Until I made these cupcakes, I hadn’t fully realized the lemony flavor and scent of nutmeg. While baking, they filled the house with a sweet lemony aroma, and almost everyone who tasted them thought they were flavored with lemon or some type of citrus.
Unlike straight eggnog, which is heavy and very rich, these cupcakes are surprisingly light and fluffy and their lemony/nutmeg flavor makes them refreshing.
Eggnog Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream
(Yield: 16-18 cupcakes and about 2 c buttercream)
Eggnog Cupcakes:
3 large eggs
1 1/4 c white sugar
1/2 c canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 c eggnog
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, plus additional for garnish if desired
Cooking spray
Muffin tray
Paper muffin liners (if using)
Eggnog Buttercream:
1 stick (1/4 lb) salted butter
1 lb powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
About 6 TB eggnog (more or less to achieve your desired consistency)
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F. Beat together the egg, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggnog until thoroughly mixed. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring until just combined (there will still be a few lumps; be careful not to over-mix, or the cupcakes won’t be fluffy and light). Line the muffin tray with paper liners and very lightly spray the inside of each paper liner with cooking spray. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting; once frosted, garnish with a little sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg.
For the buttercream: Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. While still mixing, add the eggnog 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
lostpastremembered says
December 20, 2009 at 3:14 pmBeautiful cupcakes!!! They must be insanely good… I’m seeing them in my future!!! Great frosting swirl!
Selba says
December 20, 2009 at 5:39 pmThe cupcakes look lovely and I really think it’s great to use grated nutmeg as the garnish :)
Jenna says
December 20, 2009 at 7:16 pmWow these look so good. I have eggnog in my fridge right now, and I might just have to make these. :)
Dorothy says
December 20, 2009 at 8:00 pmThose look delicious! Thanks for the eggnog buttercream recipe :D Love the shot of the nutmeg cross-section too!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
December 20, 2009 at 8:30 pmYou’ve done it again! I’m a nutmeg fanatic and this looks fabulous! Love the perfect swirls too :D
Heavenly Housewife says
December 21, 2009 at 4:56 amThese are beautiful. The perfect Christmas cupcake.
p.s. i love the nutmeg photo
Samantha says
December 21, 2009 at 7:35 amThose look amazing. I can’t wait to try them out!
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says
December 21, 2009 at 8:51 amThese eggnog cupcakes sound fantastic! As soon as I can go to the store, I’m getting the eggnog and making these, yum!
Krista says
December 21, 2009 at 9:24 amI love that picture of the nutmeg!!! And the cupcakes sound fantastic…
Jen says
December 21, 2009 at 11:08 amEggnog cupcakes – I love the idea! The fresh nutmeg looks so good on top!
Blond Duck says
December 21, 2009 at 11:55 amThey’re gorgeous!
Rosa says
December 21, 2009 at 2:02 pmWhat lovely cupcakes! Great flavor, mmhhhh!
Cheers,
Rosa
grace says
December 21, 2009 at 2:44 pmwow. this makes me wish i enjoyed the taste of eggnog. i can still appreciate their beauty! i love the shot of the nutmeg especially. :)
Chiara says
December 21, 2009 at 2:53 pmThose look soooo good! I’ll have to make your eggnog first and then use it to make cupcakes!
Barabara Bakes says
December 21, 2009 at 4:06 pmI have some egg nog in the fridge just waiting for a yummy recipe like this!
Barbara says
December 21, 2009 at 6:44 pmWhat a beautiful cupcake, Faith! Nothing is better than freshly grated nutmeg. And your photo of the halved nutmeg is really unusual. I love egg nog so would love these.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
theUngourmet says
December 22, 2009 at 12:10 amI just love using eggnog in my baking. I recently made cuppies similar to these. I love your fresh grated nutmeg on top! These are beautiful!
Lucy says
December 22, 2009 at 1:47 amYour photos are stunning – these cupcakes look so beautiful! I love the thick swirls of buttercream.
Joanne says
December 22, 2009 at 7:43 amI am going to have to go and sniff some nutmeg now to see about this lemon business. These cupcakes look fantastic! Buttercream definitely makes everything better.
Nutmeg Nanny says
December 22, 2009 at 3:56 pmDelicious as always! I love the close shot of the nutmeg :)
marla {Family Fresh Cooking} says
December 24, 2009 at 2:20 pmAWESOME PHOTOS!!!! These cupcakes are beautiful and I can only imagine how very tasty they are. Great job here. That nutmeg close up is really cool.
Krys says
December 24, 2009 at 4:08 pmThese were a hit in my family! I plan on reducing the sugar in the frosting next time though, and I only cooked them for 16 minutes on the 2nd batch. I think they turned out more fluffy on less time
Ingrid says
January 11, 2010 at 8:58 pmWell, darn! During the whole month of December I yearned for eggnog cake but never tripped over a recipe that appealed to me. I didn’t have much time so I never really checked around. I should have! Btw, love the photo of the nutmeg.
~ingrid