Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Frosting

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Frosting provide a delightful flavor combination for the winter holidays.  Eggnog is used in both the cupcake batter and the frosting, creating a wonderfully spiced confection.  

Every year, December seems to sneak up on me.  I feel like there is just barely time to unwind from Thanksgiving before it's time to celebrate the joy of Christmas.  This year was no different, especially since Thanksgiving fell so late in November.  Last weekend, we swapped out our Turkey Day decorations for the Christmas decor, and completed about 10% of our Christmas shopping (oh, boy -- lots more to go!).  Last night, I finally ordered our Christmas cards.  This week, we'll be searching for the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree; with a small apartment, we're determined to find an appropriately-sized tree.  And although we're already 1/3 of the way through December, I'm excited to share my first Christmas recipe of the season: Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Frosting.  

I suppose you could say that I'm a little behind schedule...

For this recipe, I started with King Arthur Flour's gingerbread cupcake recipe.  To make my cupcakes extra rich, I substituted eggnog for water.  Then, the cupcakes are topped with a very generous swirl of eggnog frosting.  The frosting is adapted from this perfect whipped frosting recipe from Can You Stay for Dinner.  If you haven't tried this recipe, I highly recommend doing so.  The result is a frosting that is light and airy, with a texture like whipped cream.  But here's the kicker: the essential ingredients are simply milk (or eggnog, in my case), flour, butter, and granulated sugar.  Add some extract and spices to enhance the flavor, if desired.  How simple is that?  This frosting is unique because you create a roux with the eggnog and flour, and then allow the roux to cool completely before whipping it with the sugar and butter.  I made the roux while the cupcakes were baking, then chilled it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  This adds a little prep time, so this frosting takes a little longer to make than a traditional buttercream.  But the taste and texture is well worth some extra waiting time.  

(click here for a printable recipe)

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Frosting
(cupcakes adapted from this recipe from King Arthur Flour.  frosting adapted from this recipe from Can You Stay for Dinner?)

Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the gingerbread cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup eggnog

For the eggnog frosting:

• 1 cup eggnog
• 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rum extract*
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

3. In another large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and egg.  Add half of the eggnog to the butter mixture, then add half the flour mixture.  Stir gently with a wooden spoon.  Repeat with remaining eggnog and flour mixture.  Continue stirring until fully incorporated (batter will be quite thick).

4. Fill each paper liner with a scant 1/4 cup batter.  With a small spoon, smooth top to create an even surface.  

5. Bake cupcakes for 22 to 24 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely.  

For the frosting:

1. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together eggnog and flour.  Cook at medium heat for 5-7 minutes, whisking constantly.  Once the mixture has reached the consistency of a thick custard, remove from heat and add extracts.  Allow mixture to cool completely (I chilled in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes). 

2. Using a hand mixer or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy.  On medium speed, this should take approximately three minutes.  Add eggnog mixture and nutmeg to bowl, and beat an additional two minutes, until fully incorporated.  Frosting should be light and airy, with the texture of whipped cream.  Frost cupcakes as desired.  

Yield: 12 cupcakes

*Note: If you don't have rum extract, an equal amount of vanilla extract can be used.  

(click here for a printable recipe)

Thanks for stopping by, friends!  The last few weeks have been quite busy both at home and at work, but I hope to get back to a more regular posting schedule soon.