Easy Eggnog Cupcakes With Eggnog Buttercream
If you love eggnog, you will love these eggnog cupcakes covered with eggnog frosting – they are the perfect holiday dessert!
They are fluffy, they are creamy, and they are the ultimate baked goods recipe you need for Christmas!
For more ideas, please go check out my recipe for Eggnog Cookies For The Holiday Season, as well as the Best Caribbean Holiday Season Drinks.
Ingredients
- Eggnog: Lending a rich creaminess that’s synonymous with the holiday season.
- Large Eggs: Offering structure and moisture to our cupcakes.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Introducing a gentle aroma that evokes warmth and nostalgia.
- Granulated Sugar: Ensuring a harmonious sweetness throughout.
- Vegetable Oil and unsalted Butter: These two work in tandem to give our cupcakes that irresistibly soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Sea Salt: Just a hint to elevate and balance out the flavors.
- Baking Powder: Our little rising star ensures every cupcake has the perfect dome.
- All-purpose Flour: The canvas on which all our ingredients paint their flavors.
How to Make Eggnog Cupcakes
1. Warm up your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lay out those festive cupcake liners in your pans. In your stand mixer, swirl the butter and sugar into a fluffy embrace. Dance in the eggs, vanilla, and oil, harmoniously.
2. In another bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking powder. Gently marry this with the wet ensemble. As the grand finale, pour in the eggnog till the batter sings.
3. Spoon the batter into the liners, ensuring each has its rightful stage space – about ½ to ⅔ full.
4. Whisk sugar and nutmeg in a bowl. Shower this starry mix over the batter-filled liners.
5. Bake for 16-18 minutes. When a toothpick emerges clean from a cupcake’s heart and the edges hint at golden applause, they’re ready. Let them rest and cool on a wire rack, basking in their glory.
6. In a mixer bowl, mix the butter, vanilla, and salt. Waltz in the confectioners’ sugar gradually. Elegantly glide in the eggnog.
7. Achieve the perfect lightness by whipping the frosting on medium-high speed for a minute. With a star nozzle, pipe this dreamy frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Conclude the spectacle with a sprinkle of either nutmeg or cinnamon, and let the holiday magic unfold!
How To Make Vegan Eggnog Cupcakes From Scratch
While I LOVE these eggnog cupcakes, I also understand that some people have certain dietary requirements that need to be met, including veganism. I’ve simplified it greatly for your convenience.
Here are all of the substitutions you will need to make to have these eggnog cupcakes vegan-approved.
Eggnog
Replace traditional eggnog with vegan versions available in stores. If homemade, use vegan milk and cream, sweeteners, and flavorings. Consider adding vegan eggnog and rum extracts.
Eggs
Swap with chia or flax eggs. Mix 1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds with 2.5 tablespoons of water. Store-bought vegan egg substitutes are available, too, like these premade vegan eggs.
Unsalted Butter
Replace with vegan margarine or nut butter, ensuring they’re at room temperature.
Granulated Sugar And Powdered Sugar
Not all granulated sugars are vegan due to bone meal processing. Verify both granulated and powdered sugars meet your vegan standards.
Check the powdered sugar, as it’s often derived from granulated sugar, depending on your vegan standards.
For this holiday season, also try this Molten Chocolate Lava Cookies recipe.
Variations Of These Eggnog Cupcakes And Buttercream Frosting
There are always a ton of variations you can make to cupcake recipes. I’ve already shown you how to make them vegan, so let’s take a look at some other changes you can make.
Spiced Eggnog Cupcake
I didn’t add any spices to these eggnog cupcakes other than some nutmeg or cinnamon for garnish. I aimed for the prominent flavor of eggnog to stand out.
You can definitely add more vanilla extract, rum extract, nutmeg, allspice, anise, cardamom, or cinnamon.
I prefer infusing liquids from the recipe with whole spices like a cinnamon stick or cardamom pods. In this case, I would infuse the eggnog before adding it to the cupcake batter.
Chocolate Eggnog Cupcakes
Traditionally, eggnog cupcakes are infused with vanilla extract and rum extract. However, you can make them more chocolatey by adding cocoa powder or making a chocolate ganache buttercream frosting.
How To Store Your Eggnog Cupcakes
It’s always best to store your frosting and cupcakes separately. Ensure cupcakes are cool before storing in an airtight container; they’ll stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.
And store the frosting in an airtight container as well. It will last significantly longer, over a week, if stored well.
Can You Freeze Eggnog Cupcakes And Eggnog Buttercream?
You can freeze eggnog cupcakes, but do so without the frosting.
Wrap each of the cooled cupcakes with plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Finally, place the eggnog cupcakes in an airtight container.
Store cupcakes in their container inside the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking Tips To Make Eggnog Cupcakes And Eggnog Frosting
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you mix them.This will help to create a lump-free batter.
- If you cannot find baking powder, use 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder) instead, but this is less than ideal. A better substitute for baking powder would be a mixture of cream of tartar and baking soda.
- Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the cupcake; if it comes out clean it’s ready.
- For the eggnog buttercream, always make sure you cream your butter mixture well. The color should be light and texture fluffy.
FAQs On Eggnog Cupcakes With Frosting
Eggnog can be found in the dairy section of virtually every grocery store. It does become more difficult to find, especially variations, off-season. You’ll find more options available between November and January of each year. If you aren’t able to find any but still want to make this eggnog cupcake recipe, try your hand at homemade eggnog.
You definitely can, and it’s super easy. Instead of a cupcake pan or muffin cups, use a regular cake pan. The only difference is the baking time, which will be significantly longer. On average, this cake will take 30-50 minutes to bake, depending on the exact size of the pan. Cupcakes have a much shorter baking time because they are smaller.
Easy Eggnog Cupcakes With Eggnog Buttercream
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- ¾ cup Eggnog
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
For the Sugar Topping
- ½ cup c sugar
- 1 tsp nutmeg
For the Eggnog Buttercream
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 Tbsp eggnog
- Nutmeg or cinnamon (for garnish)
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare cupcake pans with liners and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Gradually incorporate the eggs, vanilla, and oil, ensuring each addition is fully combined before adding the next.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Pour in the eggnog and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ½ to ⅔ full.
Nutmeg Sugar Topping
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and nutmeg. Generously sprinkle this mixture atop each filled cupcake liner.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean and the edges are lightly golden. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- In the cleaned stand mixer bowl, combine the butter with the vanilla and salt until smooth. Gradually add half of the confectioners' sugar, mixing until combined. Incorporate the remaining sugar and then mix again.
- Pour in 2 tablespoons of eggnog, mixing until well combined. If necessary, adjust the frosting's consistency by adding additional eggnog. Once the desired consistency is reached, whip the frosting on medium-high speed for about a minute to achieve a light and airy texture.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Generously frost each cooled cupcake.
- Finish by lightly dusting the frosted cupcakes with either ground nutmeg or cinnamon.
