Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Welcome to Day 7 of Baking Extravaganza! While you may be thinking – wait, Christmas is over, why are you still showing me Christmas treats? – you clearly have forgotten the nebulous time in between Christmas and New Years when you meet up with friends and relatives. It’s still the holiday season (kind of), so here’s a recipe you can throw together when you need to bring a treat but can’t bear the thought of another cookie.

I made these for a holiday party a couple weeks ago. My roommate and I tested them extensively and agree that they’re pretty amazing. Make sure you have a glass of milk handy!

Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Slightly Adapted from All Recipes 

Next time, I’m thinking about adding raisins to these cupcakes – I think it’ll taste amazing. And walnuts, that would also be amazing. Feel free to freeze these suckers; just defrost when you’re ready to serve and frost.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/2 to 1 cup unsulfured molasses (more molasses will deepen the taste, choose your preference)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder

2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup hot milk

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature

1 and 1/2 to 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (I prefer a less sweet frosting, so I use less – you can always add more!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment:

Hand mixer, mixing bowl, muffin tins

Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter or line with paper liners a 2 12-cup muffin tins.  Cream butter with the white sugar. Add the molasses and the eggs and egg yolks and continue to mix.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot milk. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the hot milk mixture. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared tin.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until slightly springy to the touch. Allow to cool a few minutes in the pan and remove to a rack to cool.

Make the frosting: Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add the vanilla extract. Add the confectioners’ sugar a half-cup at a time, continuing to beat in between intervals.

Serves 24