Small-Batch Gingerbread Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Wonderfully moist and so delicious, these Small-Batch Gingerbread Cupcakes are easy to make and follow. You get six soft, flavorful cupcakes topped with thick, creamy marshmallow buttercream frosting. They are perfect as they are or finished with a festive piped Christmas lights design!

I absolutely adore these small-batch gingerbread cupcakes with marshmallow buttercream frosting. Thanks to the buttermilk, they are soft, flavorful, and incredibly moist!

They will make your house smell better than any holiday candle! If you have made my Super Soft Molasses Cookies, it is much the same wonderful aroma.

This recipe makes six cupcakes with a simple marshmallow buttercream that comes together in minutes. If you are in the festive mood, add this Christmas lights design to the tops!

I hope you love them as much as I do! If you make them, tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your creations!

What You Need

The ingredients below go into this easy gingerbread cupcakes recipe.

• All-Purpose Flour. It is an unusual amount, but don’t forget the 2 tablespoons!
• Baking Soda and Powder. These are your usual leavening agents.
• Spices. The three stars of this cupcake recipe are ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Salt. Just a pinch to help balance the molasses flavor.
• Unsalted Butter. Be sure it is at room temperature.
• Dark Brown Sugar. If you measure with cups, pack it firmly.
• Vanilla Flavoring. Just a teaspoon, enough to round out the flavors.
• Full Flavored Molasses. The star ingredient of this cupcake recipe! It is a medium-strength molasses with a slight bitter finish.
• Buttermilk. This is what makes these gingerbread cupcakes so moist. It also helps balance the molasses flavor.
• An Egg. Just one large egg, and please make it room temperature.

Quantities and instructions are in the recipe card below.

Substitutions

• Browned Butter. For extra flavor, you can use browned butter in place of the unsalted butter. Let it cool and solidify before adding it to the batter.
• Light Brown Sugar. It has less molasses, so it will not give the same rich flavor as dark brown sugar, but it works in a pinch!
• Light Flavored Molasses. You can use a milder, light-flavored molasses in place of full-flavored. Skip Blackstrap molasses, though, since it is far too strong and not really meant for baking.
• Homemade Buttermilk. See the Homemade Buttermilk Substitutes section below.
• Marshmallow Creme. I used it in the buttercream, but I did not test this recipe with a substitute such as melted marshmallows.

I did not test this recipe with any egg alternatives or other flours.

Homemade Buttermilk Substitutes

Since this recipe only uses a small amount of buttermilk, you can use regular milk with two teaspoons of lemon juice.

Add the lemon juice to a measuring cup first, then the milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then add it to the batter. A homemade buttermilk substitute should be used right away.

Another option is to use milk! I also tested sour cream (1:1), and it made the cupcakes just as moist.

You can also use powdered buttermilk, which is usually found in the baking aisle near the powdered, evaporated, and sweetened condensed milks.

Helpful Tips

Make the buttermilk first. This only applies if you are making the homemade buttermilk substitute. It has to sit for 5 minutes before it goes into the cupcake batter.

Don’t overmix the cupcake batter. Overmixing can cause a number of problems as the cupcakes bake. Dense, chewy cupcakes are one of them.

Use a cookie scoop. I used a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to divide the gingerbread batter, and it worked like a charm.

Use an oven thermometer. While testing cookie recipes last week, I found my oven was not preheating to the correct temperature. It was about 100 degrees cooler than it should have been. So, word to the wise, get an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is heating correctly!

Baking Spray. A handy trick for the marshmallow buttercream frosting: spritz your spatula with baking spray before scooping out the marshmallow creme. Trust me, it makes life a lot easier.

Storing your cupcakes. Unfrosted gingerbread cupcakes can be made 2-3 days ahead and kept in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.

If the tops feel slightly sticky after storing, leave them out uncovered for about 30 minutes before frosting.

If high heat or humidity is a problem where you live, you can store them in the refrigerator. They tend to dry out more that way, so keep them in a well-sealed container!

Storing the frosting. The marshmallow buttercream can be made a day ahead. Let it come to room temperature 1-2 hours before frosting the cupcakes, then give it a quick turn or two in the mixer to bring it back to life.

General Baking Tools Needed

Christmas Lights Cupcakes Design

This is a fun, easy Christmas lights cupcake design that does not take much effort or experience! Just mix the green frosting, pipe on a curvy string, and add the candy. That is it!

Items You’ll Need:

• No. 2 Decorating Tip. I used a Wilton tip from their Master Decorating Tip Set. Highly recommended!
• Decorating Coupler. This attaches the decorating tip to the piping bag. It comes in the tip set I mentioned above or can be bought separately.
• Small Piping Bag. Reusable bags are my favorite, but use whatever you have or can find.
• Food Coloring Gel. I use the Wilton Color Right System, but Chefmaster and McCormick are also options.
• Small Mixing Bowl. Either glass mixing bowls or metal mixing bowls work. This is for mixing the frosting with the food coloring gel.
• Spatula. Also used to mix the gel into the frosting. A spoon will work, but a spatula does a better job of reaching the sides of the bowl.
• Rainbow Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds. This was my first time trying chocolate covered sunflower seeds! They were very good, but they are hard to find where I live, so I ordered them online from the Kimmie Candy Company.

Green Color Formula

To get the green I used for the Christmas lights string, start with about 1/3 cup of the marshmallow buttercream and add:

• Brown (BR) – 2 drops
• Blue (B) – 3 drops
• Yellow (Y) – 4 drops

This formula uses the Wilton Color Right System. If you use another brand, check its recommendation for a medium green.

Candy Alternatives

If chocolate covered sunflower seeds are hard to find where you live, or you do not want to order a 1 pound bag like I did, here are some easier-to-find options.

• M&Ms
• Skittles
• Gumdrops (cut in half)

More Small Batch Recipes to Enjoy!

If you make this Small Batch Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and share what you thought in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!