These sweet eggnog cupcakes are filled with festive Christmas flavour! The recipe is adapted from our dairy-free cupcakes and easy vanilla frosting recipes. With real eggnog in the cupcakes and the buttercream and added warm winter flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum. The result is a rich, alcohol-free Christmas treat with decadent creamy notes that's great for sharing or gifting.
I included the eggnog buttercream frosting recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. If you need tips for decorating with the buttercream visit this vanilla frosting post.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Eggnog: use full-fat eggnog, not the light stuff. We haven't tested it with a low-fat version and they have extra additives that will alter the cupcakes.
- Vanilla: you can use rum extract in the cupcakes instead of vanilla if you want to boost the eggnog flavour even more.
- Buttercream: if you don’t like buttercream, try this cream cheese frosting and add a bit of rum extract to it.
Method
Step 1: whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: beat the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Step 3: carefully mix in the eggnog.
Step 4: sift the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix by hand until just combined.
Step 5: divide evenly into a 12-cup muffin tin.
Step 6: bake until lightly golden and cool fully before decorating.
Top Tips
- Don't worry about curdling: if your eggs are still a bit cool, or cold from the fridge, it can make your butter mixture look curdled. Don’t be alarmed if this happens. The cupcakes will turn out fine.
- Reduce the sugar: if you don’t want to use a full cup of sugar, reduce the amount to ¾ cup (150 g). Reducing it any further will ruin the texture.
- Add extra frosting: double the frosting recipe if you like a lot of frosting on your cupcakes as this is a pretty light amount.
Recipe Notes
Cupcakes need to be fully and completely cooled before decorating with buttercream or any other frosting. If they're still warm, the frosting will melt, and not only look bad but will also soak into the cupcakes and make them a bit soggy.
How to Store
Storage: keep cupcakes without frosting in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days. Frosted cupcakes must be kept in the fridge.
Freezing: the cupcakes can be frozen with or without the frosting. To freeze without frosting, simply place cooled cupcakes in an airtight container and freeze up to three months. Frosted cupcakes must be frozen in a single layer and should only be frozen for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
FAQ
Are there eggs in eggnog?
There sure are! Eggnog is made with milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and extras like spices and rum. Some store-bought versions are made without eggs, but they're not really eggnog, just flavoured like it. In Canada it can't be called eggnog if there aren't eggs in it.
How do you cool cupcakes?
Cupcakes should be cooled for a few minutes in the muffin tin because they'll be very delicate when hot. Once they've cooled enough to handle, carefully remove them from the tin and cool fully on a wire rack.
Is eggnog an American thing?
While eggnog almost certainly originated from much older milk-based drinks in England and Europe, it is now considered North American and is popular in the US and Canada.
If you make this Eggnog Cupcake recipe or any other cupcake recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Eggnog Cupcakes With Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Muffin tin
- 12 muffin cups
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Fine mesh sieve
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Wire mesh
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
For The Eggnog Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter room temperature to soft
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup eggnog
For The Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- Eggnog to taste
Instructions
Make The Eggnog Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with melted butter and line each cavity with a paper muffin wrapper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a mixing bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Place the butter and sugar in a second mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to cream the two together until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well on medium-high speed to combine. Add the eggnog to the bowl and again, mix well.
- Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the flour into the butter-eggnog mixture. Once the flour has been sifted, there may be some bits of nutmeg and salt that didn’t pass through the sieve. Dump them into the bowl.
- Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Gently fold and stir the cupcake batter together until the flour is just mixed in. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups in the prepared tin and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the edges of the cupcakes are pale gold and the tops spring back when pressed gently with a fingertip. Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and set on the rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make The Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- Place the butter in a mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the powdered sugar into the bowl. Mix on low speed to combine.
- Add the rum extract and continue to mix.
- Add eggnog by the teaspoon, mixing in between each addition, until you reach your desired consistency. You will want the frosting to be a bit stiff if you intend on piping the frosting. Once you are happy with the frosting, use it to decorate the fully cooled eggnog cupcakes.