a little sugar, a lot of spice. [gingerbread cupcakes w. maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting]

Since I’m fully embracing the Christmas season, I wanted to experiment with the holiday’s most popular and traditional flavors. My mom purchased a variety of Christmas themed cupcake liners a month ago—a small gift that wouldn’t excite many people. But I, of course, was ecstatic over her purchase. I wanted to use some of these liners before Saturday, so I decided to bake some cupcakes for my friend, Dana’s, ugly Christmas-sweater party.

I baked gingerbread cupcakes and chose to pipe them with a cream cheese frosting. Although moist and delicious, the cupcakes did not have a strong gingerbread flavor. I decided to add cinnamon and imitation maple extract to the frosting to give the cupcakes a more prominent taste. The frosting turned out absolutely delectable and paired wonderfully with the cupcakes.

Cupcake recipe:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup Karo dark corn syrup

2 large eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. roasted ground ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

3/4 cup hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 35o degrees.

Beat sugar, butter, syrup and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed. Mix in flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and allspice. Add hot water next and mix.

Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full with batter.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean or cupcakes spring back to a light finger touch. Let cool on wire rack, then pipe frosting on top.

Frosting recipe:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. imitation maple extract

2 tsp. cinnamon, plus more to taste

4-5 cups confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, maple extract and cinnamon with electric mixer. Add confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency.