Duff’s Gingerbread Cupcakes

 You may be familiar with Duff Goldman. He is a staple of the Food Network. He is a judge on Kid’s Baking Competition and Holiday Baking Championships. He also competed on some of the older cake/cupcake competitions. Most recently he and the Cake Boss did some head to head competitions building and decorating huge cakes. Check him out. He’s talented and very funny and great with the kid competitors. So when I found this recipe I had to give it a try.

I know a lot of you will say gingerbread is for Christmas and that was last month. But I think of gingerbread as a winter flavor. Those spices are all nice and warm spices perfect for winter.

Nothing out of the ordinary in the ingredients. You might not keep molasses on hand but of course I do because of my gingerbread cookies.

Start with one stick of softened butter.

Add 1/2 cup sugar

Mix well.

Add 2 room temp eggs one at a time. Mix well after each egg.

The eggs helps make the butter and sugar nice and fluffy.

Here is a little hint for you. Spray your measuring cup with Pam before you add the molasses.

Measure out 1 cup of the molasses.

Add and mix well.

See how clean your measuring cup will be.

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour. Add a little at a time mixing between each addition.

Isn’t that a pretty batter?

Now in a small bowl add 2 teaspoons baking soda.

Add 1 cup boiling water to the baking soda. I used the molasses cup that is why it is a little discolored.

Stir it to dissolve the baking soda.

Add to the other batter.

Fold the water into the batter. It will be a little runny.

This is what the batter looks like.

Preheat your oven and prepare two twelve cup muffin tins.

Ready for the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

Fresh out of the oven. Let sit in the muffin pan for about ten minutes.

Let them completely cool on a baking rack.

Low we are ready to make the icing.

Add 2 sticks of softened butter and 8 oz softened cream cheese to the mixer.

Mix well.

Add 1 Tablespoon vanilla flavoring 

You are going to add 4 cups powdered sugar. Add a little at a time unless you want a powdered sugar covered kitchen.

After you get everything mixed, turn your mixer to medium high and whip it to make it nice and fluffy.

O am going to pipe the icing on. To me it takes less time and they look a little better. I put the Star tip in the bag. This is what I use to hold the bag while I fill it.

It’s a full bag. I got these rubber band type things to go around the bags at the top. It has made my life easier.

This is the Star tip. It’s sorry I don’t remember the Wilton number for it.

They are all piped. I start in the middle of the cupcake and swirl around to make the rose like design. One day I will make a video of how I do them.

This is one of my kitchen gadgets. It is a small softer. I put some cinnamon in it to lightly dust the tops.

Just a little on top for a little decoration.

Duff’s Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe

1 stick softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup molasses

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 20 minutes

For the frosting

4 cups powdered sugar

1 8oz room temp cream cheese

2 sticks softened butter

1 Tablespoon vanilla