My mom’s old Kitchen-Aid from 1970 (bought second-hand, and still works!) was having a heck of a time turning the dough and I swear I could smell it overheating. After making who knows how many shapes and 2 hours struggling to put it together I lost patience. My decorating job was jaw-dropping in its sheer ugliness as I was never any good at arts and crafts. By the end, I was pretty well ready to bite the head off of little gingerbread baby Jesus out of frustration and call it a day. The whole experience pretty much put me off making gingerbread, which is a shame since I love the taste of it so much. Thankfully, there is an alternative to the pains and rigors of gingerbread making (house or otherwise). Gingerbread cake.

Say Hello to Gingerbread Cupcakes

Or in this case, gingerbread cupcakes. Lighter and easier than either gingerbread cookies or gingerbread cake, these cupcakes still possess the sweet flavors of brown sugar and molasses, fragrant winter spices, and the snappy bite that comes from plenty of ginger.

How to Top Your Cupcakes

Drizzled with a bit of lemon icing, the citrus aggressively compliments the rich ginger-n-spice flavors of the dark gingerbread. Feel free to add some dried cranberries or orange zest to the cupcake batter if you want to add a few other layers of flavor but personally I like mine simple with little to distract me from the gingerbread.

Can’t Get Enough Gingerbread?

Triple Ginger Gingerbread Cake Gingerbread Men Cookies Gingerbread Waffles How to Make a Gingerbread House Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

In a third, large bowl, beat together the molasses and brown sugar until smooth by hand, using a hand mixer, or using a stand mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Beat in the flour mixture slowly until just incorporated. Add the butter mixture and the grated ginger and beat until smooth. Batter will be runny.