Indulgent Cranberry Gingerbread Cupcakes – Frosted or Filled

Cupcakes for all this holiday season

There’s so much versatility when it comes to cupcakes and this is true for our cranberry gingerbread cupcakes. They are super easy to make and you don’t have to worry about trying to do a crumb coat and frosting one big surface (something I’m still trying to nail down). We love making cupcake towers in place of cakes for celebrations. You don’t have to spend time cutting the cake and distributing it to your guests. We’ve done these for my husband and son’s birthday. The best part is watching everyone be able to eat the same thing despite allergies and enjoy it in the process.

We are big fans of gingerbread AND cranberry sauce. We had so much cranberry sauce left over from Thanksgiving that we wanted to do more than just spoon it onto our dishes. If you’re looking for more ideas on what to do with your extra cranberry sauce or you just want to make these because you’re a fan of these flavors, look no further. Check out the below recipes! We’ve also made a cranberry simple syrup for this cranberry thyme Moscow mule too.

Need an excuse to make more cranberry sauce?

This quick recipe will have you sneaking bites of gingerbread cake and licking cranberry sauce frosting any chance you can get. If you make a double-batch of these, you can make cupcakes with the first dozen and our cranberry gingerbread cake balls too.

1. Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃ and gather ingredients. For the cake, start by beating the butter, olive oil, and brown sugar in a bowl with a standing mixer or large bowl and handheld mixer on low until just incorporated. Add one egg first, beat, and then add the next. Beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
   
   
   
2. In a separate bowl, sift our tiger nut all-purpose flour or (if you don’t have to worry about gluten/grain allergies) all-purpose flour with the corn starch. By combining these two, we are making a cake flour! Cake flour contributes to the fluffy texture we often want in cakes. Sifting the flour helps reduce lumps and better distribute the corn starch. Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and clove.
   
3. Time to combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients but read this first! We are going to alternate between adding the flour mixture and buttermilk a little at a time to the wet ingredients and then mix with a spatula. Do not use the standing mixer or handheld mixer! By doing it this way, you can avoid over-mixing, which can cause a dense cake. If you need to make buttermilk, you can add 1 TBSP lemon juice to 1 Cup whole milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
   
   
   
4. Pour batter into a cupcake liners and bake for 18 minutes. Use a toothpick to insert in the center and remove. If the batter is still runny, bake for two more minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely once done.
   
   
   
5. There are a few options you can choose from when it comes to frosting or filling:
   
   1) You can insert a paring knife about ¾ths deep from the top to cut out the core of the cupcake and create a well for the filling. Spoon about ½ TBSP of cranberry sauce into the cupcake. You can pipe buttercream frosting on top. TIP: If you need to create stiffer buttercream peaks, you can add ¼ cup powdered sugar and frosting into a standing mixer bowl and mix until you see it hold more shape (but not too stiff or it will harden and dry).
   
   
   
   
   2) OR you can spoon about 1/2 of the tub of frosting into a standing mixer. Add ¼ cup of powdered sugar. Mix until just incorporated. From here, you can either spoon this into a piping bag. Pipe around the edges of the cupcake and spoon cranberry sauce into the center.
   
   
   3) OR you can add the cranberry sauce into the standing mixer bowl that has the frosting. You can take a fork and swirl the sauce around until you have a marbled look. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag and pipe a swirl onto the cupcakes. Serve and enjoy your cranberry gingerbread cupcakes!
   
   

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Cranberry Gingerbread Cupcakes – Frosted or Filled

Don't let that cake or cupcakes go to waste! Here's an awesome handheld treat to give to your little ones or at your next gathering. Sweet hints of tart cranberry with all the holiday feels of gingerbread spices are rolled up into these cranberry gingerbread cake balls. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we will receive a commission if you make a purchase through those links at no extra cost to you. 

Servings 12 Cupcakes

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 53 minutes mins

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Equipment

• 1 Standing mixer or large bowl with handheld mixer
• 12 mold cupcake pan
• 1 Rubber spatula
• 1 Large bowl
• 1 Whisk
• 12 Cupcake liners
• 1 Piping bag
• 1 Paring Knife

Ingredients

  

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• Ingredients for the Cake:
• 1/4 Cup Unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/4 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 Cup Light brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 TBSP Vanilla extract
• 20 TBSP Tiger nut all-purpose flour or all-purpose flour (A little less than 1.5 cups)
• 4 TBSP Corn starch
• 1/2 TBSP Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 1/4 tsp Clove
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 2/3 Cup Buttermilk at room temperature
• Ingredients for the Frosting:
• 1 Tub Vanilla buttercream storebought
• 1/2 Cup Cranberry sauce

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃
• Beat the butter, olive oil, and brown sugar in a bowl with a standing mixer or large bowl and handheld mixer on low until just incorporated
• Add one egg first, beat, and then add the next
• Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Set aside
• Sift the tiger nut all-purpose or all-purpose flour with the corn starch into a separate bowl
• Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and clove
• Time to combine but read this first! We are going to alternate between adding the flour mixture and buttermilk a little at a time to the wet ingredients and then mix with a spatula. Do not use the standing mixer or handheld mixer! If you need to make buttermilk, you can add 1 TBSP lemon juice to 1 Cup whole milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Add cupcake liners to the cupcake pan
• Pour batter into each cupcake mold and bake for 18 minutes. Use a toothpick to insert in the center and remove. If the batter is still runny, bake for two more minutes
• Allow the cupcakes to cool, for approximately 10 minutes. While the cupcakes are cooling you can prepare the frosting.
• There are a few options to incorporate the cranberry sauce.

  1) You can use a paring knife and insert it just off the center of the cupcake. Cutting around in a circle about ¾th deep into the cupcake until the core comes out and you're left with a well in the middle. You can spoon about ½ TBSP of cranberry sauce into that hole. You can pipe buttercream frosting on top. TIP: If you need to create stiffer buttercream peaks, you can add ¼ cup powdered sugar and frosting into a standing mixer bowl and mix until you see it hold more shape (but not too stiff or it will harden a bit).
• 2) You can spoon about 1/2 of the tub of frosting into a standing mixer. Add ¼ cup of powdered sugar. Mix until just incorporated. From here, you can either spoon this into a piping bag and pipe around the edges of the cupcake and spoon cranberry sauce into the center. Or you can add the cranberry sauce into the standing mixer bowl that has the frosting. You can take a fork and swirl the sauce around until you have a marbled look. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag and pipe swirl onto the cupcakes.
• Serve and enjoy!

Author: Relatable Ladle

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Allergy-friendly, Autumn, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Winter

Did you make These cranberry gingerbread Cupcakes?

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