Love the taste of moist, spicy gingerbread? So do we, and these cupcakes capture the warm flavors of the season perfectly. The frosting is a meringue buttercream that sets up the candied ginger bits beautifully.

Prep Time: 15-18 minutes, cook time: 20 minutes, servings: 12

Ingredients
Cupcakes
11/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 eggs, beaten
11/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
21/2teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
2–3 tablespoons milk
Frosting
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
2 sticks unsalted butter,
softened and cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. To make the cupcakes, in a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and syrup until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, mixing well after each addition and occasionally scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Gradually add to the egg mixture along with milk. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared tin. Bake 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To prepare the frosting, put sugar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until it reaches 140F on a candy thermometer. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture has doubled in volume and forms stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 minutes. Gradually add butter to the cooled meringue, beating constantly, until smooth. Fold in cinnamon. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size round tip. Pipe generous swirls onto each cooled cupcake and sprinkle candied ginger on top.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

11/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 eggs, beaten

11/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

21/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

2–3 tablespoons milk

Frosting

1 cup sugar

3 egg whites

2 sticks unsalted butter,

softened and cut into pieces

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. To make the cupcakes, in a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and syrup until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, mixing well after each addition and occasionally scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Gradually add to the egg mixture along with milk. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared tin. Bake 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. To prepare the frosting, put sugar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until it reaches 140F on a candy thermometer. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture has doubled in volume and forms stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 minutes. Gradually add butter to the cooled meringue, beating constantly, until smooth. Fold in cinnamon. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size round tip. Pipe generous swirls onto each cooled cupcake and sprinkle candied ginger on top.

Excerpted from Holiday Cupcakes, by Annie Rigg, published by Ryland Peters & Small, copyright © 2010.