Vegan Gingerbread Cupcakes

Dec 16, 2014

4.83 from 51 votes

| 125 Comments

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It's beginning to look a lot like deliciousness, everywhere you go! (Sung in brilliantly, gorgeous, singing voice, of course).

These Vegan Gingerbread Cupcakes are my new favourites. Rich, Christmas spices, a moist and chewy cake, making that perfect gingerbread texture (in my not so humble opinion). All topped with a salted caramel gingerbread frosting. Let's say that again, salted caramel gingerbread frosting. I mean really, is there anything else you need in life? A spoon maybe?

This recipe took some serious work in the kitchen. Serious = lots ofbatter eating.You might have seen my sunken cupcake attempt on Instagram or Facebook, but not to worry, I figured it out. The secret? Three tips!

Preheat your oven, no last minute warm ups. Some older ovens can take a long time to heat up properly.
Don't over mix your batter! You will kill all those lovely fluffy bubbles you need.
No peeking! Once those cupcakes are in the oven, I absolutely forbid you to open that oven door until the 20 minute mark.

Three tips to this deliciousness. Just look at these babies,how can you resisttaking an enormous, frosting covered bite out of these gorgeous Vegan Gingerbread Cupcakes?

To make vegan gingerbread cupcakes:

Let's get baking! In a largebowl, whisk the dry ingredients. Then in another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients.

Pour the wet into dry and mix until just combined. Make sure to give that batter a taste because you won't be sorry.

Divide the batter among12 cucpake liners.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Wait until completely cooled to frost.

Beat all the frosting ingredients together until fluffy and delicious.

Add a big 'ol dollop of frosting on top, and devour.

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

4.83 from 51 votes

(click stars to vote)

These cupcakes are my new favourites. Rich, moist and chewy cake, making that perfect gingerbread texture. All topped with a salted caramel gingerbread frosting.

Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 25 minutes mins
Total: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cupcakes

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Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
▢ ½ cup brown sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ½ teaspoon ginger
▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Wet ingredients:

▢ ½ cup fancy molasses
▢ ½ cup plant-based milk, such as soy or almond
▢ ⅓ cup light oil,, such as canola vegetable
▢ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting:

▢ ½ cup vegan butter
▢ ½ cup vegetable shortening
▢ 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
▢ ¼ cup molasses
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons salt
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ ½ teaspoon ginger
▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
▢ 1 tablespoon plant-based milk, such as soy or almond

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners, or lightly grease the pan.
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together.Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until just combined. Don't over mix!Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake liners.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
To make the frosting, use a mixer or hand beater to mix all the frosting ingredients together until light and fluffy.Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Nutrition

Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Insta and let the world see just how amazing plant-based creations can be!

Author: Sam Turnbull
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Dessert

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Reader Interactions

Comments

JC says
November 24, 2023 at 1:41 pm

I didn't have fancy molasses and didn't have time to order it, so I experimented: I did 1/4 c + 2T Grandma's unsulphered molasses and 2 T extra nondairy milk. Fantastic texture -- somehow very airy and light while also plenty moist. And the flavor was killer: just the right level of molasses intensity. I also used freshly ground cloves and freshly grated nutmeg, which always ups the ante. Definitely coming back to this site for my future cake recipes, because the texture of the sponge on this was the truly best I've ever made.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  November 26, 2023 at 9:55 pm
  That sounds terrific!
  Reply
Shannon Leigh says
September 12, 2023 at 2:38 pm

