Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes
Spicy Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream, just in time for Christmas.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 275kcal
Equipment
- 12 cup cupcake or muffin tin, cupcake liners
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy milk Note: I used a scant ½ cup of soy milk with a tsp. of lemon juice, and let it sit for 15 mins or so to “sour” -- this is in place of buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1-¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- pinch of ground cloves
- 2 large eggs cold
- ⅓ cup canola oil chilled
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
- ¼ cup wild honey
For the Cinnamon Frosting
- 1-¼ cup icing sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp. vegan butter like Earth Balance
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1-2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Make soy buttermilk: In a glass measuring cup, measure 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and fill with soy milk (or other plant based milk) to measure ½ cup in total. Let this sit for 10-15 minutes to sour.
- Preheat oven to 350. Prepare baking tin by lining each cup of 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl. sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves. In a larger bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) whisk the eggs until beaten. Add the oil and whisk until the mixture is thick and creamy. Whisk in the sugar, about 1 minute longer. Add the soy buttermilk (soured soy milk) and molasses and honey and whisk another 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Pour into your lined cupcake tins and bake 18-22 mins. Or until the cupcakes have risen and are springy to the touch.
- Allow them to cool for about 5 mins then remove before removing from the baking tray, and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Make the cinnamon buttercream
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, on low speed, mix all dry ingredients, including brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add butter and vanilla and 1 Tablespoon of milk continue mixing. Add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until frosting is thick but spreadable. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
If you choose to use dairy -- use dairy-based buttermilk and skip the lemon juice. And for the buttercream, use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt as you mix in the icing sugar. Salt is essential for good clean flavours, but you don't want a salty frosting. So if you use salted butter or a butter alternative, skip the salt.
If you don't want to make cupcakes, this recipe will fill a 9" square pan as well. Bake for about 30-35 minutes if you go this route.
Cakes are best is served within 2 days of baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 224IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg
