snowy coconut rum cupcakes

Cupcakes are a fun & festive treat – and these are full of delicious flavor! They’re made with a fluffy vanilla cupcake flavored with coconut spiced rum and a hint of cinnamon, and topped with a silky cream cheese buttercream frosting. I know you’ll instantly fall in love with these holiday cupcakes, too. 

this recipe

This post is sponsored by our friends at Blue Chair Bay! All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Blue Bowl possible.

The last two years, I’ve made a large holiday cake for Christmas – something that’s a true centerpiece dessert! This year, I thought cupcakes would be more practical since our holiday gatherings will be smaller or non existent. This recipe makes just a baker’s dozen (13!) cupcakes, and cupcakes are much more portable than slices of a layer cake. I recommend boxing up extra cupcakes to leave on friends’ & family’s doorsteps to share some joy this holiday season. 

Anyways – on to the recipe! The cupcakes are made with a simple vanilla cupcake batter that’s flavored with Blue Chair Bay’s Coconut Spiced Rum Cream, along with a hint of cinnamon and coconut extract. The rum cream is incredibly smooth and flavorful and gives a truly unique flair to these treats!

Bake the cupcakes, and let them cool while you mix up the frosting. 

The frosting is made with butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla – your basic frosting ingredients. But, we’re of course amping it up a notch with one final splash of Coconut Spiced Rum Cream! It makes the frosting incredibly smooth and delicious. 

Frost the cooled cupcakes with a piping bag & tip, a butter knife, or an offset spatula. Any of those methods work! Use whatever you have on hand or whatever’s easiest for you. 

Here’s a piping bag tip – put your piping bag in a drinking glass after you’ve fitted it with your piping tip. Fold the edges of the piping bag over the outside of the glass, and spoon in your frosting. It’s the easiest method to fill your piping bag!

Frost your cupcakes, then stand back and admire your work! You could even dunk the frosted cupcakes into some sweetened shredded coconut, if you reallyyyy love coconut! You could also garnish these with little snowflake cookies and/or sugared rosemary trees for an extra fancy feel. 

And, of course, you’ll want to pour yourself a glass of Coconut Spiced Rum Cream to enjoy with your cupcake! It’s the perfect holiday pairing. 

Wishing you all a wonderful and joyful holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. 

Happy baking, friends!

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5 from 3 votes

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Snowy Coconut Spiced Rum Cupcakes

Made with a fluffy vanilla cupcake flavored with coconut spiced rum and a hint of cinnamon, and topped with a silky cream cheese buttercream frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Keyword Easy Holiday Desserts, Christmas Desserts

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Servings 13 cupcakes

Author Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened 1 stick, or 8 tbsp
• 1 and 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 3 egg whites, at room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp coconut extract
• 3/4 cup full fat sour cream, at room temp
• 1/2 cup Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum Cream, at room temp
• 1 and 3/4 cup cake flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened 2 sticks, or 16 tbsp
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum Cream optional
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. Prep: Make sure your butter has softened at room temp and that your other cold ingredients have been brought to room temp. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Make the Cupcakes: Cream softened butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and cream until nice and creamy (about 1 minute). Mix in the egg whites until just combined. Add the vanilla, coconut extract, sour cream, and coconut rum and mix in until combined. The batter may be a little lumpy, but that's fine. Add the dry ingredients and mix until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the bowl to get everything incorporated.

3. Bake: Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cupcakes will spring back when lightly tapped with your fingertip, and a toothpick should come out clean or with some moist crumbs - not wet batter.

   Let cupcakes cool in the pan a few minutes, then use a butter knife to lift them out. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

4. Make the Frosting: Cream softened butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl. Add half the powdered sugar, and the vanilla and coconut rum and mix until combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, and mix until everything is well combined.

5. Serve + Store: Frost the cooled cupcakes using a piping bag and tip, or with a butter knife or offset spatula. Enjoy! Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge (because of the frosting) for up to a week.

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Here's Blue Chair Bay's store locator so you can find their rum near you! 

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