I had eggnog liqueur left over from the party and wanted to use it up. Since I’m not really one to drink eggnog, I wanted to come up with a dessert concoction of some kind. I thought about fudge, didn’t have all of the ingredients, so eggnog cupcakes it was. I always keep boxed cake mix on hand as a quick shortcut, which is what I did for these.
I polled the masses on social media for ideas for frosting. A friend suggested a cream cheese frosting (which I like about as much as I like eggnog) with nutmeg. Other commenters were leaning heavily toward a cinnamon buttercream. I decided to combine the two ideas and go with a cream cheese frosting with cinnamon and nutmeg. The cream cheese frosting balances out some of the sweetness of the eggnog cupcakes.
Two Sisters has a great post on How to Frost Cupcakes. I can't really describe how I frost cupcakes because it's kind of muscle memory at this point. The method in the post from Two Sisters might use more frosting than my recipe calls for (the frosting looks a little taller in theirs!) The frosting pictured in the eggnog cupcakes was made using a Wilton 1M Piping Tip - it's the one I use most often!
Looking for more dessert recipes? Check out my dessert collection and other cupcake recipes! Fruitcake Cookies are another great holiday baking recipe. If you still have some eggnog to use up, The Littlest Crumb has a great post with 10 Holiday Christmas Eggnog Drinks.
Eggnog Cupcakes With Cinnamon & Nutmeg Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Mixer optional, but recommended
- Piping bag optional
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup eggnog liqueur Use this instead of the water for the boxed cake mix. Can also use non-alcoholic eggnog.
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or amount on boxed cake mix of your choice
- 3 eggs or amount on boxed cake mix of your choice
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line cupcake tin with paper liners.
- Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box, but substitute eggnog or eggnog liqueur for the water.
- Bake according to the instructions on the box (approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean). Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter.
- Beat in cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.
- Add powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the ingredients are well-incorporated and a nice frosting consistency has formed.
- Frost each cupcake.
Notes
