Cranberry Gingerbread Cupcakes
Spiced gingerbread cupcakes have a sweet-tart cranberry filling and a creamy cranberry buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix 15.25 oz / 432g
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses 120ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted, 75g
- 1/2 cup milk 120ml
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce for filling, 300g
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened, 2 sticks / 227g
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 420g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup jellied cranberry sauce 225g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yellow cake mix, ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice.
- Add the molasses, 1 teaspoon vanilla, melted butter, milk, and eggs to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer on low speed until just combined, then increase to medium speed for 1 minute. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat the softened butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and the jellied cranberry sauce to the frosting. Beat on medium-high speed for another 2-3 minutes until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a small knife or an apple corer to remove a small cone from the center of each cupcake. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the whole berry cranberry sauce into each cavity.
- Pipe or spread the cranberry frosting over the filled cupcakes. Garnish with sugared cranberries or crushed gingerbread cookies, if desired.
Notes
Ensure cupcakes are completely cool before coring and frosting to prevent the frosting from melting and the cakes from crumbling.
An apple corer is a useful tool for neatly removing the center of the cupcakes before filling.
For the smoothest frosting, make sure your butter is at room temperature, not melted or too cold.
This recipe is based on a 15.25-ounce cake mix. Results may vary slightly with different brands or sizes.