Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes for Valentines

Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes have a rich chocolate taste and the sweet sticky texture of gingerbread.  Add chunks of chopped chocolate to the cupcake mixture and top with cinnamon buttercream.  They are ideal for a special Valentine’s Day treat. 

About Valentine’s Day

We celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th of February. It is a festival of love and romance.  We exchange cards, flowers, gifts and special meals with the one we love. 

There are different stories about the origins of Valentine’s Day. 

Saint Valentine

St Valentine was a priest in the 3rd Century, a common story is that Emperor Claudius II had banned marriage because he thought married men were bad soldiers. Valentine felt this was unfair, so he broke the rules and arranged marriages in secret.

The story goes that Valentine was thrown in jail and sentenced to death. However,  he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter.  When he was taken to be killed on 14 February he sent her a love letter signed “from your Valentine”.

Lupercalia

Valentine’s Day is part of a very old tradition.  It is believed to have originated from a Roman festival. called Lupercalia.  This was held n the middle of February and was officially the start of their springtime. 

As part of the festival, boys drew names of girls from a box. They’d be boyfriend and girlfriend during the festival and sometimes they’d get married.

Like many established festivals, this was turned into a Christian celebration and is used to remember St Valentine.

How to make Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes

The recipe for the cupcakes is at the end of this article.  The steps are simple to follow:

• Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl
• Melt the butter with the syrup and treacle in a pan
• Warm the milk and sugar in another pan, add this to the dry ingredients and then add the butter mixture and the beaten egg. 
• Mix to a thick batter and spoon into 12 cupcake cases
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, then cool and top with cinnamon buttercream.

Make Chocolate Hearts

Decorate the Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with chocolate hearts. Make the hears with melted chocolate, smooth the chocolate to a flat thin layer and sprinkle with gold stars or heart-shaped sprinkles. 

Use a heart-shaped cutter to cut out the shapes   The decorations make the Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes into a Valentine’s Day treat.

More Valentine Recipes from Farmersgirl Kitchen 

Pretty heart-shaped Valentine Cranberry and Orange Scones filled with whipped cream and Cranberry & Orange Jam. 

Lemon Love Cakes are very simple lemon flavoured  Valentine’s Cupcakes with lemon buttercream.

Mon Cherry Amour Cupcakes combine sweet cherries with pistachio nuts to create a super delicious bake. 

More Valentine Recipes 

• Valentine’s Marshmallow Pops – Tempting Recipes by Amy Treasure
• Hidden Heart Chocolate Cake – The Baking Explorer
• Mini Chocolate Valentine Cakes – Tin & Thyme

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Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes

Janice Pattie

Rich, sticky, gingerbread cupcakes topped with cinnamon buttercream and heart-shaped chocolate decorations.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Baking

Cuisine British

Servings 12

Calories 401 kcal

Ingredients

• 175 grams (¾ cups) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• pinch of salt
• 100 grams (3½ oz) butter
• 2 tablespoon golden syrup
• 2 tablespoon treacle
• 100 millilitres (5 tbsp) milk
• 100 grams (½ cups) dark soft brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 50 grams (⅓ cups) chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips

For the Cinnamon Buttercream (will ice 12 large cupcakes)

• 125 grams (4½ oz) butter softened
• 400 grams (1½ cups) icing sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon extract

For the Chocolate Hearts

• 50 grams (⅓) white chocolate
• 50 grams (⅓) dark choc9olate
• 3 teaspoon sprinkles

Instructions

 

For the Cupcakes

• Heat the oven to 180℃ Fan/200 ℃ (350℉)
• Place 175 g (¾ cup) plain (all purpose) flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp ground ginger and a pnch of salt into a bowl.
• Melt 100g (3½ oz) butter with 2 tbsp golden syrup and 2 tbsp treacle in a small pan, when melted remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Warm 100 ml (5 tbsp) milk and 100 g (½ cup) dark brown sugar in another pan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and leave until the milk is lukewarm.
• Break the egg into a cup or small bowl and whisk until combined.
• Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, followed by the butter mixture and the beaten egg.
• Mix well until you have a thick, sticky batter.
• Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cases.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes or until firm to the touch.
• Remove from the oven and lift the gingerbread cupcakes onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

Make the decorations (optinal)

• Melt 50g (⅓ cup) dark chocolate and pour onto baking parchment, smooth with a spoon and leave for a few minutes, then sprinkle with edible gold stars or other sprinkles.
• Melt 50g (⅓ cup) white chocolate, spoon onto baking parchment, smooth with a spoon, add heart sprinkles.
• Leave both to set, then cut out shapes with metal heart-shaped fondant cutters in two sizes.

Make the Buttercream

• Put 125 g (4½ oz) softened butter into a medium bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until pale and creamy.
• Sift 400 g (1½ g) icing (powedered) sugar into the bowl.
• Add 3 tbsp milk and ¼ tsp cinnamon extract and beat until smooth. If the butercream is too thick add another 1 tbsp of milk and beat again.
• Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle (I use Wilton 1M) and ice the cupcakes.
• Decorate with the chocolate heart decorations OR decorate with grated chocolate or chocolate sprinkles.

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 165mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 520IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg

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