fresh ginger cupcakes

this was a recipe test on David Lebovitz's recipe for Fresh Ginger Cake:

I did a few things differently--

*used golden syrup in place of the molasses
*canola oil instead of peanut oil
*left out the ground black pepper. i know it's there for heat but it felt like a cute twist & i wasn't in the mood.

i made some cream cheese icing for these, with minced candied ginger folded in. garnished with organic candied ginger chunks from trader joe's.

the recipe is a winner for sure.

p.s. i *love* the candied ginger chunks. usually you see the slices. nothing wrong with the slices, but i love the chunks.