Mummy Cupcakes

Remember how last week I promised you another cupcake recipe? Well, here it is, and it's even more perfect for fall (and specifically Halloween) than the last. Instead of chocolate cupcakes, I'm using gingerbread cupcakes. They're basically spice cupcakes with some molasses and caramely brown sugar; in other words, these cupcakes are gingerbread in cake form. Even though gingerbread is kind of a cake already. Whatever. These cupcakes are perfect.

It's a pretty basic recipe for a pretty delicious cupcake. Just combine your dry ingredients, beat the butter and sugar together, add some eggs and molasses, and alternate the dry ingredients with some buttermilk. I'll admit buttermilk isn't what you would typically associate with gingerbread. It works, though, and it makes the cupcakes much more tender and fluffy. The cupcakes pair perfectly with a maple glaze, but I frosted them like mummies for Halloween. Don't know which way to serve them? Luckily for you, I included both recipes, so you can serve half one way and half the other. Or you can just drink all the glaze and frost the cupcakes like mummies. Nobody will know, so don't feel too guilty.

If you do choose to stick to the Halloween theme (at least for this week; there's plenty of time for maple-y goodness in November... or all year round), the mummies are really easy to make. I chose a basket-weaving tip (my art teacher did commend my apparently wonderful basket-weaving skills in Sculpture back in freshmen year) but used the flat side instead of the ridged side. That's just me, though; you can use a petal tip, a flat tip if you can find one, or the ridged side of the basket-weaving tip if you want stylish mummies. I'm not sure if stylish mummies exist, but they will now. Anyway, once you pick your tip, fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the buttercream, screw on the tip, and pipe a bunch of strips over the cupcake. Add two mini M&Ms for eyes and you have your mummy. It's that easy.

2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 T Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 T Ginger
3/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 T Cinnamon
1 Stick Butter, Softened
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 T Molasses
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Buttermilk

Heat oven to 325F and line a cupcake tin with paper cups.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Beat the butter and brown sugar together, then add the molasses and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Gradually add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions; stir until smooth.

Fill the cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Cool.

For the maple glaze, sift 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk in 1/3 cup maple syrup, adding more powdered sugar or maple syrup as necessary until pourable.

For the buttercream, beat a stick of softened butter in a stand mixer until fluffy. Gradually sift in 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar, then add a pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1T milk. Add more milk or powdered sugar if necessary.

To frost the mummies, fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the buttercream. Use the flat side of a basket-weaving tip to pipe strips of icing across the mummies until covered. Add two mini M&Ms as eyes.

Makes 12 Cupcakes
Cupcake Recipe Adapted from Lilach German