Eggnog Cupcakes
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These Eggnog Cupcakes are full of awesome eggnog flavor! They’ve got eggnog in the cupcake and the icing – yes! You know I like my flavors strong and these cupcakes are no exception.
So we had a pretty nice, relaxing weekend. Saturday morning we were up way too early, but it was for a good cause. One of the women in our small group works for the fundraising department of St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital, so we joined in for the Give Thanks Walk. We brought Jessie and she loved the 2 1/2 mile walk and being outside with us. She totally could have gone another 2 1/2 miles.
Then there was a food drive at church Sunday and they’ve been collecting Operation Christmas Child boxes, so we went and got food for the food drive and all kinds of things for the boxes. I love doing the OCC boxes. It always reminds me of how fortunate we are. Did you know that you can pay for the shipping of the boxes online and they’ll tell you where your boxes end up? We’ve done that the last few years and I’m always excited to see where around the world they go. We’ve had boxes go to Madagascar, Russia and other countries. Pretty cool.
We also went and saw Mockingjay Part 1 (third movie in the Hunger Games series). I’ve read the books, so I basically knew what to expect. I know it’s a little darker and different than the first two and honestly didn’t have high expectations. It totally surprised me though! I really enjoyed it and thought they did a great job. I think overall the Hunger Games movies have been done really well.
I’m kind of junkie when it comes these series that have been coming out over the last few years. I’m a much bigger Twilight fan than Hunger Games fan and found most of those movies to be disappointing – perhaps with the exception of the last two. And I’m totally worried that the second Divergent movie – Insurgent – is going to be kind of rough. The first trailer for it seems a little odd.
We also started getting our Christmas decorations out. I’m ready for the season! I’ve been super excited about eggnog since it first showed up it stores. I know not everyone loves it, but I’m always counting the days until I can get it. The hubs and I both are big fans. Our favorite brand is Southern Comfort, hands down. We’ve tried a number of brands and honestly, I won’t even bother if I can’t find that one.
So when it came to making these cupcakes, I got three cartons of our favorite eggnog. Not because these cupcakes need three cartons, but because I knew if I didn’t get that many it’d all be gone before I could even say “it’s time to bake a cupcake.”
I made a few versions of this cupcake before being happy with it. I played around mostly with the amount of eggnog, nutmeg and rum flavoring. The rum extract can be somewhat strong and nutmeg is totally essential, so I had to get those right. Ultimately I ended up just using the rum extract in the icing, not the cupcake. You can exclude it completely, if you prefer.
I absolutely love these cupcakes and so did my taste testers. I can’t wait to make them again! Bring on Christmas and bring on the eggnog! I know we still have to get through Thanksgiving on Thursday, and I can’t wait for my sweet potatoes with marshmallows, but I’m allowed to get pumped about Christmas too, right? #thatswhatithough
We are actually planning on getting our Christmas tree tonight and I can’t wait! 🙂
You might also like:
Eggnog Layer Cake
Eggnog Cheesecake
Eggnog Crumb Cake
Eggnog Icebox Cake
Soft and Chewy Eggnog Cookies
Baked Eggnog Donuts
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Recipe updated 11/15/19. Download the previous version here.
Eggnog Cupcakes
These Eggnog Cupcakes are full of eggnog flavor! They’ve got eggnog in the cupcake and the frosting – perfect for Christmas!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
EGGNOG CUPCAKES
- 1 1/4 cups (163g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cups (155g) sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (150ml) eggnog
EGGNOG BUTTERCREAM
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter
- 1/2 cup (95g) shortening
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp (60ml) eggnog
- 1/4 tsp rum extract, optional
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
CUPCAKES:
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. Add the butter, sugar and oil to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Add the vanilla extract with the second egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Slowly add the eggnog and mix until well combined.
7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
8. Fill the cupcake liners just over 1/2 full and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Remove cupcakes from the oven and place cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool.
BUTTERCREAM:
Keywords: eggnog cupcakes
Enjoy!
I'm a wife and mom to twin boys and a sweet black lab with a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the sugar!
Yep, the Twilight movies were terrible. In comparison, the other YA novel movie adaptations are so much better!
These cupcakes would never disappoint anyone. They’re so fluffy and gorgeous! Love that they’re eggnog.
Thanks Mir! Yea, Twilight books were great, movies not so much.
These cupcakes sound divine ! Can’t wait to try them 😉
Thanks Lynne! I hope you like them! 🙂
I’m excited about Christmas too! We’ve got our tree up and everything! These are perfect for getting into the festive mood. Can’t wait to try them.