For the last two years I have been baking these cupcakes. I like them so much that I converted them to a cake and entered it in a state fair. Not only did I win a blue ribbon, I also one a Special Award rosette. This recipe is amazing and has been duly recognized by the Evergreen State Fair in Washington. Thank you!
Reply
Mailene says
December 21, 2022 at 12:21 pm
If I don't have a shortening, is there a substitute I can use? Please let me know. Thank you.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  December 22, 2022 at 8:25 pm
  Yes, you can use a plant-based butter in place of shortening.
  Reply
Michaela says
December 19, 2022 at 10:19 pm
I used earth balance as the butter in the frosting and it turned out disgustingly salty. The frosting was inedible and I had to try to remove it and replace with a plain buttercream. The cake itself was good.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  December 22, 2022 at 8:32 pm
  We're sorry that was your experience with the frosting. Earth Balance must be too salty, though they do carry unsalted butter.
  Reply
Annie says
November 18, 2022 at 6:16 pm

These cupcakes are super easy in my opinion and taste great! It’s easy to overcook the cupcakes so my advice is to start checking them after 20 minutes. Also, the frosting recipe is not quite right. Way too many spices in there - the measurements are the same as for the cake.
What I did my second time making these is add the teaspoon of cinnamon but then only dashes of the cloves and nutmeg. I did add the fourth cup of molasses, however, and it turned out fine. Next time I’d probably use less.
I also mixed the frosting in a kitchen aid so that I could whip it for a few minutes and before adding all the sugar, I whipped the wet ingredients and then slowly added the rest. It ended up mixing way easier. Mixing everything at once just doesn’t make sense to me and just makes a big mess.
All in all this is a recipe I’d recommend and I love making them for holidays!
Reply
- Annie says
  November 18, 2022 at 6:17 pm
  
  To clarify, the spice adjustments I made were only in the frosting. The cake I made exactly as directed!
  Reply
- Elizabeth Ocran says
  October 17, 2023 at 11:45 pm
  Hi there. I'm from the UK and we have a black syrup called black treacle. Would this be the same aa your molasses?
  See Also
  Gooey Caramel Turtle Bark Recipe
  Reply
Aimee B. says
September 24, 2021 at 3:12 pm

These are really lovely. I decided to make mini cupcakes, so I halved the recipe, which yielded 2 dozen. I used Grandma's mild flavor molasses and it worked perfectly. Even my hubby, a self proclaimed gingerbread hater, loved these. I got the oooooohs from him, lol! I didn't make the frosting. I just used some left over vanilla that I had to use up. I think it would be great with cream cheese frosting, too. Anyway, a definite keeper. Oh, and Sam, I would LOVE it if you'd consider a holiday cookbook. 🙂
Reply
Shannon Nielsen says
December 21, 2020 at 11:25 am

I was wondering this year what to make to drop off at friends and family for a holiday cheer. This was the perfect recipe.
I did not add the molasses to the cupcake batter but instead I add maple syrup! I have some fuss eaters. I also added half the molasses to the frosting and then add the other half maple syrup. I had read other comments and so I played it safe. If I was making them for I would have add all of it because I love the flavor of molasses. For the frosting I add no milk and a small pinch of salt, I wanted the frosting to be stiffer so I could pipe.
Everyone loved themmm soooo much! Thank thank you
Keep them coming!
Reply
Sally7 says
December 08, 2020 at 3:14 pm

I halved the molasses in both cupcakes and frosting since I could only find Grandma’s and it’s pretty strong for me. I subbed in more almond milk to make up for the liquid in the cake. The frosting was fine without additional liquid (I wanted to be able to pipe it, so I needed it pretty stiff). I also cut down on the salt in the frosting as some of the eaters-to-be aren’t big salt fans.
They were delicious—so light and fluffy and spicy. I made them in mini muffin pans (silicone), and they took about 13 minutes. Very cute and yummy. Thanks for the recipe, Sam!
Reply
Pela says
September 16, 2020 at 7:40 pm
Hello Sam! We enjoy your recipes so much! May I ask - how would this wonderful gingerbread recipe convert to cake form - either a round pan (or pans) or rectangular pan? What measurement would I need? Thanks so much! I’m excited to try this!
Reply
Millie says
December 27, 2019 at 5:13 pm

