Bourbon Eggnog Cupcakes

Eggnog is one of those controversial Christmas flavors, but personally I LOVE it! It's my favorite holiday drink and makes a great substitute for milk in both cakes and frostings and it just adds so much flavor to these bourbon eggnog cupcakes! They're rich, boozy, and just slightly spiced with toasty nutmeg. I also topped them with Christmas cookies because why not?

How to Make Eggnog from Scratch

Eggnog is super easy to make, so I usually just make it myself but you can also just buy it at the store if you're feeling lazy! I like my eggnog boozy, but you can omit the alcohol for an equally delicious treat!

I use bourbon in my eggnog (and these cupcakes) but you can also use dark rum or brandy if you prefer!

• 4 large eggs, separated
• ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg yolks and ⅓ cup sugar for about 5 minutes or until the yolks lighten in color and the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Add in the milk, heavy cream, bourbon, vanilla, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Pour into a separate bowl and set aside.
3. Place the egg whites and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
4. Chill and then serve! It will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Cupcake Decorating Tips

• Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!!
• I also like to just lightly brush the tops of the cupcakes with an eggnog and bourbon mixture for extra flavor and to help keep the cupcakes moist, but it's totally optional.
• To decorate all of my cakes and cupcakes, I use this Wilton Decorating Kit* and I love it! It’s super easy to use and has a ton of tips in different sizes. For these cupcakes, I used the 1M tip*.
• I topped these with a pinch of nutmeg and my cute little snowflake shortbread cookies because I had them laying around and I just love how the cookies taste with the eggnog buttercream!

More Christmas Recipes

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, scratch-made recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Bourbon Eggnog Cupcakes

5 from 5 votes

Eggnog great substitute for milk in both cakes and frostings and it just adds so much flavor to these bourbon eggnog cupcakes! They're rich, boozy, and just slightly spiced with toasty nutmeg.

Print Pin

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Author: Kyleigh Sage

Equipment

• ▢
  cupcake pan
• ▢
  cupcake liners

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

½1x2x3x

Eggnog Cupcakes

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 2 tablespoons bourbon, omit if using eggnog that already contains alcohol
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ½ cups cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup eggnog

Optional Cake Soak

• ▢ 2 tablespoons eggnog
• ▢ 2 teaspoons bourbon

Eggnog Buttercream

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon bourbon
• ▢ 2-3 teaspoons eggnog

Instructions

Eggnog Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, bourbon, and vanilla together until combined.
• Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the eggnog and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
• Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full). Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
• Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting. In a small bowl, mix together the eggnog and bourbon for the cupcake soak, then brush a small amount over the top of each cupcake.

Eggnog Buttercream

• In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.
• Add in the powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until fully combined and smooth.
• Add in the bourbon and eggnog and beat on high for 3-4 minutes or until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
• Frost cooled cupcakes. I used a 1M tip for these photos. Sprinkle a bit of nutmeg over the frosting and enjoy! (If you're feeling super fancy, top with a Christmas cookie!)

Notes

Store un-frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store buttercream in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 783IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg

Category | Dessert

Cuisine | American

Love this recipe?Mention @barleyandsage on Instagram and tag #barleyandsage

Browse more Christmas recipes →