Learn how to make delicious eggnog cupcakes with rum buttercream frosting. Perfect for the holidays!
I’ve always been a huge fan of using eggnog in dessert recipes. I’ve made cookies, ice cream, a roulade cake, you name it. But out of everything I’ve made, I still think that eggnog cupcakes are the absolute best dessert. There’s just so much to love.
I shared a recipe for eggnog cupcakes a few years ago that has consistently pulled good traffic around the holidays. And it’s always been a bit of a sore spot for me because while I appreciate the visitors, I feel like the recipe and photo are underwhelming. I decided that both needed an upgrade.
Eggnog Cupcakes with Rum Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 7 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated nutmeg, plus more for topping
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more for topping
- 1 cup good quality eggnog (I like Organic Valley or Southern Comfort)
- 2 tablespoons spiced rum
- 1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 14 ounces granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
For the rum buttercream:
- 2 cups spiced rum
- 3 ounces large egg whites (approximately 3 eggs)
- 8 ounces granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 10 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1/4 cup good quality eggnog
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the oven racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions.
- Line your cupcake pans with paper liners.
- Whisk all dry ingredients together except for the sugar.
- Combine the liquid ingredients in a separate bowl.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on low for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time on low and then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry and wet ingredients, alternating between the two quickly to avoid overworking the batter.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds on medium.
- Use a 2 oz scoop to distribute the batter evenly between cupcake liners.
- Bake for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool to room temperature for 25-30 minutes before removing from pan. Proceed with frosting.
For the rum buttercream:
- In a small saucepan, reduce 2 cups of rum on high heat until you have around 3-4 tablespoons. Alcohol is flammable so keep an eye on it. If you accidentally flambé the rum, put a lid on the pot for a minute to extinguish the flame. Allow the reduced rum to cool to room temperature.
- Add sugar, water and corn syrup to a saucepan. Attach a candy thermometer to the side.
- Boil and allow sugar mixture to reach the soft ball stage (235-340 degrees F).
- While the sugar is coming up to temperature, whip the egg whites in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip them to a soft peak.
- With the mixer on medium speed, carefully pour the syrup down the side of the mixing bowl. Turn the speed up to high and whip until the meringue is at a stiff peak and room temperature. You can speed up this process by wrapping the outside of the bowl in ice packs or cold wet towels.
- When the meringue is cool, slowly add the soft butter while mixing on high.
- Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the cinnamon, vanilla and rum (and eggnog if using).
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Oh what a wonderful winter treat! I love cupcakes but never had them with rum which sounds amazing!
Holy crap! Drooling!
These look awesome. In the next major effort in upgrading my blog, I want to purchase one of those nice cameras. What is the kind you use?
I use a Nikon D70, which is only available used these days. Comparable models would be the D90, D3000 or D7000. If you want to check out my entire photography setup, click the link at the top of my site to “My Amazon Store” and check out the Photography section. I also discuss it a bit in the FAQ.
Oh…my….
I’m definitely trying this!!
Just baked some and holy cow, they are SUPER good!
Great Recipe girl!