Vegan Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Spiced gingerbread cupcakes with a sweet and tangy cream cheese icing, perfect for a treat over the Christmas holidays!

I have had these cupcakes on my list for years and I wanted to get them just right. I may have gone overboard with the gingerbread flavours this year, but I have zero regrets, as for me gingerbread is essential at Christmas time. These cupcakes are  packed full of ginger and cinnamon, they're fluffy and moist and the cream cheese icing marries those spices perfectly. I drizzled a velvety caramel sauce on top for a little sweetness and some texture, then topped each cupcake with a mini gingerbread man. All in all, these cupcakes are the epitome of Christmas, perfect for sharing around the dessert table and also a really fun activity to do over the holidays if you're looking for some baking. 

If you love Gingerbread and Christmas baking....

Check out these recipes for more inspiration!

• Gingerbread Brownies
• Gingerbread Men Biscuits
• Gingerbread Molasses Cookies

Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes + 1hour for the icing

Cook: 18 minutes

Serves: 12 cupcakes

Notes:

• I find Oatly to be the best brand for vegan cream cheese as I have found that other vegan cream cheeses are more watery and do not create a thick consistency for an icing. 
• I really recommend storing the cream cheese icing in the fridge for 1 hour before piping onto the cupcakes as it will firm up and help create a nice swirl. If you are short on time you can simply spread the icing with a palette knife instead of piping. 

Ingredients

• Cupcakes
• 200g Plain flour
• 180g Soya milk + 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar 
• 120g Dark brown sugar
• 60g Treacle 
• 70g Butter. melted
• 1 tbsp Ginger
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ tsp Ground cloves
• ¼ tsp Allspice
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• Icing
• 150g Butter, room temp
• 70g Cream cheese 
• 350g Icing sugar
• Optional
• Caramel 
• 12 mini gingerbread men

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170℃ and grease and line a cupcake tray with cases.
2. In a jug mix together the soya milk and apple cider vinegar to create a 'buttermilk', leave for 5 minutes.
3. Melt the butter and mix in a large bowl with the sugar and treacle until combined. 
4. In a separate bowl combine the flour with the dry ingredients then mix in the wet ingredients into a batter.
5. Spoon about 2 ½ tbsp of the batter into 12 cupcake cases and then bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack. 
6. Meanwhile make the cream cheese icing. Beat the butter until smooth then mix in the cream cheese until just combined - don't overman as it will start to become more fluid. 
7. Add the icing sugar gradually and then place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up. I find it best to do this so that the icing is firmer for piping but you can skip this if short on time. 
8. When the cupcakes are cool enough and the icing is firm, spoon the icing into a piping bag with a star tip and pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake. 
9. Drizzle some caramel on top if using, and then top each cupcake with a gingerbread man. Store in the fridge to keep the icing firm or serve straight away. Enjoy!

Christina

xx