Georgetown Cupcakes Gingerbread Cupcakes

One of my clients gave me a few of Georgetown Cupcakes (from DC Cupcakes on TLC) holiday flavors. Personally, I think their cupcakes are okay, I would never wait in that ridiculous line that you see on TV (although those lines are pretty much only there on the weekends). In fact, though I passed it everyday this summer on my way to work, I never once stopped in. All that said, their Gingerbread cupcake was one of the best cupcakes I have ever had. They were so good, I decided I would buy some to take to my families for Christmas. Then I thought about the logistics, I'd have to drive into DC on Christmas eve, buy a dozen, then get them down to Virginia Beach and hope they hadn't been smushed or something. I decided I would look for a recipe online to make them. Guess what?! It was one of the few recipes Georgetown Cupcakes has published. I thought for sure it wouldn't actually taste like the cupcake I had yesterday, but it did! If you like gingerbread cookies, be sure to try this cupcake recipe for Christmas.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS

2‑3/4   cups all-purpose flour

3          tablespoons ground ginger

2          teaspoons baking soda

1‑1/2   teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2       teaspoon ground cloves

1/2       teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4       teaspoon salt

1‑1/4   sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1          cup packed dark brown sugar

3          large eggs, at room temperature

1‑1/4   cup molasses

1          cup of hot water

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

4          tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4          cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/4       teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6          ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2          teaspoons ground cinnamon

PREPARATION:

-Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 paper baking cups and preheat oven to 350 degrees     

-Sift together all dry ingredients and set aside.

-Cream together butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed, 3-5 minutes, or  until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating slowly after each addition. Add the molasses, mixing until well incorporated.

-Add one-third of the dry ingredients, followed by one-third of the water, and mix thoroughly. Repeat with an additional one-third of the dry ingredients and one-third of the water, and then with the final third of each.

-Scoop batter into cupcake pan using a standard size ice cream scoop.

-Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Preparing the Frosting

    Place all frosting ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until well combined. Frost cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large tip, and decorate with a fondant gingerbread man or your favorite holiday decorations.

NOTE: if you've ever had a Georgetown Cupcake, you know the frosting is whipped, and super light and airy. To get your frosting this way, whip on high for at least 5 minutes!

Enjoy :)

 

The Family Update

It is with both a heavy, sorrow filled heart and a grateful, praise filled heart I write this post. Today I  mourn the great loss of my 20 year old cousin, Grant, and celebrate the King who healed my dad.

Many of you have been aware of what our family has gone through for the past month or so, here's an update for those who were unaware.

About a month ago I received a call that my dad went to the ER after two days of serious abdominal pain. He arrived septic, in acute kidney failure, extremely high potassium level, and a tumor in his abdomen believed to be the size of a grapefruit. Just as I pulled into my parents drive way at 11pm that night, we got a call saying he would need to be put on dialysis. I arrived at the hospital around 11:30pm and stayed until 4:30am when they finished putting in the lines and started dialysis. Aaron and Kelli(my brother and sister in law) flew in the next day and we all took turns doing shifts at the hospital. Fast forward five extremely uncomfortable days and dad was stable enough for surgery. The surgeons removed a 9 lb, almost basketball sized, cancerous Sarcoma. He was sent back to the ICU for a few days and eventually made his way to the surgical floor. When he realized the surgical floor wasn't quite as... cozy as the ICU he made a huge effort to get discharged. He is doing much better and is getting back to normal. He is back at work and called to let me know the that house puked Christmas.

We're beyond grateful for those of you who prayed for my dad and family and who supported us during such a scary time. We sent out a specific list of prayer requests to a few people and it was absolutely incredible to watch God work in a way I'd never seen before. Need after need was met for our family. I was able to take almost 2 weeks off work to be with my family and was met with gracious and concerned clients, and helpful and understanding team members from Hush Hush Little Baby, who stepped in for me to care for the little babies.  Michael was able to stay with our family because the government closed because of Sandy. Aaron and Kelli were also met with gracious employers who gave them the week off.

My dad was released on November 4th, this was also the day my cousin was killed in a car accident. Grant had just celebrated his 20th birthday and was very active in the skateboarding community.  Michael and I attended his service the following Saturday in Virginia Beach, it was a very nice service with many in attendance. Following the service was a celebration in the Forbes home, their were SO many people at their home, there was hardly any room to move. Grant was loved by many, but please especially be in prayer for the Forbes family as they mourn the loss of their son and brother.