Gingerbread Cupcakes

Easy Gingerbread Cupcakes are made with cake mix and topped with fluffy, cinnamon cream cheese frosting – the perfect cupcake for Christmas!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting are a new Christmas must-make. Our favorite Gingerbread Cookies are also a holiday hit!

Festive Holiday Cupcakes

Easy, perfect for Christmas, and with a delicious ginger molasses flavor – these Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect Christmas cupcake recipe!

This Gingerbread Cupcake recipe starts with a box of spice cake mix. Instead of making the cupcakes according to the box instructions, we whisk in some extra ingredients to make them fabulous!

The Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting is the icing on the cake and the perfect complement to the gingerbread flavor!

Gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 muffin pans with muffin papers.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, sift together the cake mix, ginger, and cinnamon.

WET INGREDIENTS. Using an electric mixer, beat in the molasses, oil, eggs, and milk until smooth.

BAKE. Spoon the batter into the 2 muffin tins (24 cupcakes total). Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft. Beat in the cream cheese. Add in the cinnamon, then beat in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until the desired sweetness is reached.

FROST. Frost the cupcakes with a knife, or transfer the frosting to a large piping bag and pipe on the frosting.

Recipe Tips

Rounded tops. The cupcake liners should be about ⅔ full and not more than ¾ full. Adding too much batter causes the tops to overflow creating a mushroom-shaped cupcake. Use a cookie scoop to fill the cupcake tins to evenly distribute the batter and make less of a drippy mess.

Cool cupcakes. Allow the cupcakes to cool a little in the pan before letting them cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, either frost or store them to be frosted later.

I recommend sifting the cake mix first to get out any lumps because it will make the cupcake batter whisk together more easily.

Cake mix. If you can’t find spice cake mix use a yellow cake mix (but not vanilla or white). If using yellow cake mix, I recommend using 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon allspice for the spices.

Perfect cupcakes.

• Over-mixing the batter can cause too many air bubbles which collapse in the oven leaving a dense cupcake.
• Be sure that you do not over bake otherwise the cupcakes will dry out.
• Use a stand mixer to make the cake batter, but a wire whisk works as well. 
• The molasses and eggs contribute to making a soft and moist cupcake. 
• If you don’t like cream cheese, add cinnamon to your favorite Buttercream Frosting.

Decorating tips

• Use a piping bag and frosting tip to pipe beautiful frosting swirls on top of your cupcakes.
• For only a thin layer of frosting on each cupcake, half the frosting recipe. But after trying the cinnamon cream cheese frosting, you’ll probably want a big swirl on top of each cupcake.
• Make miniature Gingerbread Cookies to stick in the frosting as extra decoration.
• Decorate with gingerbread man candies and holiday sprinkles.

Storing Info

STORE Gingerbread Cupcakes at room temp for a few hours, but refrigerate for up to 3-4 days to last longer. If already frosted with cream cheese frosting, keep them in the fridge so the dairy doesn’t go bad.

FREEZE. The easiest way to freeze these cupcakes is unfrosted. The cupcakes and frosting can both last in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw both before using.

To freeze frosted cupcakes, place the frosted cupcakes in the freezer until the frosting is solid. Wrap each cupcake with plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, unwrap the cupcakes and let them come to room temperature.

for more Christmas treats:

• Christmas Tree Brownies
• Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
• Hot Cocoa Cheesecake Minis
• Peppermint Chocolate Delight
• Christmas Popcorn