Gingerbread Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Martha Stewart, I got a bone to pick with you. What the hell is up with the Gingerbread cupcake recipe printed in your cook book? I rarely, oh so rarely, am willing to purchase a recipe book when there are so many free resources. Followed the recipe to a 't'- and was stunned by the results. They're buttery. Ewwy. And heavy as rocks. I could throw them at small children and they would cry.

I made these cupcakes twice. Why? Because I needed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt it was not me. First round, I used Blackstrap Unsulphured Molasses. They were dark and flat. Okay- maybe it's the "Blackstrap" part.

I found another Unsulphured molasses, the cupcakes were lighter in color and rose a little. They were still dense. And 3 sticks of butter for the alleged 22 cupcakes (I only came out with 17 both times)? Hot damn that's a lot of butter. The 'gingerbread' taste was there... sorta... but at least they were easy to make.

So I go online to the Martha Stewart website, and there's a 2nd version of Gingerbread cupcakes that sounds so much more logical. Say what now? Why publish this awful thing then? This is the second disappointing recipe from this book. The first was the Orange-Vanilla Bean (the cupcake is good but the pain-in-the-ass candied oranges were pointless. I could make these cute without spending 20-40 minutes watching oranges in a saute pan).

As for the frosting, it is absolutely inoffensive and polite. Your taste buds don't get excited. It's like going to church. If your'e looking for a plain, smooth, fluffy frosting- here's your guy! I am much more intrigued by these Lemon based frosting's I'm seeing other people use for their Gingerbread cupcakes.

I will try the gingerbread cupcake again- but NOT with this recipe

Cupcake

1 1/2 c flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 c (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 c sugar
3 Tbsp molasses
4 eggs, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract

White Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

1 1/2 (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift flour and spices together and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour mixture until just combined.

Fill each muffin tin 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Move to wire rack. Cool completely.

For the Frosting... Cream sugar until fluffy. Add a medium speed, add 1/2 a cup of confectioner's sugar at a time, making sure it's incorporated with each addition. Increase speed to high for about 10 seconds after each full cup of sugar has been added to aerate (so 1/2 cup, mix, another 1/2 cup, mix-- high speed mix for 10 seconds, repeat until finished with sugar). Add vanilla and mix until well incorporated.