June 25, 2013

Eggnog Cupcakes

We’re officially 6 months away from Christmas, folks. During one of my recent attempts to catch up on blogging, I realized I still had sweets from Christmas I still hadn’t posted about so I decided to wait til now to post since maybe now we’re a bit closer to the holiday recipe bookmarking season.

I made a batch of Apple Pie cookies for the 2011 Annual Kawasaki Family Christmas party, but wanted to do something a little more holiday-esque for 2012’s. I never drink eggnog, but I do like eggnog-flavored baked goods. I combined two recipes to make this version – the cupcake recipe is from A Good Appetite, and the frosting recipe is from Dollhouse Bake Shoppe. Here’s my combination!

INGREDIENTS:

For the eggnogcupcake

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups + 3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 teaspoon salt
5 egg whites, room temperature
2/3 cup eggnog
2 teaspoons of rum (optional)

For the eggnog cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature (don’t use light or low fat)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1-2 tablespoons eggnog, to taste
1 tablespoon rum, to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Make the eggnog cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 24 mini cupcake tins or 15 regular tins with size appropriate liners.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter & 1 1/3 cups of sugar together until light & fluffy. Beat in the rum & vanilla. Add the baking powder, salt & 2/3 cup flour, and beat until combined. Beat in 1/3 cup eggnog. Then beat in another 2/3 cup flour, followed by the rest of the eggnog & then the rest of the flour.
In another bowl beat the egg whites until foamy. Add in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold (not stir!) 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter until completely combined then fold in the remaining egg whites.
Fold (not stir!) the Egg Whites Into the Batter
Divide the batter between the cupcake tins, filling each one 2/3 full. Bake 15 minutes for mini cupcakes or 22 minutes for regular. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Cool completely on a rack.

Make the eggnog frosting:

With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth (make sure they are both at room temperature so you do not get lumps in your frosting). Gradually beat in powdered sugar until incorporated. Add vanilla, a pinch of ground nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons eggnog, add more to taste. Add 1-2 tablespoons of rum if desired. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
Garnish cupcakes with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg (a cinnamon stick will work too!).

My brother was over that day and started hovering over my work station, nearly knocking over my bowl of freshly made frosting. I of course yelled at him to leave me in peace, and then proceeded to frost the cupcakes one by one, and then sprinkle the nutmeg on top.

Getting nervous that he would tornado into the kitchen and knock over the box of perfect little cupcakes, I put the box in my room until it was time to leave for the party.

And of course, I really didn’t have to worry about my brother because I managed to knock the box over onto its side right before I left for the party.