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.
Well, 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
These 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
AWESOME 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.
Delicious as always! I love the close shot of the nutmeg :)
I 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.
Your photos are stunning – these cupcakes look so beautiful! I love the thick swirls of buttercream.
I 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!
What 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!
I have some egg nog in the fridge just waiting for a yummy recipe like this!
Those look soooo good! I’ll have to make your eggnog first and then use it to make cupcakes!
wow. this makes me wish i enjoyed the taste of eggnog. i can still appreciate their beauty! i love the shot of the nutmeg especially. :)
What lovely cupcakes! Great flavor, mmhhhh!
Cheers,
Rosa
They’re gorgeous!
Eggnog cupcakes – I love the idea! The fresh nutmeg looks so good on top!
I love that picture of the nutmeg!!! And the cupcakes sound fantastic…
Those look amazing. I can’t wait to try them out!
These eggnog cupcakes sound fantastic! As soon as I can go to the store, I’m getting the eggnog and making these, yum!
These are beautiful. The perfect Christmas cupcake.
p.s. i love the nutmeg photo
You’ve done it again! I’m a nutmeg fanatic and this looks fabulous! Love the perfect swirls too :D
Those look delicious! Thanks for the eggnog buttercream recipe :D Love the shot of the nutmeg cross-section too!
Wow these look so good. I have eggnog in my fridge right now, and I might just have to make these. :)
The cupcakes look lovely and I really think it’s great to use grated nutmeg as the garnish :)
Beautiful cupcakes!!! They must be insanely good… I’m seeing them in my future!!! Great frosting swirl!