Gingerbread Cakelets

Alright, so I baked after all yesterday. By early afternoon, the lights had stopped flickering so often, so I figured it was safe. As for the dripping, well, maintenance STILL hasn't come by, but at least the rain has stopped. The bucket's still there, though, just in case. Really am not going to miss this apartment all that much when we move in June!

Onto the cakelets. I received a Macy's gift card for Christmas from Dave's parents, and naturally, I used it on kitchen stuff. (We won't go into my opinion on their clothing prices, because it will get rant-y) I haven't spent it all yet, but my major purchase so far was essentially a square-cupcake pan. Or cakelets, as I prefer to call them. It just sounds cute.

Thus began my search for "the perfect recipe" to try it out with. I went with a recipe that worked for a 9-inch pan, figuring if you added all 12 squares together, it'd add up to be about the same. (Oh, did I mention math was never my strong suit? I'm much more English and history-oriented LOL) I went with this one, cutting down the measurements by half.

As for the frosting, well, I wasn't in a frosting-friendly mood tonight (and I swear, it had nothing to do with the margarita I had at dinner), so it wound up with just plain ol' cream cheese. :)



Ingredients:
1¼ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg
½ cup boiling water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 12 cup cakelet pan or muffin cups.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices; set aside.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until creamy. Add egg. Alternately add flour mixture and water into butter mixture. Fill cakelets about halfway.

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, before removing to wire rack. Frost once completely cooled.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and milk. Gradually add sugar, beating until desired consistancy is reached.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

I've been so incredibly lazy and/or tired these days. I kept meaning to post this, since I made the cupcakes themselves on Friday. But I either ran out of time, forgot, had a bad headache, or forgot. Perhaps my brain is being eaten by trolls at night, and that can be my excuse? :)

So I found the recipe over at BakeSpace, and the combination was appealing. The batter tasted delicious, so I had high hopes. Sadly, the cakes themselves seem to be a bit on the dry side. And it's not just my tastebuds being off-kilter, others have agreed. So I'm not sure if I'd make that part again.

But the frosting! Oh, the frosting. I'd have a love affair with it, if it were possible. I'm so glad I have extra frosting. There are some brownies that need a frosting, and that will just be perfect. It tastes just like the pumpkin cheesecake. Yum.

Oh, and I only made a half batch, just in case. :)



Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
1 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. light, unsulfured molasses
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the molasses and vanilla. Spoon the batter into the cups about 2/3's full.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pans for about ten minute, before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and pumpkin puree until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and vanilla extract,, mixing well. Gradually add the sugar and beat until desired consistency. Refrigerate for 1 hour, Remove from refrigerator 5-10 minutes before using. Spread on the tops of the completely cooled cupcakes.