Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

These are little bite-size cupcakes, pretty to look at as well as eat, and the well known pairing of lemon and ginger complement each other perfectly.

recipe adapted from Cakes & Bakes from My Mother's Kitchen.

makes about 10-12 cupcakes, depending on the size of your tin and cupcake cases.

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter

50g light soft brown sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

2 tbsp molasses/black treacle

1 tsp ground ginger

80ml whole milk

1 egg, beaten

2 pieces stem ginger in syrup (or crystallized ginger as I used), drained and chopped

115g self-raising flour

Frosting:

2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

180g confectioner's sugar, sifted

2-3 pieces stem ginger, drained and chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170 C/325 F.

Put the butter, sugar, syrup, molasses and ground ginger in a saucepan and heat gently until melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the milk, then beat in the egg and stem ginger. 

Pour the mixture into a large bowl and sift in the flour. Fold in until well combined.

Spoon the mixture into paper cases (lining a 12-hole cupcake tin) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

For the frosting, pour the lemon juice into a bowl. Gradually sift in the confectioner's sugar, stirring as you go until the consistency becomes thick, smooth and spreadable.  Spoon the frosting over the cakes and arrange a few pieces of the ginger on each one. Leave to set before serving. The cupcakes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days.


Enjoy!