These gingerbread cupcakes are baked from a moist, warmly spiced base and decorated to look like Santa hats with red and white buttercream. They’re festive, easy to make, and perfect for holiday gatherings.
Santa Hat Gingerbread Cupcakes combine classic gingerbread flavors with a light, whipped buttercream. The decoration is simple: a cone-shaped swirl of red frosting topped with a white trim and a little snowball. They look adorable on a dessert table and are straightforward enough to make with minimal piping experience.
To pipe the hat, cut a medium-sized hole in a piping bag or use a wide round tip. Pipe a soft, round spiral—think of a twisty ice cream cone—so the hat has a broad, slightly tapered shape. For the white trim and pom-pom, use a small amount of plain buttercream; mini marshmallows or tiny fondant balls also work well for the top of the hat.
Santa Hat
For the pom-pom on top, a tiny white fondant ball gives a neat finish, but a mini-marshmallow or a piped star dot will also look charming. Reserve a small portion of your frosting white for these details before coloring the rest red.
Check Out The Other Christmas Treats
Candy Cane Cupcakes
Santa Cookie Recipe
Gingerbread Snowman Cake
Coconut Snowman Cupcakes
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GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2½ cups flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
GINGERY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp whipping cream
- 10-15 drops red food coloring
Instructions
Cupcakes
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cupcake pan with liners.
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In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, molasses, and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
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Combine the hot water and vegetable oil in a measuring cup.
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With the mixer on low to medium, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet mixture to the butter mixture until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
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Fill each cupcake liner halfway and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Avoid overbaking.
GINGERY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
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Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on high until light and fluffy.
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Add the ground ginger and vanilla extract and continue beating.
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Add the whipping cream one tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches a creamy consistency, then beat on high, scraping the bowl as needed.
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Reserve about one-quarter of the frosting and leave it white for the hat trim and pom-pom.
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Color the remaining frosting with 10–15 drops of red food coloring (adjust for desired shade), then transfer each color to separate piping bags for decorating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.