Gingerbread Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Recipe courtesy of "The Cupcake Diaries"

Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 3 tbsp. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups molasses
- 1 cup hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a muffin pan.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients, except for the brown sugar, and set aside. 
3. Cream together butter and brown sugar with a mixer on high speed, 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs on at a time, beating slowly after each addition.  Add the molasses, mixing until well incorporated.
4. Add one third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water and mix thoroughly.  Repeat.  Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed.  Add the last third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water, and mix thoroughly.
5. Scoop the batter into the muffin pan.
6. Bake at 350F for 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

I made "The Cupcake Diaries" Vanilla Buttercream and added a little cinnamon to it.

Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. salt

Combine the ingredients with a mixer and whip together at high speed until light and airy, approx. 3 to 5 minutes.

Enjoy!