Gingerbread Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

An irresistible holiday treat, these gingerbread cupcakes feature honey in place of molasses. They’re the perfect base for a sweet, slightly-tart honey cream cheese frosting. Frost them with a spatula, or use a piping bag for a more formal decoration, then sprinkle the top with cinnamon.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 2 tsp. ground ginger

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (room temperature)

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/4 cup honey

• 4 to 6 cups powdered sugar, to taste

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line 12 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

In a large bowl, beat softened butter and honey together with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and slightly fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.

Beat in the egg, then mix in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled; that's okay.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir gently just until no streaks of flour remain; don't over mix.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, about 2/3rds full.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the honey and vanilla; then gradually beat in the powdered sugar until fluffy, spreadable and reaching desired sweetness. Chill first if you prefer a firmer consistency before piping or spreading.