After I saw the trailer for Insurgent, I was like “well, that looks weird!” But I’m a huge fan of series movies too!
Isn’t odd? Have you read the books? The trailer seems so random.
You sound like you have a marvelous weekend with all those activities! We officially have our tree up, decorated and the Christmas lights on the house! Now I need to make some of these divine cupcakes!
I’m so jealous that you have everything done! Now you just need to go into labor! 🙂
I need eggnog frosting in my life – yum!!
I just saw Mockingjay, and even though I read the books too, I was surprised at how dark it was. These cupcakes make a little more excited for Christmas! Yum!
It’s funny how we all read things differently. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed it!
I love all the fund raising you do for worthy causes Lindsay. And my husband and I also just saw MackingJay and I very much enjoyed it! I thought Jennifer Lawrence did a fabulous job with all the raw emotions she had to show in this installment of the series and I couldn’t agree more that the Hunger Games movies have all been done well. And these cupcakes look heavenly!! I am ready for Christmas!! 🙂
Thanks Renee! JLaw did a great job – she actually made me tear up at one point! Love her!
I’m glad you are getting your tree now too because I just put up our Christmas decorations. I was wondering if it was a bit early. But to heck with it! Now I’m ready for the Egg Nog! I actually haven’t tried the Southern Comfort brand, but may have to now. These look incredible (but I expected nothing less)!
Thanks Tanya! Never too early – the season goes so fast, we have to enjoy it!
Lindsay, love these cupcakes!! I also love eggnog and these are perfect for the holidays! I agree wholeheartedly. . we are so fortunate as a country and love that you are helping out with Operation Christmas Child boxes. That’s what the season is really about, yo. And love that you’re getting your tree up now! We’ll be putting ours up right after Thanksgiving! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving, Lindsay!
Thanks Alice! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
While I’m not a huge fan of drinking eggnog, I love baking with it! These cupcakes look incredible!
I am on a total eggnog kick right now…I need a good cupcake to round that out!!! We usually get the Dean’s eggnog, but now I’m totally going to look for the Southern Comfort and see which I like best! Your cupcakes always look so amazing!
Thanks girl! I don’t think I’ve ever had Dean’s. I’m going to have to try that too! 🙂
Your cake looks so incredibly moist! And that frosting is just gorgeous! Love these cupcakes!
I am dying to see Mocking Jay! It came out the night before we left for our trip. I am in love with thee cupcakes! I just made an eggnog cupcake last week and they are crazy good! Since your homemade cupcakes are my favorite, I will be trying this one too!
I loved seeing the pictures of the boxes you put together! Such a sweet and thoughtful idea. You crammed them so full of stuff — I wish I could see the kids’ eyes light up when they open them! They’ll love and remember you forever, even if they don’t know who you are. 🙂 And I’m totally obsessed with eggnog right now too. It’s the only flavor I want to bake with this winter! Oh well… Pinned!
I love eggnog and I love cupcakes so this is a match made in heaven!
What is sprinkled on top of the cupcakes? Nutmeg….cinnamon…..?
Nutmeg. 🙂
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but can I just use dark rum instead of rum extract? Should I use the same amount if I do?
Yes, you can. Extract is going to have a stronger flavor for a smaller amount though. You won’t be able to add too much of the actual rum or it will mess with the way the cupcake bakes. I suggest trying a tbsp. Hopefully you’ll be able to taste it enough.
Hi!
These sound amazing! For the frosting, can i get away with just using more butter instead of the shortening? I not used to baking with shortening. Thanks in advance!
🙂
Yes, you definitely can! 🙂
Bummed…. I was really looking forward to these cupcakes. It appears there is way too much liquid in this recipe. The mixture was soupy with butter chunks. Perhaps creaming the butter & sugar first would be better. But that still doesn’t make up for all the liquid. They had okay eggnog flavor, but stuck to the paper. 🙁
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out as expected. The little butter chunks are actually normal and ok for this recipe. They melt into the cupcakes as they bake. This recipe is actually a modification of my vanilla cupcakes so there shouldn’t be too much liquid. That batter isn’t as thick as some. Perhaps some measurements were off? Either way, I’m sorry they didn’t turn out. 🙁
Hey there! I made these recently and the cupcakes turned out YUMMY! My only question/critique is that I made the icing as directed (with shortening) and it was HORRIBLE. Tasted like sugared grease. I’m going to make them again for Christmas Eve guests but I will be using butter exclusively. Any idea why the shortening didn’t work out well? Seriously, the icing tasted fake and awful to the point I would have redone it on the spot if I’d had more softened butter and more time to remake it. Advice?
Thanks,
Christi
Hmm, I’m assuming you used the half butter and half shortening, and not all shortening. Certainly I’d agree that all shortening tastes like grease, but usually half and half is great. I think all butter is too buttery. That said, everyone has different preferences and some people just really don’t care for shortening and using all butter is better. If that’s your preference, definitely do that. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcake!
What do you use for shortening?
I’m not totally sure what your question is, sorry. The shortening is used in the icing, but can be replaced with butter if you prefer.
Hi when I made the icing and placed it in the icing bag it went straight through! Wasn’t thick is there any way I can fix that?
Hmm, that’s strange. The icing should be very thick. Did you add the full amount of powdered sugar? Or extra eggnog? Either way, you can always add more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
Just got done making these and of course, I had to sample one before delivering them to the masses. Amazing flavor!!! The icing is ridiculous. Thanks for a great recipe! Merry Christmas!
Hello! I made these cupcakes tonight and they were delicious! Wonderful eggnog flavor. The only problem was that they came out very heavy and dense like a muffin, not light and fluffy. Do you think I could use cake flour in place of the all purpose in this recipe? I am thinking this may lighten it up.
Hmm, I think some people do tend to find these a little denser than they expect. I’m not sure about the cake flour. I haven’t tried it. It could create other changes in the final cupcake.
Just made these…seems like to much butter. Butter was seeping thru the cupcake liner. Texture seems off. Very heavy.
Icing turned out great.
I tried these last year and loved them! I’ll be making them for the office this year. 🙂 love your site! <3
Thanks so much Jessica! 🙂
4 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting seems like a little much…is that right?
It is correct, but you could reduce it if you wanted a thinner frosting. You won’t end up with as much frosting though.
Made these for Christmas Day and I agree with all the comments! At first, I was freaked out that I wasn’t creaming the butter and sugar first but when the butter melted, it made the cupcakes lighter. I also thought the icing tasted too much like shortening, but after refrigerating and with the cupcake, it was great. Cupcakes did stick to the liner and I almost cried, but after they had cooled completely, this didn’t happen. Long sorry short? They were a big hit and fabulous flavor!! Next time, iMAY increase the butter in the shortening/butter ratio, but definitely keeping in my recipe book! Thank you!
In your recipe it said 3/4 cup (120ml) eggnog and 1/4 cup (120ml) milk. Is it the right measurements 1/2 cup is equivalent to 120 ml? Do I follow the metric measurements or cups?
Thank you for pointing out the error. I have corrected it.
Since there is eggnog in the frosting do these need to be refrigerated
That would probably be best if they aren’t going to be served within a few hours.
These had a light eggnog flavor and were delightful. My pans were greasy buttery messes after they came out of the oven from all of the butter chunks in the batter and in a panic I had to taste one to see if it was a disaster. The liner completely stuck to the cake and was a mess. I went ahead and finished the cupcakes and after cooling they no longer stuck. I did not put the rum flavor in the icing as I just love eggnog flavor. Everyone enjoyed them and I did not refrigerate them and they were fine. I expected more of a fluffy cake and these were more dense and compacted – but still tasty.
These were great! I am not a van of vanilla, and these are nothing like vanilla.
I was in a rush so I used a GF white cake mix, (can’t eat gluten) but substituted the eggnog in the amounts suggested in the recipe and added the other ingredients as suggested.
The frosting with the nutmeg really brings the egg nog flavor out.
This recipe is a keeper. ????
So glad you enjoyed them!
Would Light Eggnog work okay in this recipe? I think I’ll have to make these for my husband before eggnog disappears till next year! Thanks.
I would think it’d be fine.
Just made these and they came out great! Tweaked the recipe a bit…used 2 whole eggs and a little less butter plus extra vanilla and cinnamon. Added lil straws on top like a real egg nog drink adorable! Oh and also added RUM 🙂
★★★★★
That sounds so cute!
These cupcakes were a total disaster! They made a huge mess in my pans! I have been making cupcakes for years and have never experienced a recipe like this
I’m sorry you had trouble with them. I know a lot of others have really enjoyed them. If you’d like to try a different version of an eggnog cupcake, I have a newer recipe here.
Made these tonight with almond nog and they were delicious! I will say that the icing recipe made more than twice the amount we needed for the amount of cupcakes the recipe makes. I’m not a huge fan of the taste of shortening in icing so next time I will probably just use the 1/2 cup butter and 2 cups powdered sugar with 2 tbsp eggnog. Thanks for the recipe!