What could be better than little Gingerbread cakes filled with a really easy recipe for homemade Lemon Curd and topped with Ginger Buttercream Frosting? I’m thinking Christmas! Cold weather. Cozy Comfort Cakes. I’m having so much fun coming up with creative ideas for my cupcakes using my Pipka Fillable Cupcake Pan (they are really like little miniature exquisite delicious cakes). I think you’re going to love the taste of moist spicy gingerbread accompanied with tangy sweet smooth lemon curd and topped with lots of fluffy buttercream frosting.
Honestly, I’ve never made lemon curd before… it scared me! But this recipe is so easy and so delicious that when I first tasted it, I thought…where have I been all my life without LEMON CURD?! I filled the cupcakes to the tops with chilled lemon curd and had leftovers which I stored in the fridge…until I used it to fill store bought meringue shells with ice cream, lemon curd and whipped cream. Total decadence. Total fun because I had my grand-daughter and her friend help assemble the meringues and we all ended up squirting whipped cream at each other (it’s a family tradition). You can have little hands fill the gingerbread cupcakes, too, and you might want to add whipped cream on top instead of the buttercream frosting.
“Everything is always better with whipped cream
This gingerbread recipe is rooted in my German heritage. It’s an old recipe that was handed down to me by my mother who got it from my grand-mother, Oma. We are women bakers at heart. This recipe always reminds me of my family and even evokes memories of my visits to the Christkindlemarkt in Nurmburg, Germany, the gingerbread capital of the world, where the airs smells like spicy gingerbread during the entire Christmas season.
Decorate your plate of Little Gingerbread Cakes with store bought Gingerbread cookies or…drizzle a little molasses on top of the Ginger Buttercream Frosting. You just can’t have too much of a good thing!
Little Gingerbread Cakes filled with Lemon Curd and topped with Ginger Buttercream Frosting
Cupcakes:
1 Large egg, beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Briar’s Dark Molasses
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Beat together the egg, sugar, molasses and water. Sift flour and remaining dry ingredients. Add to the molasses mixture and mix well. Butter and flour Pipka’s Fillable Cupcake Pan. Fill with batter 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until the top springs back when touched. Let cool on a rack for 8 minutes then invert the pan and continue to let the cupcakes rest until they are completely cool.
Lemon Curd
(If you want to purchase store bought lemon curd that will work…however I encourage you to try this recipe. There’s just no comparison with homemade lemon curd.)
- 2/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 eggs, plus 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Pour the lemon juice over a mesh strainer, twice.
Put eggs, egg yolks and sugar into a glass bowl and whisk until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.
Put the egg mixture and lemon juice into a stainless steel pot. Cook over medium until thick and bubbly, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add the butter and vanilla and whisk well smooth and butter is melted.
Transfer the lemon curd into a glass jar or bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in fridge to cool.
Ginger Buttercream Frosting
3/4 cup butter, softened and at room temperature
2 lbs powdered sugar (about 8 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Beat the butter using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 2 cups at a time. Add cream, vanilla and ginger, beating until incorporated. Slowly add more powdered sugar. Add more cream if necessary. Beat until it is light and fluffy.
TO ASSEMBLE THE LITTLE GINGERBREAD CAKES:
Fill the cavity in the cupcake with cooled Lemon Curd. Use a pastry bag to pipe frosting over the Lemon Curd.
Little Gingerbread Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 Large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Briar’s Dark Molasses
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 eggs, plus 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup butter, softened and at room temperature
- 2 lbs powdered sugar (about 8 cups)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Beat together the egg, sugar, molasses and water. Sift flour and remaining dry ingredients. Add to the molasses mixture and mix well. Butter and flour Pipka’s Fillable Cupcake Pan. Fill with batter 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until the top springs back when touched. Let cool on a rack for 8 minutes then invert the pan and continue to let the cupcakes rest until they are completely cool.
- Pour the lemon juice over a mesh strainer, twice.
- Put eggs, egg yolks and sugar into a glass bowl and whisk until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.
- Put the egg mixture and lemon juice into a stainless steel pot. Cook over medium until thick and bubbly, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add the butter and vanilla and whisk well smooth and butter is melted.
- Transfer the lemon curd into a glass jar or bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in fridge to cool.
- Beat the butter using an ,electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 2 cups at a time. Add cream, vanilla and ginger, beating until incorporated. Slowly add more powdered sugar. Add more cream if necessary. Beat until it is light and fluffy.
- Fill the cavity in the cupcake with cooled Lemon Curd. Use a pastry bag to pipe frosting over the Lemon Curd.
