Making Life so Much Breader

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Okay, we all know I’m like, really into Halloween, super into November because pumpkin everything, but then there’s Christmas…I have a love/hate relationship with this holiday because each year it seems to come earlier and earlier. Hobby Lobby is putting up Christmas decorations in July, Christmas ads start in August/September, and Christmas music is in department stores in October…there are some prime holidays (even one devoted entirely to FOOD) between summer and winter, yet here we are. The only reason I don’t go full Grinch is because Christmas is another prime baking holiday, so, season’s eatings and whatnot. Gingerbready or not, Christmas baking has commenced.

I have been longing for gingerbread but trying to figure out an easy, quick, and most importantly, gluten free recipe for a season or two. I am so glad I finally took the polar plunge and made these cupcakes. The ginger gives a nice little bite, the cinnamon and nutmeg give that rich flavor gingerbread is famous for, and oh my gosh these are the SOFTEST, FLUFFIEST cupcakes I have ever made in my life; which is weird because molasses is very thick and heavy, so I was worried they would be little gingerbricks. Happy to report the flavor turned out tree-mendously. These are topped in a whipped cream cheese frosting that is also light and fluffy, and cream cheese just belongs with gingerbread cakes and cupcakes in my humble opinion (just kidding, my opinion is not humble, it’s more Bumble because it is abominable and prone to roaring). Did I also mention these are macro-friendly? Because this is dessert season after all, and the only thing we want fluffy this time of the year is snow. Each cupcake is only 174 calories for 24 cupcakes total.

To make these snappy little ginger babies, you need:

• 1 box Pillsbury gluten free yellow cake
• 3 eggs
• 70 grams (1/3 cup) unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup of fat free milk

I preheated my brand new oven to 350 (using my phone…I scoffed at having a *smart oven* but knew it was a good resale point when we move, and now I’m obsessed with using my phone to start my oven. Hi, I’m basic). I mixed all my ingredients together on low for 30 seconds before switching to medium-high on my stand mixer for 2 minutes. I put cupcake liners into two muffin tins before evenly distributing the batter and baking at 350 for 19 minutes. Always let your cupcakes rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely on a cooling rack. I actually froze half of these because try as I might (and oh, she might), I can’t eat two dozen cupcakes before they go stale. They thawed out beautifully!

Now, let’s top these gingery little morsels with fluffy frosting! I recommend chilling your mixing bowl for at least 30 minutes to ensure your frosting whips up properly. To make the frosting, you need:

• 226 grams (8 ounces ) 1/3 the fat cream cheese, COLD
• 192 grams (1 cup) granulated Lakanto
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 360 mL (1 1/2 cups) heavy whipping cream, COLD
• Gel dyes in light blue and green
• Christmas sprinkle mixes (mine are from Wilton)

Start with the paddle attachment on your stand mixer and mix the cream cheese for a minute until smooth; then add in the Lakanto and vanilla, mixing until things come together for a minute or so. Switch to the whisk attachment, and while the mixer is running on medium-high, slowly pour heavy cream into the bowl (this should take about 1 minute) and mix for 2 minutes until stiff peaks form. Split up the frosting into two bowls, and dye a portion of this frosting light blue to use as the background color. Keep all of the frosting in the fridge until you’re ready to top the cupcakes. This is definitely a frosting that needs to stay cold to keep its shape, so keep that in mind.

You can go ahead and apply a thin layer of blue frosting to the top of each cupcake; the flip and freeze method doesn’t really work for this type of frosting, so just get things nice and smooth with an angled spatula. To make the trees, you will need a #103 or #104 petal tip and a whole bunch of really cute sprinkles.

Once you’ve frosted the tops of all your cupcakes, you can dye the remaining frosting green. If you find the frosting is getting thin after you dye it, just pop it back into the fridge to firm back up for 30 minutes. To make the trees, place some green frosting into a piping bag with a petal tip. Take a cupcake, and with the large side of the tip pointing down, drag ribbons slowly back and forth, starting small, and making each ribbon line a little wider as you go down to pipe a tree (so think of piping back in forth in a triangular motion).

Then all you have to do is add sprinkles for ornaments, and don’t forget a star or snowflake sprinkle for a tree topper. You know, adding one on top is super complimen-tree to the overall cupcake aesthetic. I did half my cupcakes decorated as trees, and the other half as very festive Christmas wreaths.

These wreaths are probably the easiest way to decorate a cupcake ever. Switch the tip on your piping bag to a #32 open star tip (or another open star tip in close size). Simply pipe little stars all around the edge of the cupcake to make a circle.

Then, all you need to do is add in little leaf sprinkles and various other holiday sprinkles to make the wreaths look however you like.

Truly, these are a quick, fun, and easy way to decorate holiday cupcakes. I’ve been feeling way less Grinchy since whipping these beauties up, but it’s hard to hate Christmas when you’re full of gingerbread. It’s like Zoloft in food form. Soft, springy cakes with that gingerbread spice…warms up my insides and defrosts my tiny little heart. I love pairing it with a lighter whipped cream cheese frosting even more than a traditional cream cheese; it isn’t as sweet, so the frosting doesn’t overpower the gingerbread flavor with sweetness. I could go on about how amazing these cupcakes are, ya know, snow on and snow forth. Instead, go whip up a batch to create your own little Christmas baking oasis. You can share…Santa would probably frown upon not sharing, but if you’re old enough to buy your own Christmas presents, you do you. ‘Til next time, my fellow eaters!

Recipe and Instructions