Eggnog Cupcakes

Guest blog by Heather Rousseau, owner of SugarHigh Bakery in Frankenmuth.

Eggnog is seriously one of the biggest reasons I look forward to the holiday season. I love eggnog and I obviously love cupcakes, so what could be more perfect!? These egg nog cupcakes are always a HIT and one of the most popular holiday flavors at the bakery so I figured I’d share the recipe with you.

INGREDIENTS:

Frosting:

• ¼ c powdered sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Cupcakes:

• 24 cupcake liners
• 2-3/4 cup of sifted cake flour
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¾ tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ c butter (1-1/2 sticks)
• 1-1/4 cup eggnog (reserve ¼ cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp rum extract

DIRECTIONS:

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, nutmeg, salt & baking powder.
3. In a mixing bowl beat the egg whites until frothy.
4. Add the ½ cup of sugar and continue beating the egg whites until soft peaks form.
5. In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually add the rest of the sugar. Scrape the bowl often and cream until light and fluffy.
6. Add dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar, alternating with the eggnog. Scrape bowl after each addition and beat until smooth. Add in vanilla and rum extracts.
7. Add the meringue and gently fold into a batter.
8. Fill your cupcake liners ¾ full.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Check them at 12 minutes)
10. Let cupcakes cool completely.

Frosting:

1. Pour heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl. Combine powdered sugar and nutmeg. Slowly add powdered sugar mixture to heavy whipping cream while whipping.
2. Whip until stiff peaks – be careful not to over beat. Set aside.
3. Using a squeeze bottle, inject remaining eggnog into each cupcake. Three to four injections is generally best, but you may like more or less, depending on your preference.
4. Apply the whipped frosting to each cupcake and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
5. Devour!