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This Gingerbread Man Cupcakes recipe combines two of your favorite things for the holiday season, cupcakes and cute little gingerbread cookies.
These Gingerbread Man Cupcakes have it all, a spiced gingerbread cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting topped with a sweet gingerbread cookie.
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What We Love About This Gingerbread Man Cupcakes Recipe
As always, we are taking box cake mix and other premade ingredients and elevating them to make something new and delicious, like this gingerbread cupcake recipe. In Britain they make gingerbread with black treacle, but here we use molasses.
- Kid Friendly: A fun project to do with the kids this holiday season for a holiday dessert table.
- Easy Ingredients: All found in pantry or fridge, perfect to make this time of year.
- Adaptable: Can make it low-carb, low calorie or even add fun things to the cupcake batter or to the tangy cream cheese frosting.
Ingredient Notes for the Gingerbread Man Cookies Cupcakes
- Spice Box Cake Mix: This gets you a good spicy base to start your classic gingerbread flavor cupcakes
- Molasses: Unsulphured molasses is considered to be the more “pure,” cleaner tasting molasses and most commercial ones are made this way
- Milk: Whole milk or a milk alternative can be great for this recipe
- Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature
- Festive Spices: Ground ginger, Allspice, and Ground Cinnamon
Frosting & Topping for Ginger cupcakes
- Cream Cheese, softened
- Powdered sugar: A sugar alternative can be great for this recipe
- Heavy whipping cream: Or a dairy alternative
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract is best
- 24 ginger man cookies: Little gingerbread cookies or gingerbread biscuits to decorate the top of each cupcake
- Gingerbread themed sprinkles or Christmas sprinkles
Equipment Needed for Festive Cakes
- Large Bowl
- Medium Bowl
- Small Bowl
- Cupcake liners/paper liners
- Electric Mixer
- Piping Bag
- Wire Rack
- Cupcake Pan
How to Make Gingerbread Man Cupcakes
These are the basic steps for making gingerbread man cakes. Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions, cook time and nutrition information.
STEP 1: GINGERBREAD RECIPE
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with gold foil cupcake liners. In a large bowl, add cake mix, molasses, milk, oil, eggs, and spices and then whisk together until ingredients are well combined.
STEP 2: BAKE
Then pour batter evenly to make 24 cupcakes. The cups will be about ⅔ full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a middle cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.
STEP 3: FROSTING
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat heavy whipping cream with your hand mixer until it thickens. In a separate mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until incorporated. Next, add vanilla and cinnamon, mix again until all the ingredients are combined and frosting begins to form together. Fold in heavy whipping cream mixture.
STEP 4: PIPE
Finally, use a piping bag to frost the cooled cupcakes, and lastly top with sprinkles and a gingerbread man.
Prep and Storage Tips for Festive Cupcake
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME
Make cupcakes a day or two in advance and keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you are ready to frost.
HOW TO STORE THIS RECIPE
Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container.
HOW TO FREEZE THIS CUTE CUPCAKE RECIPE
It is best to freeze these gingerbread cupcakes unfrosted and undecorated. They can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then follow the recipe card below to make the icing and decorate.
Frequently Asked Questions about Easy Gingerbread Cupcakes
Gluten free box cake mix can be used for this recipe, also low calorie or low fat versions of the simple ingredients are great in this recipe.
Of course, baking any recipe is a starting point for you to make the recipe that your family enjoys. Therefore, you can add more cinnamon or no allspice to the gingerbread cake, it is up to you.
Indeed, you can make a half batch and freeze the other half, or double or even triple the recipe depending on the amount that you need.
Truly it is the best way to make sure that all the ingredients incorporate fully. Take the ingredients out the night before and they will be ready when you are.
Expert Tips for Making This Recipe
- Gingerbread Men: You can make your own recipe, buy at the local grocery store or go to a specialty bakery for your gingerbread people, men, women and even pets
- Nuts: Chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts are wonderful in this recipe
- Fruit: Dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries or apricots can be a great addition
- Color: Feel free to add food coloring to your frosting to make fun colors
- Dietary consideration tip: Low fat, low calorie or gluten free items are great in this recipe
What to Serve with Gingerbread Man Cupcakes
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Gingerbread Man Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box spice cake mix
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Frosting & Topping Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 24 ginger man cookies
- Gingerbread themed sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with gold foil liners. In a large bowl, add cake mix, molasses, milk, oil, eggs, and spices. Whisk together until ingredients are well combined.
- Pour batter evenly to make 24 cupcakes. The cups will be about ⅔ full. If you only have one pan, use half the batter and then bake a 2nd batch.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a middle cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Frosting Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat heavy whipping cream with your hand mixer until it thickens and becomes spreadable, this may take a few minutes. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until incorporated. Add vanilla and cinnamon, mix again until all the ingredients are combined and frosting begins to form together. Fold in heavy whipping cream mixture and keep folding until combined and the whipping cream is mixed through.
- Pipe the frosting onto your cupcakes once they have cooled. Top with gingerbread sprinkles and a gingerbread man cookie.
Expert Tips
- Gingerbread Men: You can make your own recipe, buy at the local grocery store or go to a specialty bakery for your gingerbread people, men, women and even pets
- Nuts: Chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts are wonderful in this recipe
- Fruit: Dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries or apricots can be a great addition
- Color: Feel free to add food coloring to your frosting to make fun colors
- Dietary consideration tip: Low fat, low calorie or gluten free items are great in this recipe