/4 full. (I did 18 cupcakes)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
- Cool completely before frosting
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (make sure it is fresh)
With a mixer, blend cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in brown sugar until creamy.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 C butter (1/2 stick) at room temperature
- 4 C sifted powdered sugar (You can decrease this amount if you don’t care about it being as stiff for piping)
- 1 tsp vanilla
Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
Thanks for sharing the delightful Gingerbread Cupcake recipe with what sounds like yummy frosting!
Many boxed cake mixes (like Duncan Hines) are pretty good, and I love finding new ways to give them some semi-homemade style. =)
I actually made this as a cake not as cupcakes. The cake was moist and tasted like a actual ginger cake!!! I will definitely make this again the whole family loved it
Wow! Those look great! Simple, too! Ok I need to make these. Thanks for linking up in the 8 weeks of Christmas goodies! Susie
http://cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-goodie-link-up-and-100-csn.html
What adorable cupcakes. They will enhance any setting.
These are adorable. They would look great at a party. They are so festive.
These do look great, although I’m a little disappointed that you used boxed cake mix, something that I would not generally use and as I’m in Scotland we would probably not have the same mixes anyway. I might try and find a recipe that is made from scratch as I would love to recreate these. Thought I’d let you know that I found your blog from Refrigerator Soup
Oh my goodness… so adorable and the frosting… luxurient! The picture was perfect… so joyful, made me smile!
Those sound delicious and they’re just so cute. I love those little gingerbread men sitting up there
Those are so darling. I don’t know how you have the energy to come up with all you do! Thanks!
yummy i love this and am going to try thank you hugs sally
Love these! They are too cute!