a homemade christmas

without any hand-me-down ornaments or decorations to put up .. monstie and I worked on our own little  crafty wonderland of home-made holiday goodness .. filled with "beezlebubs", cranberry garlands, wreaths and some delicious gingerbread mmmcakes

beezlebub bows

gingerbread cupcake + cream cheese frosting

adapted from Gramercy Tavern's Gingerbread Recipe

for the cake

1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout

1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cardamom

3 large eggs

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

 
for the frosting
2 packages of cream cheese, room temparture
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
 
instructions for the cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.


Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into individual paper cups about 3/4 full and place cups on a cookie sheet. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 10 minutes. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

instructions for the frosting
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a handmixer until the frosting is fluffy. Place the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe onto the individual cupcakes and top with a fun holiday sprinkle.