Gingerbread cupcakes with lemon yogurt icing

by ysolda on November 17, 2007

DSCF6280.JPG

I love gingerbread in all its forms, but cupcakes are the cutest of cakes and the sweet, spicy gingerbread goes wonderfully with this slightly sharp icing. This recipe should make about 12 muffin sized cupcakes, but I used shallower fairy cake type cases (is that distinction at all meaningful outside the UK?) and ended up with one extra large cupcake baked in a ramekin. Bonus! You can also go the more traditional route and bake it in a 900g / 2lb loaf tin.

Ingredients

115g / 4oz light muscavado sugar – this is my go to sugar for almost all baking, but you really need its richness in this recipe
85g / 3oz butter
170g / 6oz molasses or black treacle – I know that molasses is healthier (it’s less refined) and it’s easy enough to find here but it doesn’t come in the wonderful red tins that Lyle’s black treacle come in so in this case ending up with a pretty tin to keep things in wins over nutrition.
8oz plain flour – I use light brown flour, which is essentially half wholemeal half white, I think that balance gives the best flavour in most cakes but you can use what you like.
1 tsp bicarbonate soda / baking soda (exactly the same thing, just the UK / US naming)
2 eggs
150ml / 5 fl oz milk – I used oat milk
spices – the recipe I based this on used 1 tbsp of ground ginger and 1 tsp of mixed spice. I had no mixed spice, so I substituted cinnamon and after adding 1 tbsp of ginger I tasted the mixture. I could barely taste the ginger so I just kept adding more until it tasted good. All in all that was about 4-5 tbsp, but I love ginger. Tasting as you go is probably wise. At that point I decided it was gingery enough, but needed more of a kick so I through in a tsp of mild chili powder. I think the resulting flavour is wonderful, but I haven’t tested it on anyone else yet.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees c, 325 degrees f, gas mark 3.
Melt the butter, sugar and molasses or treacle. Mix the dry ingredients together, make a well in the centre and pour in the melted mixture and the eggs and milk. Beat well and pour into paper cases – the mixture will be pretty runny so I found that this was easiest with a measuring jug. Bake for about 20 minutes, until well risen and firm. A big cake should take 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hours. Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
DSCF6277.JPG

Icing
Mix the zest and half the juice of a lemon in a bowl with a tbsp of Greek yogurt. Beat in icing sugar until it’s the right consistency and pipe onto cakes.

Enjoy!

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

Katrina November 17, 2007 at 11:14 pm

Hi, I just wanted to say I love your blog and your designs. I wish I had an apartment like yours, it’s so beautiful. Your cooking and baking are really inspiring, I’m baking some Focaccia with Rosemary and onions right now. I’m also knitting the lace-up opera gloves. Are you still doing the Holiday card exchange this year?

Reply

Vanessa (Australia) November 18, 2007 at 12:41 am

Hi Ysolda,

I was so pleased to see your post on the gingerbread cupcakes today!! They put a little smile in my heart :-)

Years ago (when I used to bake a lot more) – I made this gorgeously rich and superdark ginger treacle cake – but it was one of those ethereal things – I made it three times (one of which I remember was eaten on a picnic in the grounds of this tiny little chapel called Mt Schoenstatt, an exact replica of the same shrine in Germany – so quiet and magical), then completely couldn’t remember how I had made it. Silly me had made up the recipe and forgotten to write it down properly.

Yay for gingerbread!! And that little bit of chilli powder at the end that you added is a nice touch to bring out the ginger flavour. Kudos to you, Ysolda!

Reply

Becky-Dee Trevenen November 18, 2007 at 12:42 am

I love gingerbread too! I will certainly be trying this recipe.

Reply

gleek November 18, 2007 at 2:05 am

mmmm, this looks scrumptious! i may have to make this for my knitting group’s holiday party! :)

Reply

Jessica November 18, 2007 at 5:13 am

Your blog always makes me so darn hungry! :)

Reply

April November 18, 2007 at 6:16 am

That is SUCH a good idea for icing! It sounds delicious and healthy. I’ll have to try this soon.

Reply

Phoe November 18, 2007 at 3:16 pm

*eating gingersnaps* Oooh, I’ll have to try those, I love gingerbread. Or just ginger in general. :)

Reply

jo November 18, 2007 at 3:20 pm

oh my god these look sooooo, yummy!! i love ginger. i never bake but ill have to try out someof these! thanks!

Reply

Heidi November 18, 2007 at 4:14 pm

Hi Ysolda- just wanted to say I think you and your designs are beautiful! The photo of Elijah from the side, in the subway station (?) is super cute and made me smile.

I must have missed it, but could you tell me what pattern you are using for the lovely blue shawl – is it ‘travelling vines’?

Have a great day!

Reply

Philippa November 18, 2007 at 10:10 pm

They look amazing! I love the idea of adding chili powder to gingerbread, and I’d never thought of icing with it but yoghurt and lemon sound wonderful. Thank you Ysolda.

Reply

Liz November 20, 2007 at 1:06 pm

Yum! I know what I’ll be baking for my pot-luck lunch on Thursday! btw – did you mean “goat milk”?

Reply

Gurin November 21, 2007 at 8:49 am

The distinction of the smaller sized muffin forms didn’t make that much sense, but from the picture I could tell that those are the most common muffin cases for home cooking here in Norway. Those large American and British muffins that we get in the stores are sometimes hard to finish in one sitting! ;o)

I’ll be testing your recipe after I’ve finished my exams in a week – and while enjoying them, I think I have to cast on one of your fabulous stuffies! I’ll be back for more inspiration!

Reply

alexandra December 7, 2007 at 4:04 pm

Thanks for the US directions. I can’t wait to try them! My little girl is obsessed with gingerbread these days.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: