Eggnog Cupcakes

These eggnog frosting are moist and tender with a delicious eggnog flavor and hint of nutmeg. Then they're piled high with eggnog frosting that's sweet, creamy and deliciously festive. These cupcakes are perfect for the holidays.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Eggnog Cupcakes

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 16

Cooling 1

Total Time 2

Servings cupcakes

Calories 437kcal

Author Fiona Dowling

Equipment

12-cavity muffin pan

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1 and ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (167 grams)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter (75 grams) softened to room temperature
¾ cups granulated sugar (150 grams)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (15 ml) or canola oil
1 large egg room temperature
1 large egg yolk in addition to the large egg, discard the white of this egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
⅔ cup eggnog (160 ml) room temperature

For the Eggnog Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams) softened to room temperature but still slightly firm to the touch
3-4 cups powdered sugar (330-440 grams) sifted
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon rum extract
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3-4 tablespoons eggnog (45-60 ml)
1-3 tablespoon cornstarch AKA cornflour, if needed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) or 325F (170C) on a convection oven (some ovens do this automatically). Line a 12-cavity muffin tin with muffin papers.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a stand or hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
Mix in the oil and vanilla extract. Then turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Beat in the egg and additional egg yolk. Do not add in 2 full eggs - we're using 1 full egg and just the egg yolk from the second egg.
With the mixer on a low speed, beat about ½ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
Then beat in the eggnog starting with the mixer on a low speed. Stop mixing as soon as combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Mix in the rest of the flour mixture until you no longer see lumps of flour.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each about ½ to ⅔ full. You should end up with about 11-12 cupcakes.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 14-17 minutes, or until the tops look set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few cake crumbs. There shouldn't be gooey cake batter on the tester.
Cool cupcakes in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Eggnog Frosting

In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.
Add in 2 cups powdered sugar, salt, nutmeg and rum extract. Start the mixer on a low speed and gradually increase to a medium speed until the ingredients are incorporated.
Beat in 2 tablespoons of eggnog.
Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar and eggnog alternating between about ½ cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon eggnog until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached. If you want the frosting to be a little thicker but don't want it sweeter, then I recommend beating in 1-3 tablespoons of sifted cornstarch.
Frost the cooled cupcakes either using a knife or a piping bag (I used a piping bag and a 1M piping tip). Optionally, sprinkle with a little extra nutmeg and top with a cinnamon stick.

Notes

Eggnog: This recipe was developed using commercially prepared eggnog. I recommend using commercially prepared eggnog, especially compared to homemade eggnog with alcohol already added, because homemade recipe can vary significantly in sweetness and thickness. Therefore, it is hard for me to know if your particular eggnog recipe would work well for these cupcakes.
Rum Extract: Rum extract can be found in the baking aisle near the vanilla extract. I recommend using it because it will increase the eggnog flavor. Alternatively, you could use 2-3 teaspoons of rum. Using rum will make the frosting a bit thinner, however.
Frosting: This recipe makes enough to pipe the cupcakes with a lot of frosting. If you plan to decorate using a knife and do not want so much, then you can divide the recipe in half. You'll need:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 ½ - 2 cups powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon rum extract
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons eggnog
- ½ - 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, if needed
Storage: Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If your kitchen is warm, then I recommend storing in the fridge. Let the cupcakes sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes before enjoying.
Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cupcake with frosting, assuming the recipe yields 12 equal cupcakes and all the frosting is used.

Nutrition