December 15th is National Cupcake Day (there are 8 more cupcake holidays).

When a holiday like this falls right before Christmas, there’s only one way to go: Christmas eat cupcakes.

Below:

> Yummy Christmas cupcake ideas.

> The history of cupcakes.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of cake.

> The different types of cake: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 55 cake holidays.
 
 
CHRISTMAS CUPCAKE IDEAS

You can turn thi food holiday into a seasonal holiday party, with a DYO (decorate your own) cupcake party, with holiday flavors and garnishes.

Whether you bake them from scratch or buy plain cupcakes to decorate, here are 10 easy approaches:

[2] Snowman cupcakes © CreatedByDiane.com.

[3] Rudolph cupcake at Trophy Cupcakes. The kids can help make this design!

Before the advent of muffin tins, cupcakes were baked in individual tea cups (hence “cup” cakes) or ramekins. The first reference to these miniature cakes dates to 1796 when a recipe for “cake to be baked in small cups” appeared in the cookbook, “American Cookery.” The earliest documentation of the term “cupcake” was in Eliza Leslie’s Receipts cookbook in 1828 (receipt is an earlier term for recipe). [Source]

Back then, cupcakes were easier to make than cakes because they cooked much faster. It took a long time to bake a cake in a hearth oven; cupcakes were ready in a fraction of the time. [Source]
The cupcake was once known as the 1-2-3-4 cake because the recipe called for 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and 4 eggs—plus 1 cup of milk and 1 spoonful of baking soda.

Muffin tins (doing double duty as cupcake tins) became widely available around the turn of the 20th century and offered a new convenience to bakers of muffins and cupcakes. But the next convenience took a while longer: For easier removal of cupcakes from the pan, paper and foil cupcake pan liners were created after World War II.

An artillery manufacturer, the James River Corporation, began to manufacture cupcake liners when its military markets diminished. By 1969, they left artillery manufacturing behind and became a paper manufacturer. During the 1950s, the new paper baking cup gained popularity with U.S. housewives. Its popularity grew, even more, when bakers realized that they could bake muffins as well as cupcakes in the baking cups [source].

Cupcakes evolved into children’s party fare, but in the last decade, they have taken a more sophisticated turn. First, some younger couples began to choose “cupcake trees” instead of conventional wedding cakes. This prompted a flurry of cupcake articles and recipes, and ultimately the opening of boutique cupcake bakeries nationwide, offering what has become an everyday treat.

 
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*Both receipt and recipe derive from the Latin recipere, to receive or take. Receipt was originally used in medieval English to designate a formula or prescription for a medicinal preparation, and the symbol Rx emerged in medieval times. The sense of receipt as a written statement that money or goods have been received emerged later, at the beginning of the 17th century. In terms of cooking instructions, recipe became an alternative to receipt in the 18th century, gradually replacing it over time. Here’s more.
 

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A fun mocktail is a treat for non-drinkers. Top photo courtesy Ocean Spray. Bottom photo courtesy ASweetPeaChef.com.

Most hosts address the need with soft drinks and mineral water. But special occasions merit an extra step: a holiday mocktail.

It’s easy to make it look and taste interesting, and those who can’t drink will feel special.

For your Christmas mocktail, we suggest something red and green: a red- or rosy-hued drink with a green garnish.

 
CHRISTMAS MOCKTAIL #1: CRANBERRY GINGER

Ingredients

 
CHRISTMAS MOCKTAIL #2: CRANBERRY ORANGE

Ingredients

†The best maraschino cherries by far are the all-natural (and kosher-certified) Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino Cherries. They are “maraschino red” in color but taste great—nothing like the traditional varieties. The company also makes Bada Bing Cherries, with the deep burgundy hue of bing cherries. If you buy multiple packs online, use the extras as stocking stuffers.

‡San Pellegrino Aranciata (orange) and Aranciata Rossa (blood orange), and Boylan’s Orange, are the only ones we’ve found that use sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. San Pellegrino is less sweet and more elegant; Boylan’s is conventionally sweet.
  

You don’t need to buy mistletoe to encourage people at holiday get-togethers to kiss. Instead, substitute this “holiday kissing ball” from Ocean Spray.

First head to the crafts store, then pick up fresh whole cranberries. You can pick up an extra bag or two for a Valentine Kissing Ball (and if you prefer, a foam heart instead of a ball).

DIY CRANBERRY KISSING BALL

Ingredients

 
Preparation

A kissing ball, mistletoe optional. Photo courtesy Ocean Spray.

2. CUT an 18″ piece of wire and fold it in half. Push the folded wire all the way through the center of the ball, leaving a 1″ wire loop extending at bottom of ball and 3″ of wire extending at top.

3. ATTACH the cranberries to ball with a hot glue gun or toothpicks, covering the ball completely. Spray with shellac for longevity (otherwise, the berries soften after 5 days or so, and the appearance will diminish). NOTE: The glue gun is a better choice. If you don’t have one, you can pick one up when you buy the foam ball at the crafts store.

4. TWIST the two wires at top of ball into a simple hook for hanging. Use ribbon to tie the desired holiday trim to wire above and below ball, and hang with a hook.

5. FIND someone to kiss and guide him/her underneath the ball.