Lately, April and I have really been getting into the holiday spirit. We got our tree! It’s a fabulous white tree, pink lights, purple ornaments and sparkly pink snowflakes. This is truly a Cassie & April Christmas tree. We’ve been playing Mariah Carey’s Christmas CD nonstop and to top it off, we baked some amazing eggnog cupcakes last night!

After watching the season premiere of Cupcake Wars, I knew I had to start baking my own holiday cupcake flavors. I’m not even particularly a fan of eggnog as a beverage, but for some reason, I was determined to bake an eggnog cupcake.

I consulted Martha but she had nothing for me. So, I searched around some baking blogs for the perfect recipe. I only needed a few extra ingredients that I didn’t already have at home including light eggnog, rum – I chose Sailor Jerry for the spicy kick, and apple cider vinegar.

These cupcakes were extremely easy to make, were moist and bursting with eggnog & rum flavor. I knew while I was making the frosting that it would be super sweet, so I only piped a tiny amount on top each little cupcake. To finish it off, I sprinkled them with cinnamon and they were ready to eat.

My coworkers once again approved. Because of my cupcake diary, and my not so discrete love for all things cupcake, I really do strive to impress with each batch I bake. This recipe was a success and so I will share it with you. It is adapted from Annie's Eats to make 3 dozen mini cupcakes.

Makes 3 dozen mini cupcakes

The Cupcake:

• ¼ cup spiced rum – Sailor Jerry
• 1 cup light eggnog
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 mini cupcake tins with holiday cupcake liners; set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine spiced rum, eggnog, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer on low, add liquid mixture to large bowl; mix until well combined.

3. Fill each cupcake cup half full with batter. Transfer tins to oven and bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes for mini. Let cupcakes cool completely.

The Frosting:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons light eggnog
• 1 tablespoon spiced rum – Sailor Jerry
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• Ground cinnamon for dusting  

3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter, eggnog, spiced rum, nutmeg and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth, but be careful not to over mix.

2. Pipe frosting onto cooled mini cupcakes. Dust with cinnamon and enjoy!