Ginger spice cupcakes are tender with a perfect balance of warm aromatic spices and holiday sweetness. These fluffy Christmas cupcakes boast swirls of spiced white-chocolate buttercream, and are crowned with elegant star anise.
Like warm cozy mittens during winter, ginger spice cupcakes have a special way of delivering joy. They’re extra-festive treats!
If you’re a fan of gingerbread men cookies, ginger snap cookies, or gingerbread loaf, you’ll enjoy these ginger-flavored Christmas cupcakes!
It’s amazing how quick and easy this spice cupcake recipe comes together with common refrigerator and pantry items. When these treats are in the oven your kitchen smells like a bakery. It fills your heart with happiness.
For holiday parties, these little cakes are guaranteed to bring smiles. What I like best: they’re easy to make, and easy to transport to gatherings.
If you don’t have a cupcake caddy to keep the desserts safe during your trip to the party, use a cardboard ornament box as a cupcake carrier. It will keep the treats from sliding around and bumping into each other. So convenient!
If you’re concerned about the frosting getting smushed during transport, pack the desserts unfrosted. Take the frosting ready to go in a piping bag with metal tip. Once at your destination, decorate the spice cupcakes there.
INGREDIENTS
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these easy Christmas cupcakes.
Ginger Spice Cupcakes
- Whole milk
- Vegetable oil
- Molasses
- Large eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
Spiced White-Chocolate Buttercream
- Butter
- Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
- Pure vanilla extract
- White chocolate chips
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt, if needed
- OPTIONAL GARNISH: Star anise
easy ingredient substitutions
Missing an ingredient for these ginger spice cupcakes? Don’t put on your shoes and head to the market. Instead, head to your fridge or pantry. Check for these easy ingredient swaps.
It’s convenient and money-saving to use ingredients you already have on hand! Especially during stay-at-home times.
- Whole Milk: The best swap is 2% milk. For a non-dairy option, almond milk can be used 1:1 in place of whole milk. But keep in mind, the spice cupcakes may bake up faster as almond milk contains more water than dairy milk.
- Vegetable Oil: This ingredient adds richness and moisture to the cupcakes. Canola oil is the best swap. But you can also use safflower oil, melted butter, or melted coconut oil as a 1:1 substitute for vegetable oil.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: This delicious ingredient enhances the flavor of the warm spices and molasses in this recipe. Sub with maple syrup, bourbon, brandy or amber rum. Or use vanilla bean paste as a 1:1 replacement.
- Light Brown Sugar: Substitute with an equal amount of dark brown sugar or granulated sugar.
- All-Purpose Flour: This ingredient gives spice cupcakes structure. Pastry flour or cake flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute. But cake flour can make the surface of the spice cupcakes more tacky/sticky by the second day.
- Spices: If you don’t have all 3 spices (ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger) for the cupcakes, you can sub them all out with 1 3/4 teaspoons gingerbread spice, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice.
- Butter: In buttercream frostings, margarine will produce the same color and texture as butter, making it the best substitute. However, you can also cream cheese or vegetable shortening. All are tasty options.
- Powdered Sugar: Make your own powdered sugar from granulated sugar. Process sugar in a blender or food processor until fine and fluffy. One cup granulated sugar yields about 2 cups powdered sugar.
- White Chocolate: It gives the buttercream frosting an extra-special flavor. But if you don’t have this on hand, feel free to leave it out.
RECIPE STEPS
Ginger Spice Cupcakes
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
- STEP 1: In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add in milk, vegetable oil, molasses, and vanilla extract. Whisk briefly to mix the ingredients together.
- STEP 2: Add brown sugar to the bowl. Mix to combine.
- STEP 3: In medium bowl, combine: flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Slowly (in 3 parts) add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until fully combined. But be careful not to over-mix.
- STEP 4: With a metal scoop or 1/4 measuring cup, evenly divide batter between wells of the prepared pan. Fill each cupcake wrapper 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into 3 cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a metal rack to cool for 1 hour before frosting.
KITCHEN SMARTS: Even though cupcakes may feel cool to the touch after 30 minutes, there is still heat in the center. If the cupcakes are frosted before that heat can rise and escape, the firm icing will become limp and droopy.
