Boozy Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple-Cashew Frosting
If you ask me, gingerbread isn’t just for the Christmas season. The warming flavors are perfect all winter long and since we’re at the very beginning of the winter season I think it’s safe to say that these cupcakes will be on repeat for the foreseeable future. The addition of a little bourbon in the cupcake batter was a lovely touch and made these taste extra special. We’re buried under quite a bit of snow at the farm right now and these tasty treats have been a wonderful afternoon snack with a cup of coffee. They’ll warm you from the inside out and make these long and cold days of winter a little more bearable. I topped our cupcakes with one of my favorite maple-cashew frostings (that I’ve featured on the blog before) but decided to add a touch of bourbon to the mix too because, why the heck not? The result is a rich, creamy and pungent frosting that is “lick the bowl” delicious and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do. If you’re not into the cashew frosting idea feel free to use your favorite buttercream or cream cheese frosting recipe but add a touch of maple syrup and bourbon to your mix.
For folks who can’t handle dairy, you could try the cupcake batter recipe using ghee or even a neutral tasting oil instead of the butter. Please note that I haven’t tried the recipe either way but if you’re looking for a dairy free version that’s just a suggestion. And if you do make it sans butter please let me know in the comments below!
Cheers to a long winter full of sweet treats, good company and a splash of bourbon every now and again.
Boozy Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple-Cashew Frosting
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 16 cupcakes
Maple-Cashew Frosting- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoons bourbon (or a touch more for a stronger flavor)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup light molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1/3 cup bourbon
- 1 cup cold water
Preparation
- Prepare the frosting by draining the soaked cashews and adding them, along with the rest of the ingredients, to a high speed blender or food processor. Whirl away on the highest setting until completely smooth and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 16 standard size muffin cups and set to the side.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt together.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl to blend. Add the eggs and beat until well incorporated. Add the molasses and continue to mix until blended. Add half of the dry ingredients, beating until blended. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then gradually add the bourbon and water. Beat until well incorporated. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center cupcake. About 22-25 minutes.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. When they're cool to the touch use a spatula to spread the "frosting" onto each cupcake.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days.
Notes
*Cooking times will very from kitchen to kitchen *Store extra frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days
These are amazing! I usually prefer baking recipes that avoid using my mixer (I don’t even know why, it’s just a tendency I noticed), but these were well worth it! I think my muffin tins are smaller, because the recipe made almost twice as many cupcakes, which was a nice surprise. The frosting is so delicious that I had to make a second batch to ensure we had enough for all the cupcakes. Thank you!
I didn’t have almond milk so i used homemade whole milk yogurt in the frosting, and then rum instead of bourbon. Added a sprinkling of cinnamon on top for decor. So great. I’m truly hooked on your blog and can’t wait to keep baking your treats.
your substitutions sound fabulous. And honestly, the next time I make these I’ll make them with dairy instead of plant based just to see the difference. Happy baking!!
Hi Andrea-I just found you today and subscribed. I’m wanting to add more tasty plant based recipes and LOVE that this isn’t about a vegetarian diet per se, but about love and exploration of vegetables! I’m making your artichoke/leek soup this week.
QUESTION- can I sub a gluten-free flour mix in this recipe? It would be great IF you could notate a substitution for wheat flour, but I realize you’d have to make it that way also to know … thank you!