We’re making delicious gingerbread cupcakes decorated to look like Santa Hats with red and white buttercream frosting! Perfect for a Christmas party!
How adorable are these Santa Hat Gingerbread Cupcakes?! I used one of my favorite gingerbread cupcake recipes, which is moist and very gingery. Then topped it with a smooth, whipped buttercream frosting for the jolly lil’ Santa hat!
The frosting is really just a super simple way to frost a holiday cupcake and who doesn’t like keeping it simple during the holiday rush?! I just loved this way of decorating because all you need is a piping bag, a few tips and some red dye for the cutest, most charming Santa hat ever. These Santa hat cupcakes will definitely be a holiday hit at parties this year!
How To Make These Gingerbread Cupcakes – Step By Step
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cupcake pan
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter, molasses, and sugar together until light and fluffy
- Add in the egg and continue to beat until incorporated
- In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients… flour, baking soda, spices, and salt
- In a wet measuring cup, combine the water and oil together
- Alternate the dry and wet ingredients into the butter mixture with the mixer on slow to medium
- Only beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides
- Fill cupcake liners halfway and bake in a 350 degree over for 20 minutes. Do not over bake
Gingery Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the butter and the sugar on high until light and fluffy
- Add in the ground ginger and vanilla extract and continue to beat
- Add in the whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is a nice, creamy consistency
- Beat on high, scraping down the sides of the bowl
- Remove ¼ of the frosting and set aside in a bowl to leave it white for the details on the hat.
- Add in 10 to 15 drops of red dye to the remaining frosting to get the desired red color you want
- Add both frosting colors (red and white) into separate piping bags to use to make the Santa hat
Santa Hats – An Easy Gingerbread Cupcake Topping!
To make the Santa hat, I cut a medium sized hole in the piping bag and them piped it in a round circle. You can also use a round piping tip, but make sure it’s big enough to give wide twist, kind of like a twisty ice cream cone!
Topping Your Frosting
For the snowball on the top of the hats of the gingerbread cupcakes, we used a tiny ball of white fondant. You can also use a mini-marshmallow or pipe a star dot, like the ones around the bottom of the hat.
Cupcake Wrappers For Your Gingerbread Cupcakes
I adore these cupcake wrappers and favor them over the standard cupcake paper. They’re thicker and just look a little more luxurious.
Why Do We Eat Gingerbread At Christmas?
Gingerbread has been around for thousands of years, since the times of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. During its early days, it was baked to be firm so that it could be used for religious ceremonial purposes.
The primary use of gingerbread was for religious purposes, through to the 17th century, when it finally became associated with Christmas holidays.
As the creation of religious icons — even in edible forms — was seen as a sacred and prestigious practice, European royalty of the time only permitted gingerbread to be prepared by specially trained gingerbread guild members except during Christmas and Easter.
Fast forward to nowadays and the connection still sticks, so why not enjoy some lovely gingerbread cupcakes!
Top Tips For Making These Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Use a preheated oven.
- Make sure butter is at room temp before mixing.
- Alternate dry and wet ingredients into the butter mix.
- Make sure to set some white frosting aside for the detail around the hat.
Check Out The Other Christmas Treats
10 Ways To Decorate Christmas Cookies
If you have tried this gingerbread cupcakes recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
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Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2½ cups flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
GINGERY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, powder sugar
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp whipping cream
- 10-15 drops red food coloring
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cupcake pan
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter, molasses, and sugar together until light and fluffy
- Add in the egg and continue to beat until incorporated
- In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients… flour, baking soda, spices, and salt
- In a wet measuring cup, combine the water and oil together
- Alternate the dry and wet ingredients into the butter mixture with the mixer on slow to medium
- Only beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides
- Fill cupcake liners halfway and bake in a 350 degree over for 20 minutes. Do not over bake
GINGERY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- Beat the butter and the sugar on high until light and fluffy
- Add in the ground ginger and vanilla extract and continue to beat
- Add in the whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is a nice, creamy consistency
- Beat on high, scraping down the sides of the bowl
- Remove ¼ of the frosting and set aside in a bowl to leave it white for the details on the hat.
- Add in 10 to 15 drops of red dye to the remaining frosting to get the desired red color you want
- Add both frosting colors (red and white) into separate piping bags to use to make the Santa hat
sara a says
so darling! going to make these for sure!
sharon says
Very charming!!! I love those cupcake wrappers! Merry Christmas!
Eden says
Thank you so much!!! Merry Christmas to you too!
GeneMae Reams says
Where can get recipes that see on sugar and charm I would like to sign up .
Eden says
Hi! We have a sign up box on our homepage and we send out one newsletter every week with recipes and little entertaining ideas!