Gingerbread Cupcakes

These cupcakes remind me of Granny's applesauce cake.  The molasses and ginger takes me back to Granny's kitchen and watching her hands mix the batter and pat the cakes out into rounds in the bottom of a cast iron skillet.  Such nostalgia. 

After making the gingerbread cookies, I thought they would look adorable on top of some cupcakes.  So I found a yummy cupcake recipe and made some cute little gingerbread men. 

Here's how we do it:

Gingerbread Cupcakes (adapted from this recipe)

½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¾ cup water

Place standard baking cup in each of 18 regular size muffin pan cups.
In large bowl, cream sugar and butter.
Mix in molasses; beat in eggs, one at a time.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
Alternately add flour mixture with water to the wet ingredients.
Scoop evenly among prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees F) for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes in pan.
Remove cupcakes from pans to cooling rack, and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Ginger Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoon molasses

2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted

Mix cream cheese and butter together until light and creamy.  Add salt, ginger and molasses, mix well. Add powdered sugar and beat until whipped and creamy.

Frost the cupcakes and top each cupcake with a little gingerbread man.  

YUM!