Eggnog Cupcakes with Spiced Rum Caramel

Super tender eggnog cupcakes frosted with creamy eggnog infused ermine buttercream, topped with a spiced rum salted caramel sauce and freshly grated nutmeg.

The holidays are here and with it, is holiday drink-inspired cupcakes. That’s right, I put eggnog in the base of these cupcakes and in the buttercream. They’re topped with a spiced rum (or brandy if you like!) salted caramel sauce and are totally irresistible. 

If you’re feeling the holiday cheer, make sure to check out my chocolate peppermint cake, gingerbread loaf cake, cinnamon sugar cookies, christmas rice krispie treats and christmas macarons. 

If you’re just here for cupcakes, some of my favorites are my classic vanilla cupcakes, vanilla latte cupcakes, nutella cupcakes and cinnamon cupcakes.

Ingredients 

• Butter: I prefer salted butter here but you can also use unsalted butter. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature so it creams well with the dry ingredients. 
• Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes BUT you cannot beat the texture of cake flour in cupcakes so I highly recommend King Arthur’s Cake Flour. It is far superior to some alternatives in the grocery stores.
  • I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch. The cupcakes will work if you make them this way but they won’t be quite as soft and tender. 
  • I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured. 
• Baking Powder: to leaven the cupcakes. 
• Sugar: I used granulated sugar in the cupcake and ermine buttercream. I already reduced it from my original cupcakes (to make up for the extra sugar in the eggnog) but  I don’t recommend cutting any more out. 
• Oil: I always use a combination of butter and oil in my cakes because I like the texture from both. I recommend a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil here. 
• Eggs: use a large egg and make sure it’s at room temperature. Pop it in hot water for 5-10 minutes if you’re in a pinch.
• Sour Cream: I’ve used greek yogurt and sour cream in this recipe and they both work well. You can also use plain yogurt, make sure it’s unsweetened.
• Eggnog: I used Private selections spiced eggnog with notes of whiskey. I’ve also tested it with a plain Kroger brand eggnog and it worked out the same. 
• Spices: nutmeg is traditional with eggnog but I couldn’t hold back the cinnamon either. I used ½ tsp of ground cinnamon and nutmeg in the cupcakes and the spice is subtle, allowing the eggnog to still shine. You can double the spices if you want a more spiced cupcake. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Start by making the caramel so it has time to cool. Cook the sugar and water until it turns a dark amber color. Then add the butter and heavy cream and stir until it’s smooth. Add the salt and rum and mix until it’s combined. 

Step 2: Start the buttercream by cooking the sugar, flour, salt and eggnog until it’s thickened like custard. Cover it and set it aside to cool.

Step 3: Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices – until they’re evenly distributed.

Step 4: Add the room temperature butter and the oil and use an electric mixer to beat them at medium speed, until they’re crumbly like a streusel. 

Step 5: Add the egg and sour cream and mix just until they’re well combined and the batter is smooth.

Step 6: Stream in the eggnog with the mixer on low speed, mixing just until the batter is smooth. Scrape the edge of the bowl and give it a good mix.

Step 7: Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔-¾ full. I recommend weighing them so each cupcake has 50-55 grams of batter.  

Step 8: Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tallest part of the cupcake, in the center, springs back when you press on it. If you’re hesitant, give it another minute or so. Let the cupcakes rest for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove them from the pan. 

Step 9: Finish making the buttercream by whipping the butter until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the cooled custard in 3-4 increments and mix until it’s smooth.

Step 11: Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes, leaving hole in the center for the caramel.

Step 12: Fill the hole in the center of the buttercream with the caramel sauce and top with a pinch of grated nutmeg. 

Why do I use the reverse creaming method?

The reverse creaming method is where you combine all the dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, etc. with the butter and oil first. In this step the butter and oil are coating the flour particles. When the flour is coated with fat first, it inhibits the development of gluten, making the cupcakes extra tender (over developing the gluten is what can make cakes tough). 

This also provides a ‘tight’ crumb which means you should have large air pockets in the crumb of the cake. The lack of the large air pockets helps the cupcakes rise more evenly so that they’re not lopsided and don’t deflate when you remove them from the oven. 

Expert tips on getting perfect eggnog cupcakes

There’s a few things that can make it or break it with these cupcakes. 

• Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
• Don’t reduce the sugar. I know a lot of people do that for some recipes but not this one.
• Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale.
• Weigh the batter for each cupcake with a digital scale. I just place the cupcake pan on the scale with the liners and measure out 50-55 grams for each cupcake. You may have enough batter for about half a cupcake leftover. DO NOT BE TEMPTED to distribute that among the cupcakes, they will sink if they’re overfilled. 
• Use a light colored stainless steel muffin tin for a more even bake. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store eggnog cupcakes

I usually just cover them with a cake dome or place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for 1-2 days. You can store them in the refrigerator for an additional 2-3 days but if it’s any longer, I recommend freezing them.

To freeze the cupcakes, place them in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. Bring them back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.

If you make these eggnog cupcakes, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B