Ginger Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

Ginger cupcakes with lemon buttercream are a sweet and simple treat. Fluffy lemon buttercream piped onto cupcakes brushed with ginger simple syrup are perfect for any occasion. For extra zing, top with thinly sliced pieces of candied ginger.

I am a big fan of cupcakes, I’ve always loved them. They remind me of celebrations. From class parties as a kid to the more elaborate and fancy versions of adulthood, like caramel apple cupcakes.

These cupcakes are the perfect option for those who love lemon and ginger treats. The lemon buttercream is sweet and tart, and pairs perfectly with the subtle flavor of the cake.

Ginger cupcakes with lemon frosting

Candied ginger cupcakes are a unique and delicious treat. Light and fluffy, full of sweet/tart flavor, these little fairy cakes will become a new favorite for parties.

The ingredients for these cakes are common pantry ingredients. I can almost guarantee that you already have everything you need.

• Sugar – regular, granulated white sugar
• Eggs – large
• Salt – fine sea salt
• Vanilla
• Baking powder
• All-purpose flour – I used King Arthur, because it’s what I have. Use whatever brand you have.
• Unsalted butter – always unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt.
• Whole milk – 2% also works here, as does almond milk.
• Ground ginger

Lemon ginger cupcakes

This ginger cupcake recipe does take a little longer than a simple batch of cupcakes, but not much. The simple syrup can simmer on the stove while you make the batter.

The syrup cools while the cupcakes are baking. You can also make the buttercream while the little cakes are in the oven.

Use a six inch wooden skewer to poke 5 or 6 holes in the cakes. This allows the syrup to soak down into the cupcakes.

Use a small pastry brush to coat the tops with a ginger simple syrup gives them another hit of ginger flavor without being overwhelming. You want to brush enough onto the cupcakes, but don’t overdo it. No one likes a mushy cupcake.

Then crown them with a swirl of buttercream to finish them off. I garnished them with very finely sliced strips of candied ginger for extra zing. I found the candied ginger at Trader Joe’s – 8 ounces for $1.99, just FYI.

How to make ginger cupcakes

Ginger fairy cakes are really easy to make. The batter is a simple cake batter. Cream butter and sugar together, then add in dry and wet ingredients.

I use a two ounce scoop to portion the batter into the liners to ensure that they are all the same size.

Uniform size matters because you want them to bake at the same rate. If you have cupcakes that are bigger or smaller, they won’t all be done at the same time.

If your oven tends to run hot (or cool), you may need to adjust the time by a minute or two. Keep an eye on them after about 16 minutes. Once they are ready to come out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes in the tin before moving them to a cooling rack.

Lemon buttercream

Ginger cupcakes with lemon icing remind me of the lemon ginger cookies that we have around the holidays. This lemon buttercream is very lemony. It gets it’s zing from both the juice and the zest.

American buttercream is as simple as it gets. Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl, then whip until fluffy with an electric hand mixer.

Ingredients for lemon buttercream are powdered sugar, also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, lemon juice and zest, milk and unsalted butter. Simple pantry ingredients mixed together to make a delicious, fluffy frosting.

To make pretty swirls of frosting, I use a 16 inch pastry bag fitted with an open star tip.

Cupcake recipes

If you’re a fellow cupcake lover, here are a few more scrumptious recipes for you to try:

• Strawberry cream cheese cupcakes
• Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting
• Day of the Dead chocolate cupcakes
• Vanilla cream cheese cupcakes
• Devil’s food cupcakes with mint buttercream
• Peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes

If you are attending (or hosting) a BBQ this summer, these would make a great finale. They are light and not overly sweet. A bonus is the cake can be made ahead and frozen, then thawed and frosted the day of your party.

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Originally published 5/25/12, most recent update 6/25/21.