Spiced White Chocolate Buttercream
RECIPE PREP: Attach a Wilton 1M metal tip (or your favorite decorating tip) to a disposable pastry bag. Set it aside.
- STEP 1: Add softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer.) With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar a little at a time. Continue mixing until sugar is fully incorporated.
- STEP 2: Add melted and cooled white chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, beat the frosting 1 minute or until light and fluffy. As needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- STEP 3: Transfer frosting to the prepared piping bag with metal tip. Once the spice cupcakes have fully cooled, pipe on the frosting in swirls. If desired, top each dessert with star anise.
RECIPE TIP: Frosting can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. It will stay fresh with a good texture for up to 2 days.
RECIPE FAQ
These are the most commonly asked questions when making the best ginger spice cupcakes, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
The warm aromatic spices in these cupcakes are those used for a gingerbread loaf and gingerbread man cookies. The taste is warm, cozy, and comforting. Frosted with spiced white-chocolate buttercream, ginger spice cupcakes taste holiday festive.
Absolutely! King Arthur’s Flour has a tasty one. Use an equal amount of this spice to replace the combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
Cupcakes with oil have a better flavor, texture, and loftier rise than similar recipes made with melted butter. They also stay tender and moist for much longer. Another plus: assembling batter with oil is much faster and easier than using butter. No melting and cooling required.
It depends. Cupcakes should be enjoyed the same day they’re made, so there’s no need for refrigeration. If assembling cupcakes the night before a party, transfer the desserts to an airtight container. Store them on the countertop up to 2 days. During warm-weather months, keep cupcakes fresh inside an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
MORE EASY CHRISTMAS CUPCAKES
Winter is baking season! Everyone looks forward to fresh batches of delicious, festive baked goods. Wow family and friends with these beautiful Christmas cupcakes. They’re super tasty. They satisfy the urge for dessert.
Print your favorite cupcake recipes, or pin them to Pinterest.
RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
At a recent holiday party, guests raved about these tender, flavorful, ginger spice cupcakes. Many reached for seconds while others asked for the recipe.
If you too enjoyed these easy Christmas cupcakes, give them a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero! Share it on Pinterest and Facebook. Everyone loves holiday recipes. And these are the best spice cupcakes!
Ginger Spice cupcakes
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
- Yield: 12 Cupcakes 1x
Description
These fluffy ginger spice cupcakes almost melt in your mouth! They feature cozy warm spices that ring in the holidays. Each is frosted with gorgeous swirls of white-chocolate buttercream.
Ingredients
GINGER SPICE CUPCAKES
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
SPICED WHITE-CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt, if needed
- OPTIONAL GARNISH: Star anise
Instructions
GINGER SPICE CUPCAKES
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the middle. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add in milk, vegetable oil, molasses, and vanilla extract. Whisk briefly to mix the ingredients together.
- Add brown sugar to the bowl. Mix to combine.
- In medium bowl, combine: flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Slowly (in 3 parts) add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until fully combined. But be careful not to over-mix.
- With a metal scoop or 1/4 measuring cup, evenly divide batter between wells of the prepared pan. Fill each cupcake wrapper 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into 3 cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a metal rack to cool for 1 hour before frosting.
SPICED WHITE-CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
RECIPE PREP: Attach a metal decorating tip to a disposable pastry bag. Set it aside.
- Add softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer.) With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar a little at a time. Continue mixing until sugar is fully incorporated.
- Add melted and cooled white chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, beat the frosting 1 minute or until light and fluffy. As needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Transfer frosting to the prepared piping bag with metal tip. Once the spice cupcakes have fully cooled, pipe on the frosting in swirls. If desired, top each dessert with star anise.
Notes
GINGERBREAD SPICE: If you have a container of gingerbread spice on hand, you can use it for this recipe. Replace the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg with an equal amount of gingerbread seasoning.
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Spice Cupcakes, Ginger Spice Cupcakes, Easy Christmas Cupcakes
GINGER SPICE CUPCAKES > JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Ginger spice cupcakes are a Christmas tradition! Would you like to double this recipe for gift giving? Who would you like to share them with? Join the conversation in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.