Gingerbread Cupcakes, CupcakesOMG! Style

Do you ever feel cheated when you visit my blog and realize I rarely post about cupcakes anymore? Yeah, well you can suck it, because this is MY blog and I do what I want! 

However, today you're in luck! I made these sweet and spicy gingerbread cupcakes topped with white chocolate buttercream for my friend Leslie and my joint-Christmas party this weekend.

They tasted like Christmas and the 4th of July, sweet and cool and spicy and hot all rolled into one.

Are you dying to try them yet?

I realize these look a little more "home ec" than my usual cupcake offerings, but the truth of the matter is the white chocolate buttercream is incredibly sweet, which pairs really well against the spicy cupcakes, but even still, a glob of piped buttercream would just have been too much. And you know I'm basically like Buddy the Elf when it comes to sugar...

So instead, I swiped it on with an offset spatula and sprinkled on a few gingerbread shaped sprinkles. I'm pretty sure there's some unspoken rule that you need to put a garnish of something that's in a dish on top of it so people know what they're about to get themselves into. That's my reasoning.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

Makes about 22 cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 2 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 Tbsp. unsulfured molasses
• 4 eggs, room temp
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with liners. Mix together flour and spices.
2. In an electric mixture, beat butter and sugar on high until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the molasses, beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until each one is incorporated. Don't forget to scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla. 
3. Reduce speed to low. Slowly add flour mixture, beating until just combined.
4. Using an ice scream scoop, fill liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. While cupcakes cool, make buttercream.

White Chocolate Buttercream

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
• 12 oz. white chocolate (don't use chips, they have a waxy coating that will give the frosting a weird texture...look for a baking chocolate bar instead)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. milk

1. In a glass bowl, melt the white chocolate (I'm not gonna explain how to do this...you're an adult, you should know how by know). Let cool.
2. In an electric mixer, beat butter until pale and fluffy. Add cooled melted white chocolate. Mix to combine. 
3. Add powdered sugar to taste. It will be very sweet, so add in 1/2 cup increments to taste. Add vanilla and milk if it seems to thick.
4. Frost cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles.