Chocolate gingerbread cupcakes are the dessert I bring to every holiday party. Rich melted chocolate, warm gingerbread spice, and a thick, tender crumb that comes from molasses doing its job. They smell like December before they even hit the oven.
I make these in December when I want something that feels like Christmas but tastes like chocolate cake. The molasses gives them a dark, almost smoky sweetness. The melted semi-sweet chocolate keeps them from being too sweet. Together they taste like gingerbread that went somewhere fancier.
Why These Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes Work
Molasses and chocolate belong together. The molasses is deep and slightly bitter. The melted semi-sweet chocolate is rich and rounds out the edges. Neither one shouts over the other. You taste both, and ginger, and cinnamon, and nutmeg, all in one bite.
The batter is thick. That is how it should be. Molasses and melted chocolate together make a batter that scoops more than it pours. A cookie scoop makes dividing it between the liners easy and clean. Do not thin it out. The thick batter gives these cupcakes a real gingerbread texture after baking.
Do not overmix. Once the dry ingredients go in, stir until they are just combined and stop. Overmixing builds gluten and gluten makes cupcakes chewy instead of tender. A few streaks of flour are fine.
How to Make Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes
Melt the chocolate first and let it cool while you mix the rest. If it is too hot when it hits the batter, it seizes. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and molasses until the mixture is creamy and the sugar has started to dissolve. Then the egg and vanilla go in.
The dry ingredients get whisked together separately. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices. Add them to the wet mixture a little at a time, then pour in the cooled melted chocolate halfway through. The milk goes in last. The batter will be thick and that is how it should be.
A cookie scoop divides the batter cleanly between 12 liners. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes, and let them cool completely before you touch the frosting.
Gingerbread Frosting and Chocolate Ganache
The gingerbread frosting is a buttercream with molasses and ginger beaten in. It pipes smooth and tastes like a gingerbread cookie in frosting form. The chocolate ganache goes on last, drizzled over the top. The frosting brings the gingerbread, the ganache brings the chocolate, and together they make these cupcakes look like they came from a bakery.
Make Ahead and Storage
These cupcakes hold up well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store them in an airtight container so they do not dry out. Bring them to room temperature before serving. The flavor gets deeper after a day.
Unfrosted cupcakes freeze well. Wrap them individually and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter and frost the day you serve them. The ganache is best made fresh.
More Holiday Desserts
Christmas crack is saltine toffee with chocolate and pecans, ready in 30 minutes. Old fashioned potato candy is three ingredients and a holiday tradition. For more Christmas baking, browse my Christmas recipes.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter - room temperature
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup milk
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate squares or chips - melted
Gingerbread Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter - softened
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2-4 tablespoon milk - to add as needed
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or squares
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- Beat together the melted butter, molasses, and brown sugar.
- Add in the egg and beat until mixed.
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix together and set aside.
- Melt the semi-sweet chocolate squares following the melting directions according to your chocolate of choice.
- Set the melted chocolate aside and allow it to cool.
- Slowly beat the flour mixture into the wet ingredients a little at a time.
- After adding about half of the flour mixture, add the cooled melted chocolate to the batter.
- Add the remaining flour to the batter followed by the milk.
- The batter will be very thick for these chocolate gingerbread cupcakes and that is okay! They will have a wonderful gingerbread texture after baking.
- Divide the cupcake batter equally between 12 liners before baking. As stated above, the batter will be very thick, and using a cookie scoop will make it easy to equally divide the batter.
- Once these cupcakes are baked in the preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes they are removed and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Gingerbread Frosting
- Beat together the softened butter and the molasses until creamy.
- Beat in the ginger and the confectioners sugar.
- The frosting will be thick, add the milk 2 tablespoons at a time until the frosting is smooth and soft enough to pipe.
- Frost the cupcakes using a piping tip and bag.
Chocolate Ganache
- Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan just until a low boil.
- Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips or squares.
- Allow it sit for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
- Stir the chocolate until smooth.
- Drizzle the chocolate ganache over the frosting.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Using a cookie scoop to fill the cupcake liners with batter will make it easy to scoop and distribute the batter evenly.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
