Moist and fluffy homemade gingerbread latte cupcakes with silky cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle! A fun and festive dessert to whip up for the holidays!

It took us a bit to get fully setup for Christmas this year. A few weeks back, we went to setup our tree and a bunch of the lights wouldn’t turn on. We tried pinpointing specific bulbs being the culprit without any luck. A 15 year old tree that only needed lights restrung once? We definitely got out moneys worth from that tree and I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of restringing the tree a few years after the last time the lights stopped working. So…instead of waiting weeks for lights to be delivered and deal with the madness that comes with restringing a tree, we bought a new and bigger tree! Yay! The guy at Home Depot was amused by our choice – given the size and weight of the tree. Once setup, we were laughing at how big it is in comparison to our old tree. It works perfectly in the space it’s in, but this one requires a tall step stool or a bar stool to stand on to work on. A ladder would truly be easier but also more of a nuisance so we’ll stick with the easier and lighter solutions. It took some adjusting to but I’m totally in love. I’m not sure if it’s the actual tree or just having the glow in the room again. It always seems to dark when the tree is gone, so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

In other Christmas news… we burned our letters to Santa this year! I know… that sounds completely crazy. But, one of my kiddos read that it’s a great way to get your letters to Santa. And since we’re not venturing into stores to simply drop off letters in Santa mailboxes this year… a fire was a fun way to still enjoy the magic. The kids all fully enjoyed throwing their letters in the fire and are hoping it works. We’ll see! It’s possible this will become a new tradition. It’s always funny how new traditions start and most of the time we can’t remember how things got started. This one will be obvious… a very 2020 reason but something fun and magical to come out of it.

In food news… These cupcakes!

I’d been dreaming of making these gingerbread latte cupcakes for a while. A fun twist on a classic holiday drink but even more delicious in cupcake form! I’d rather eat my gingerbread than drink it. If you’re a fan of gingerbread but not coffee, don’t worry… it’s more gingerbread flavor and less coffee, but just enough to add that something extra to a spiced gingerbread treat. I’m not a huge coffee fan, except for ice cream, but it works beautifully in desserts! A perfect blend of flavors. Sweet, savory, maybe salty (that depends on your caramel sauce)… beautifully balanced.

Moist and fluffy homemade gingerbread latte cupcakes with silky cream cheese frosting and a drizzle of caramel sauce. The caramel sauce is optional but totally recommended for that extra special touch.

Flavor packed, sticky, gooey holiday amazingness. That’s truly the best way to describe these cupcakes. They are fantastic the same day they’re baked and quite possibly even better on day 2… if they last that long!

If you’re a fan of gingerbread treats, be sure to add these to the top of your holiday baking plans this season!


Tips tricks and questions answered…

Can I make this into a cake instead?
This should work well as an 8 or 9-inch cake. You’ll want to check your bake time, as it may vary from the cupcake bake time listed below.

I don’t like cream cheese frosting. What else can I make?
No worries! Cream cheese frosting isn’t for everyone. Here are a few fun frosting alternatives to cream cheese:

Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light brown?
Yes! It will give a bolder flavor, but should work just fine as a 1:1 swap.

What caramel sauce can I use?
You can whip up a batch of super easy homemade 5-minute microwave caramel sauce! Store bought caramel sauce will work as well, be sure to have it only slightly above room temperature and pourable. In a pinch, you can also use pourable caramel sauce for ice cream.

Does it matter what coffee I use?
Stick to a coffee that doesn’t have an added flavor. You want the gingerbread and coffee to be the star in this recipe.

Can I make substitutions to the ingredients?
Yes and no. Baking is a science. This recipe works with the exact measurements listed. Altering one or several of those can cause the recipe to fail. If you’re familiar with baking substitutions, go for it! Outside of any alterations I’ve already mentioned, for specific substitution questions, ask in the comments below.

How many will this serve?
This recipe will serve 9, as it makes 9 standard sized cupcakes.

How should this be stored?
Store at room temperature for up to several days in an airtight container. It may also be stored in the refrigerator and eaten chilled or brought to room temperature prior to serving.

What piping tip did you use?
A jumbo closed star piping tip was used for this recipe.

Moist and fluffy homemade gingerbread latte cupcakes with silky cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle! Recipe from @bakedbyrachel A fun and festive dessert to whip up for the holidays!
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Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 9
Moist and fluffy homemade gingerbread latte cupcakes with silky cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle! A fun and festive dessert to whip up for the holidays!

Ingredients
 

Cupcakes

  • 1/4 C unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 C light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/3 C molasses
  • 1/3 C unsweetened coffee
  • 1 1/4 C all purpose flour

Frosting

  • 6 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 C unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 C powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • Caramel sauce

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with 9 liners. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape bowl as needed. Add spices, salt and baking soda, followed by molasses. Mix until just combined. Alternate additions of flour and coffee. Mix until fully combined and no streaks remain.
  • Divide batter equally between prepared liners, using a large cookie scoop. Liners should be roughly 2/3 full.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Do not over bake. Cool in pan until easy to handle. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • When cupcakes have cooled completely, prepare frosting. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in butter, mixing until just combined. Add in vanilla. Add powdered sugar in small batches, mixing well between additions. Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fit with a piping tip. Pipe as desired. If desired, drizzle with caramel sauce.
  • Store cupcakes in an airtight container for up to several days or chill in the refrigerator. bring cupcakes to room temperature prior to eating.

Notes

A jumbo closed star piping tip was used for this recipe.
An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

Nutrition

Calories: 468kcal, Carbohydrates: 76g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 268mg, Potassium: 257mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 61g, Vitamin A: 600IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Snap a picture and tag @bakedbyrachel on Instagram!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Cupcake

More winter dessert recipes to try:

Moist and fluffy homemade gingerbread latte cupcakes with silky cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle! Recipe from @bakedbyrachel A fun and festive dessert to whip up for the holidays!

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