December 15th is National Cupcake Day!

In honor of the special holiday, Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis, the stars of TLC's "DC Cupcakes" joined the "Your Morning" crew with tips on how to make your holiday cupcakes more festive.

The two sisters run a cupcakery in Washington, DC, called Georgetown Cupcakes. The pair are also a part of a cookbook full of recipes from TLC stars, Cookbook For a Cause, with proceeds benefiting Feeding America.

For more information visit www.cookbookforacause.com or www.tlc.com/dccupcakes.

Here's Sophie & Katherine's recipe for their special holiday gingerbread cupcakes:

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbs ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cup molasses
1 cup water

Directions:
Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 paper baking cups and preheat your oven to 350° F.
Sift together all dry ingredients and set aside.
Cream together butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed, 3-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  And the eggs, one at a time, beating slowly after each addition. Add the molasses, mixing until well incorporated.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/3 of the water, and mix thoroughly. Repeat with an additional 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the water, and then with the final third of each.
Scoop batter into cupcake pan using a standard size ice cream scoop.
Bake at 350° F for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until well combined. Frost cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large tip and decorate with a fondant Gingerbread man or your favorite holiday decorations. 

Please let us know if you use this recipe ... we'd love to know how it turned out and see photos! Feel free to post on our Facebook page or email us at news7@khqa.com!