Spiced Rum Gingerbread Cupcakes (Small Batch)
Satisfy your holiday sweet tooth with these spiced rum gingerbread cupcakes! This small batch recipe makes six soft, fluffy gingerbread cupcakes with spiced rum in both the batter and the frosting.
The only thing better than a holiday cupcake is a boozy holiday cupcake, and these spiced rum gingerbread cupcakes will win that competition all day! They’re fluffy, moist, and super flavorful, filled with rich molasses, nutty brown sugar, and tons of cozy winter spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, plus a splash of spiced rum. These cupcakes are topped with a classic American buttercream frosting that also includes a splash of rum for even more delicious, boozy holiday flavor. Whether you’re in charge of dessert for your next holiday party, or you just want a fun weekend baking project this season, these gingerbread cupcakes are the perfect recipe! Plus, it’s a small batch recipe that’s easily scalable, so you can make one small batch for a couple people, or scale it up to make dessert for a bigger crowd.
Here are some more cake and cupcake recipes you’ll love: Small Batch Red Velvet Cupcakes, Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, and Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Ingredients & Equipment
You’ll need the following ingredients and equipment to make these spiced rum gingerbread cupcakes:
- Cupcake pan
- Paper liners
- Cookie scoops
- Piping tips
- Piping bags
- Flour
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Egg
- Milk
- Spiced rum
- Unsulphured molasses
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Salt
Customize This Recipe!
There are a few different ways you can customize this recipe:
- Add a filling. Honestly, the options here are endless – jams, chocolate ganache, pudding, even peanut butter or caramel!
- Use your favorite frosting. I love this recipe’s classic frosting with a bit of rum added, but you could use a chocolate frosting or even a sweet cream cheese frosting, too!
Kitchen Tips:
- Utilize mise en place! Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin making this recipe – it will help save you time and keep you organized.
- If you want to omit the alcohol from this recipe, you can simply remove the rum from the batter and replace it with milk for the frosting!
FAQ
Yes! You can double this recipe to make a full batch of 12-14 cupcakes.
No – only use regular unsulphured molasses! Blackstrap molasses is rarely used in baking recipes because it’s extremely harsh and bitter, and it will make your cookies taste bitter instead of rich and sweet.
You can store these cupcakes in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
More cake and cupcake recipes:
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Spiced Rum Gingerbread Cupcakes (Small Batch)
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temp
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg room temp
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 tbsp spiced rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
For the frosting:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter room temp
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tsp spiced rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a cupcake pan with 6 liners.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt and mix together well. Set aside until use.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together until fully combined and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and beat until combined, then add the molasses, rum, and vanilla, beating on low to medium speed until fully combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then add in the milk and mix until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Divide the batter between the 6 paper liners (using a cookie scoop for even portions) and bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until it's smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix together until combined, then add the rum and vanilla extract, mixing again until combined.
For assembly:
- Add a piping tip and the frosting to a prepared piping bag, then pipe the frosting onto each cupcake. You can also simply frost the cupcakes with a knife or an offset spatula.
- Garnish with a dusting of cinnamon or any other toppings you'd like before serving.
Notes
- Utilize mise en place! Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin making this recipe – it will help save you time and keep you organized.
- If you want to omit the alcohol from this recipe, you can simply remove the rum from the batter and replace it with milk for the frosting!
- Add a filling. Honestly, the options here are endless – jams, chocolate ganache, pudding, even peanut butter or caramel!
- Use your favorite frosting. I love this recipe’s classic frosting with a bit of rum added, but you could use a chocolate frosting or even a sweet cream cheese frosting, too!
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