How to Make Gingerbread Cupcakes with Spiced Buttercream

Cupcakes infused with classic gingerbread spices and finished with a warmly spiced cream cheese buttercream. These moist, flavorful treats capture the tastes of autumn and the holidays in every bite.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread is a seasonal favorite through the fall and winter months. Inspired by traditional gingerbread cookies, these cupcakes combine ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon for a comforting, aromatic dessert perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any cool-weather gathering.

Melted butter and molasses keep the batter rich and tender, giving the cupcakes a moist texture and deep gingerbread flavor. The batter is simple to prepare, and the recipe yields 12 generously filled cupcakes — filling each muffin cavity to the rim helps produce tall, attractive domes.

Related: Vanilla Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Cupcakes (recipe reference)

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is a natural match for gingerbread. A touch of ground cloves in the frosting amplifies the warm spice profile without overpowering the tangy cream cheese. This frosting uses just half a teaspoon of ground cloves—enough to make a noticeable, pleasant difference.

For the smoothest frosting, use room-temperature cream cheese and butter. Cold ingredients are harder to combine and can leave small lumps that prevent a silky, pipeable finish. If you prefer a softer consistency, add milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach the texture you want.

Make these Cupcakes into Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes

For a variation with extra autumn character, add real pumpkin to the batter and adjust spices in the frosting. Pumpkin brings moisture and depth, turning these into pumpkin gingerbread cupcakes that are especially festive and flavorful.

📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes (base gingerbread version)

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• ½ cup water

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk (add more by tablespoonfuls if needed to reach desired consistency)

Instructions

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease the cavities well.
2. In a bowl, beat together the melted butter, molasses, and brown sugar until smooth.
3. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.
4. Stir in the baking soda, ground cloves, ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Beat in the flour, then add the water and mix until just combined.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling them to the top for taller cupcakes.
7. Bake 18 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack (about 20 minutes) before frosting.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the vanilla extract and ground cloves, mixing to combine.
3. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, adding the milk (start with 1 tablespoon) to achieve a spreadable, pipeable consistency. Add more milk by the tablespoon if a creamier texture is desired.
4. Frost cooled cupcakes and decorate as you like.

Notes

*The 1 tablespoon of milk listed for the frosting is a starting point. If you prefer a softer frosting for piping or spreading, add additional milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Nutrition (per cupcake)

• Calories: 353 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 77 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 22 g (Saturated Fat: 14 g)
• Sodium: 216 mg
• Sugar: 20 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Vitamin A: 750 IU

Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary depending on ingredient brands and portion sizes.

© Mama Needs Cake

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

• Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake
• Blueberry Banana Bread (The Old Mill Copycat)