Make delicious gingerbread cupcakes with spiced white chocolate buttercream frosting! This recipe is perfect for Christmas and holiday baking.

I’ll be honest about my relationship with gingerbread: we have a shaky past. I used to be more of a picky eater when I was younger, and certain flavors were overwhelming to me back in the day.

For example, grapefruit was a no-go. Too sour. Same with olives. And ginger was very similar. I didn’t really enjoy anything with ginger in it, even desserts. It just always seemed like such a strong spice!

Kind of like how olives can overwhelm a pizza. Sorry . . . I still don’t like olives.

However, I do love ginger now, especially in my baked goods. A little goes a long way, but it adds such an amazing flavor and seems to enhance the others. For a good example, try my ginger molasses cookies, gingerbread muffins, or gingerbread bundt cake.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Spiced White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Anyhoo, it was time to try another ginger-y dessert recipe and make a Christmas cupcake you guys would love. And that recipe is gingerbread cupcakes. With spiced white chocolate buttercream icing.

You’re going to love this Christmas dessert!

These unique cupcakes feature a gentle ginger flavor that tastes warm and makes me think of the holidays. The white chocolate frosting just makes them even better, and I’m really happy with how they turned out. They’re not only tasty, but pretty easy to make.

Whole milk, vegetable oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, flour, dark molasses, spices, and eggs

Before you get started making the goods, you’ll want to gather the ingredients. Here’s what you’re going to need.

For the Cupcakes

½ cup whole milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup molasses
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the White Chocolate Buttercream

1 stick (½ cup) butter, softened
2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Additional Tips For This Recipe You Might Be Interested In:

Flour is the main dry ingredient in these cupcakes. Make sure to measure using the scoop-and-level method, as adding too much flour can result in dry cupcakes.
Never overbeat ingredients when making baked goods. Mix everything until just combined, and then leave it and don’t keep beating or mixing. Overbeating adds extra air to the batter, which can cause the cupcakes to rise and then sink.
I use cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to spice the cupcakes, but you could also use a pre-made gingerbread seasoning.
Molasses is a classic addition to gingerbread – make sure to use dark molasses. They give you the incredible flavor you are looking for without being too sweet.
I wanted to give you an interesting frosting for this recipe, and it’s delicious as far as I’m concerned – but you don’t have to use it! You can use cream cheese frosting, or eggnog frosting, or any other Christmas icing you might like.
Powdered sugar gives the icing structure. If your icing is too soft or runny, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too stiff, feel free to add a tablespoon of milk.
Butter also gives icing structure. Make sure it’s fully softened so you don’t end up with lumps in your frosting.

You’re really going to love these gingerbread cupcakes. And if you really love yourself, you’ll get a piping bag or decorator gun kit so that your icing can look fancy on top of your cuppies. It makes them pretty!

Are you ready to try this tasty Christmas dessert? Get the printable recipe card below!

Gingerbread Cupcakes

If you've never tried gingerbread cupcakes for Christmas or the holidays, now is your chance! You're going to love this easy and delicious dessert.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 45

Servings: cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

½ cup whole milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup molasses
2 large egg(s)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup light brown sugar
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

For the Frosting

1 stick ½ cup butter, softened
2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup white chocolate chips melted, and cooled
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

[mv_schema_meta name="Preheat Oven and Prepare Tin"]Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
[mv_schema_meta name="Mix Wet Ingredients"]In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, molasses, eggs, and vanilla.
[mv_schema_meta name="Add Brown Sugar"]Add the brown sugar and whisk to combine.
[mv_schema_meta name="Mix Dry Ingredients"]In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
[mv_schema_meta name="Add Dry Ingredients to Wet"]Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until they are just combined. You don’t want to overmix.
[mv_schema_meta name="Add Batter to Tin"]Divide the batter between the tins, filling each one ¾ of the way full.
[mv_schema_meta name="Bake Cupcakes"]Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
[mv_schema_meta name="Remove from Oven and Cool"]Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack before frosting.

For the White Chocolate Buttercream

[mv_schema_meta name="Add Butter to Bowl"]Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
[mv_schema_meta name="Mix in Powdered Sugar"]With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix until all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated.
[mv_schema_meta name="Mix in White Chocolate and Spices"]Add the white chocolate, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
[mv_schema_meta name="Add Frosting to a Piping Bag"]Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip.
[mv_schema_meta name="Frost Cupcakes"]Frost as desired and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.