Gingerbread Cupcakes with Spiced Icing

These guys are good.  The cupcake recipe was originally my favorite gingerbread cake recipe.  I urge any one trying this recipe to use fresh spices.  It makes all the difference.  By fresh I mean no more than 6 months old. Seriously.  For my cinnamon I use a little Braun coffee grinder dedicated to spices.  I grind my cinnamon in small batches using cinnamon sticks.  For nutmeg I use a micro plane, and grate what I need when I need it.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

makes 12

• 125 ml (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 375 ml  (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground ginger
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• 2,5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
• 1,25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) ground cloves
• 1,25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) salt
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) fresh minced ginger
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) sugar
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) molasses
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) plain yogurt or sour cream

 

• Pre-heat oven to 175C (350F).
•  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with baking cup liners. Whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and salt.  
• Cream butter in a standing or hand held mixer. Add dry ingredients to butter, and beat on low to blend. Add the fresh ginger, sugars, egg, molasses and yogurt, and beat until smooth. Divide batter equally among liners, and bake until center of a cupcake springs back when touched (about 15-20 minutes).  Let cool completely before icing.

Spiced Icing

• 250 ml (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) ground cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1,25 (1/4 teaspoon) ground cloves
• 45 ml (3 tablespoon) 35% cream
• 1.5 l (6 cups) icing sugar

• Cream butter until smooth.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Beat to combine.  Add cream, and add the icing sugar half a cup at a time (to avoid a mess).  Beat until smooth.  Pipe over gingerbread cupcake and decorate with colored sprinkles, gum drops, or a little ground cinnamon. 

• 

Tiramisu Cupcakes

This cupcake is brought to you by left overs from recipe testing for a large dairy based food producer.  I made cupcakes for the Christmas Bazaar at my children's school, and decided to make a more adult contribution with this Tiramisu cupcake.  Coffee flavored desserts are up there for me, along with pumpkin & key lime pie.  I used the mascarpone for the icing, and made a vanilla cupcake recipe with the addition of instant espresso powder and cocoa powder.   I also made some gingerbread cupcakes that I will post the recipe for in a few days...

Tiramisu Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

• 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
• 250 ml (1 cup) sugar
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) instant espresso powder
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) cocoa powder
• 7 ml ( 1 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder
• 1,25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) salt
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 250 ml (1 cup) 2 % milk
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract 

• Pre-heat oven to 190C (375 F).

• Line a 12 cup muffin tin with baking cup liners.

• Add the flour, sugar, instant espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a standing mixer.  Blend for a few seconds to combine.  Add butter, milk, eggs and vanilla extract, and blend for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth. 

• Scoop the batter in liners until 2/3 full.  Bake until center of cupcakes springs back when touched (about 15-20 minutes). Let cool completely.

Mascarpone Icing:

• 250 ml (1 cup) mascarpone cheese
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) 35% cream
• 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract 15 ml (1 tablespoon) instant espresso powder
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) cocoa powder
• 1 l (4 cups) icing sugar
• Decorate with chocolate chips, shavings, cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles

• Beat the mascarpone until smooth.  Add the cream, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder. Beat on low to combine.  Add the icing sugar gradually (so as not to make a mess), and beat until icing is smooth. Transfer icing to a piping bag with a rosette tip. Pipe the icing over cupcakes, and garnish with one of the following: chocolate chips, shavings, cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles.