Cinnamon-Ginger Chocolate Cupcakes

Being a big fan of both ginger and cinnamon for their taste and health benefits, I decided to incorporate them into my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. For these delicious, flavor filled cupcakes, you will need the following:

1 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons of flour

1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 scant cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

a pinch of salt

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ginger

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter (melted)

1 cup of milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

2 eggs

For Frosting:

4 2/3 cups of confectioners' sugar

3/4 cups and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup of milk

Preheat the oven to 325^o

Mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a mixing bowl until you get a sandy consistency. Whisk the egg, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl. Mix half into the the flour mixture until lumps are gone. Pour in the remaining milk  and continue to mix until the batter is smooth (be careful not to over mix or you will get dense cupcakes.). Spoon the batter into the cupcake cups and fill about 2/3. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. 

In a bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, butter and cocoa together with a handheld mixer at medium speed. Turn the mixer down to a lower speed  and add the milk a couple teaspoons at a time. Once it is well mixed, turn the mixer to a higher speed. Beat for about 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier it becomes.