These Gluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes are covered in a sweet cinnamon buttercream frosting to make the perfect holiday dessert recipe! These will be a favorite at potlucks, parties, and family gatherings.

a gorgeous gluten-free gingerbread cupcake topped with perfectly piped cinnamon buttercream frosting and garnished with a gingerbread man cookie

 

Christmas parties call for gorgeous, special occasion desserts like these amazing gingerbread cupcakes! This recipe relies on a box of gluten-free cake mix to save money and time (similar to the Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes we published this fall!). It’s the perfect treat for surprising your gluten-free friends and family this holiday season.

The rich cinnamon buttercream swirled atop each cupcake pairs perfectly with the warm Christmas flavors. I’m including easy tips to help you prepare and store these correctly ahead of time to make your holiday baking simple, stress-free, and flawless. These will be the perfect addition to your dessert table!

Ingredients

all ingredients needed for gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes and cinnamon buttercream frosting on a white countertop
  • King Arthur Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix – 22 oz box. I have not tried this with any other gluten-free cake mixes as we have had the most success with this brand.
  • Eggs, Avocado oil, Whole milk, Molasses, and Vanilla extract – These are your wet ingredients that you’ll mix together first. I have not tried this with any egg substitutes. Feel free to replace the dairy milk with your preferred milk choice.
  • Ground ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves – These spices are mixed with the cake mix for your dry ingredients.
  • Unsalted butter, Powdered sugar, Ground cinnamon, and Whole milk – These are whipped together to form your delicious cinnamon buttercream frosting. I do not recommend any substitutes as the fat in the whole milk truly does help the frosting’s taste and texture.

How do you make gluten free cupcakes?

I know some may think gluten free baking seems impossible, but it’s really not all that difficult with the right ingredients! Here’s a step-by-step guide to making these amazing cupcakes:

Prep

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with paper liners so you’ll be ready to go when you’ve perfected your batter.

Make the batter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your eggs, oil, mollasses, vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup of the whole milk. Once those are well combined, add in your yellow cake mix, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Stir until this mixture is just combined (don’t overdo it).

Scoop and bake

baked gingerbread cupcakes in liners

Scoop your batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cupcake ONLY HALFWAY FULL. This is very important; if you overfill the wells, you will end up with much larger (and fewer) cupcakes that are more difficult to frost. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.

NOTE: If you’ve made our gluten-free apple cinnamon cupcakes, you’ll notice that this recipe cooks faster than that one. Even though we use the same base and general recipe, this one is quicker because it doesn’t have the moisture of the apples to contend with!

Make the frosting

In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add in your powdered sugar and the remaining cinnamon, then continue to beat until smooth. If you need to pause to scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl, that’s fine. While the electric mixer is running, slowly add in your remaining whole milk and continue to beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. This should have your frosting nice and fluffy!

Cool and frost

Once your cupcakes and baked through, allow them to cool completely at room temperature (don’t skip this; hot cupcakes will cause the frosting to melt right off). Place the frosting in a piping bag or ziplock bag, cut a corner, and frost your cupcakes.

closeup of a gingerbread cupcake missing a big bite, showing the fluffy cupcake inside

How should I store frosted cupcakes?

Cupcakes dry quicker in the fridge, so try to leave them in a covered container on the counter. However, if your home is too warm, you might find that your icing wants to melt. Store in the fridge if you have to, but make sure to allow them to come to room temperature before serving for the best taste and texture.

If you want to store your cupcakes and your frosting separately, you can keep them fresh for longer! If storing separately, allow cupcakes to COMPLETELY cool (preferably on a wire rack). Once cool to the touch, store in a single layer in a covered container (like this one or these) on the counter. It’s best to have a lid with space instead of plastic wrap to prevent the cupcakes from getting sticky tops.

Frosting can be made ahead of time and stored in a container in the fridge up to 1 week. Frosted cupcakes should be fine for 2 days on the countertop, but I’ve got tips in case you need to freeze them!

Freezing Unfrosted Cupcakes:

First, allow cupcakes to complete cool. Once cool to the touch, wrap each cupcake in multiple layers of plastic to prevent freezer burn. Store in a freezer bag and eat within 3 months. To thaw, unwrap cupcakes and allow to come to room temperature on the counter (usually 1-2 hours). Frost cupcakes and store in covered container up to a week.

Freezing Frosted Cupcakes:

Place frosted cupcakes on a baking sheet or plate and freeze for 2-6 hours or until frosting is completely frozen. Quickly wrap each cupcake with plastic (just as you would with unfrosted cupcakes), and store in a sturdy container in the freezer. It’s best to store in a plastic or glass container with a lid to protect the icing rather than a plastic bag. To thaw, unwrap cupcakes and allow to come to room temperature on the counter (usually 1-2 hours, just as above). Keep covered on the counter up to a week.

Tips for the BEST Gluten-Free Cupcakes

  • Use the best cake mix. We used King Arthur’s 22 oz box of yellow cake mix because it always gives us fluffy, well-structured cupcakes. I don’t suggest any other brand for this.
  • Use whole milk in the frosting. While you can use any kind of milk in the batter, whole milk is the only one that will give you the best results in the frosting. Buttercream frosting needs the higher fat content to whip into the delectible swirls you see in the photos.
  • Do not overfill the cupcakes. While you might be tempted to fill the wells of the cupcake tin, you really shouldn’t! The batter rises so much that overfilling will lead to cupcakes that are too large, difficult to frost, and awkward to eat.
  • Don’t mind the mess. The batter for these cupcakes are a bit more “goopy” compared to others because of the molasses. Don’t fret, this might make it a little messier when scooping the batter, but there’s nothing wrong with it!
angled shot showing perfect swirls of cinnamon buttercream icing on gingerbread cupcakes

More Gluten Free Holiday Desserts

closeup of a gingerbread cupcake missing a big bite, showing the fluffy cupcake inside

Get the Recipe: Gluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes

These Gluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes are covered in a sweet cinnamon buttercream frosting to make the perfect holiday dessert recipe! These will be a favorite at potlucks, parties, and family gatherings.
5 from 1 rating

Ingredients
 

Cupcakes:

  • 1 22-ounce box King Arthur Gluten Free yellow cake mix
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup avocado oil
  • cup whole milk, or milk of choice
  • cup molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp cloves

Cinnamon Buttercream:

  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • ¼ cup whole milk, do not substitute

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two 12 count muffin tins with paper liners.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, ⅓ cup whole milk, molasses, and vanilla until well combined.
  • Add the yellow cake mix, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and stir until just combined.
  • Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cupcake halfway full and bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile make the frosting. Cream the butter with an electric or stand mixer in a large mixing bowl until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon and beat until smooth, pausing to scrape the bowl if needed.
  • While running the electric mixer, slowly add in the ¼ cup milk and continue to beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
  • Once cupcakes are cooked, allow to cool completely at room temperature before frosting them. Frost the cupcakes, then serve!

Notes

  • Results will vary depending on the brand of yellow cake mix you use. For best results use a 22 oz box of King Arthur yellow cake mix.
  • Store cupcakes at room temperature for up to 2 days.
  • Use milk of choice in the batter (almond milk also works great), but make sure to use whole milk for the frosting for best results.
  • It’s really important to only fill the cupcakes halfway full when scooping the batter or they’ll be way too big and more difficult to frost.
  • This batter is “goopy” compared to other batters because of the molasses, so scooping may get a little messy!
  • These cupcakes bake slightly faster than the cinnamon apple ones because there aren’t apples releasing moisture into the cupcakes as they bake. In case you were wondering! 
Serving: 1 Cupcake with Frosting, Calories: 312kcal, Carbohydrates: 52.3g, Protein: 1.3g, Fat: 11.3g, Cholesterol: 46.9mg, Sodium: 156mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 41g
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