BAKING | CHRISTMAS GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES

You may have seen my Christmas Cranberry Cupcake recipe last week, and if you loved those, then you will love these! I spied this recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes over at Taste Of Home and knew I had to give it a whirl when I was busy doing some festive baking the other day, and oh my goodness, are they good! My parents also tried these and commented how nice they tasted and how different they were, and I have to agree. Topped off with some amazing Disney cake toppers, they're the perfect bake for a festive feast. Fancy giving these a try? Here's how!

You will need...

For the cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup black treacle

1 1/3 cups plain flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

For the maple frosting:

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 ounce cream cheese

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Dash salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup icing sugar

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C
Step 2: Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg and all spice in a large bowl. Set aside.
Step 3: In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

 Step 4: Beat in the egg, followed by water and the treacle.

Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the creamed ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
Step 6: Continue beating on a medium speed for 2 minutes until well mixed.

Step 7: Fill 12 paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full with the mixture.
Step 8: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near to the centre comes out clean.
Step 9: Cool the cakes for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 10: For the frosting, in a small bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
Step 11: Beat in the maple syrup and vanilla until well combined.
Step 12: Gradually beat in the icing sugar until smooth, then spoon the mixture in to a piping bag.

Step 13: Using a star nozzle, pipe the mixture in a circular motion on top of each cupcake.
Step 14: Top half of the cupcakes with edible icing cake toppers, and top the other half with sprinkles of your choice!
Step 15: Enjoy straight away, or store in the fridge for 2-3 days to keep them fresh!

Voila! These are definitely worth the extra effort with the unusual ingredients, and a recipe I will 100% be making again in the future. The treacle makes them rich, yet they are still light and moist, and the maple flavour frosting goes perfectly. Yum!

Don't forget, you can still use my exclusive code to get 10% off the lovely cake toppers like these Disney ones I used from My Cupcake Toppers! Just used the code WWC10 to claim your discount, and be sure to tell me which ones you get! I'd love to see your bakes using your toppers! I just love how effective and easy to use they are - plus they are Disney! #winning! 

C x