Thanks for the recipe! Which brand do you recommend for the regular molasses and the fancy molasses? I used Grandma's recipe and the frosting turned out a bit too salty and the cupcake actually a little smoky. Thank you, I'd love to try making these again!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 31, 2019 at 12:08 pm
  I use Crosby's fancy molasses. 🙂
  Reply
Kristen says
December 26, 2019 at 3:28 pm

I think the recipe is great but i think the molasses is too much. It all I tasted over anything else, and the cake wasnt very sweet either. I will try it again but reduces the molasses.
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 31, 2019 at 12:00 pm
  Did you use fancy molasses? Blackstrap molasses is stronger in flavour. You can read about different types of molasses here. Hope that helps!
  Reply
Buffy says
December 24, 2019 at 2:48 pm

I made these without cloves (too overpowering to me) for a dinner party tonight and I have to stop myself from eating too many! Gingerbread is not my usual dessert of choice but these are delicious!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 31, 2019 at 11:41 am
  Amazing!
  Reply
jonoave says
December 16, 2019 at 5:48 am

Forgot to rate them. - 4 / 5 stars.
Reply
jonoave says
December 16, 2019 at 5:47 am
I also just tried this recipe. Followed it almost exactly, and I agree with some commenters that think it's too sweet.
Guess I should have learned by now that American recipes tend to be on the sweeter side of things, and I should reduce the amount of sugar .
Other than that, the texture and the taste of the muffins were great!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 17, 2019 at 4:08 pm
  I'm Canadian (not American), but you can reduce the sugar if you like!
  Reply
Grace says
December 14, 2019 at 9:31 pm

Delicious cupcakes!! Everyone at my party loved them!
I did lessen the amount of molasses slightly (I used plain molasses) and I didn't add salt to the icing. Even though I used shortening the icing was still a little too soft. It tasted amazing though!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 17, 2019 at 4:01 pm
  Glad you enjoyed! Try reducing the non-dairy milk in the frosting for a stiffer frosting. 🙂
  Reply
Grace says
December 13, 2019 at 2:45 pm
Can I use regular molasses?
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 17, 2019 at 3:55 pm
  Yes, different types of molasses have different strengths so you can see how that might affect the taste here in this guide.
  Reply
Dominika says
December 04, 2019 at 2:14 pm

These cupcakes are heavenly! I made them today, they are slightly heavy on molasses, but I think this makes them taste like vintage Jamaican gingerbread. I run out of molasses so didn't add any to the frosting and only used dairy free butter (I didn't have shortening nor know what it is 😉 ) great recipe, thanks!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 06, 2019 at 11:39 am
  So happy you enjoyed!
  Reply
Lisa says
April 07, 2019 at 5:31 pm
Hi! I’m thinking of making these for the annual vegan bake sale I co-organize. I’m not a fan of salted caramel, though. Is there another kind of vegan icing you can suggest? I’m thinking vegan cream cheese might be good. It’d be great if it could stand up to heat, though, because this is an outdoor event. In Florida. (I know, yikes. Unfortunately, we have no say in the date.) Thanks!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  April 08, 2019 at 7:19 pm
  Hi Lisa, I have a vegan cream cheese frosting in my cookbook that would be great. It should stand up to a warm summer day decently well as long as they are kept in the shade. Hope that helps!
  Reply
  - Lisa says
    April 08, 2019 at 8:51 pm
    Cool, thank you!
Sergio says
February 13, 2019 at 10:24 am
This is the best gingerbread cake recipe I've ever made! Fluffy and moist and incredibly aromatic. I made some minor changes however: I halved the quantity of the soft brown sugar (I find that 3/4 of a cup of sweetener is sweet enough for any cake this size), I doubled the amount of ginger and I subbed a single teaspoon of white wine vinegar for the apple cider vinegar. This said, I do credit the huge success of my cake solely to you and you have my gratitude for sharing this amazing old-fashioned dessert!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  February 14, 2019 at 11:30 am
  So happy you enjoy it, Sergio 🙂
  Reply

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To make vegan gingerbread cupcakes:

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