Moist and flavorful eggnog cupcakes are topped with a caramel eggnog buttercream in these festive and seasonal Eggnog Cupcakes with Caramel Eggnog Buttercream.
If you love eggnog, also try this Eggnog Bread with Eggnog Glaze or this Eggnog Croissant Bread Pudding with Caramel Eggnog Syrup.
Are you an eggnog fan?
I’ve never been a big fan of drinking milk – I just don’t love the feeling of the thick liquid in my mouth and throat, and eggnog is like milk x 10. So these days, it’s usually on a few sips until I’m done.
But that eggnog flavor?
I’m totally in.
Which is why I get excited when the holidays come around and I can use eggnog in different recipes. Like these eggnog cupcakes.
These Eggnog Cupcakes are topped with a Caramel Eggnog Buttercream. The addition of the caramel adds something different to these cupcakes than your typical eggnog cupcake. I loved the buttercream and really just wanted to eat it with a spoon.
If you are looking for the flavors of the season, these Eggnog Cupcakes with Caramel Eggnog Buttercream are your answer!
Tips and Tricks
I used dulce de leche for the caramel in this recipe, but I learned that there are actually 2 different kinds of dulce de leche sold in the grocery store. I intended to buy the can, but my grocery store didn’t have any. But they did have dulce de leche in a plastic squeeze bottle. So I bought it. It worked perfectly in this recipe, but that bottled caramel is definitely different than the canned caramel. I wish they would label them differently, because they are not the same consistency at all – the canned dulce de leche is pretty thick, while the bottled is a lot more pourable.
You can make the cupcakes up to 2 days in advance. Just make sure they stay covered at room temperature.
Once frosted, I store the cupcakes in the refrigerator. Do not drizzle with the caramel until you are ready to serve.
More Holiday Cake and Cupcake Recipes
Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake)
Cranberry Cake with Warm Butter Sauce
Gingerbread Cookie Cupcakes
Cranberry Orange Cupcakes
Lemon Pomegranate Cupcakes
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Eggnog Cupcakes with Caramel Eggnog Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 16 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Moist and flavorful eggnog cupcakes are topped with a caramel eggnog buttercream in these festive and seasonal Eggnog Cupcakes with Caramel Eggnog Buttercream.
Ingredients
Eggnog Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup eggnog
Caramel Eggnog Buttercream
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce*
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cinnamon
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons eggnog
- freshly grated nutmeg, for decorating
- additional dulce de leche*, for decorating
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 16-18 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating for a full minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum extracts.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until combined. With the mixer still running, slowly add half of the eggnog. Add in another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining eggnog, then the remaining flour, beating after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Fill each of the cups 2/3 full of the batter. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream:
- In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter until very light and fluffy, several minutes. Add in the dulce de leche, vanilla extract, rum extract, nutmeg, salt and cinnamon and beat to combine. Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Add in the eggnog 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
To decorate:
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes using your desired tip. (I used the Ateco 809 round tip.) Grate nutmeg over the tops of the cupcakes, the drizzle with dulce de leche. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes:
*The dulce de leche that I used in this recipe was NOT the canned dulce de leche. It was the Nestle Le Lechera brand that comes in a plastic squeeze bottle. This dulce de leche is thinner and more pourable than the canned caramel.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 407
- Sugar: 44 g
- Sodium: 273 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 79. mg
Keywords: eggnog cupcake, holiday cupcake, eggnog recipe
Jennifer Jordan says
Unbelievable. I picked this recipe for my 1st try at Eggnog Cupcakes. I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. Followed to a tee. Brought them to work and they were a hit. Must make more now!
★★★★★
Megan says
These look great but the cake recipe says to add half the egg nog and I’m not seeing where ads the second half? Or is it really just a 1/2 cup in the cake and not a 1 cup?
Deborah says
I’m so sorry! There was a typo in the recipe and it said to add the rest of the nutmeg instead of the eggnog. I have fixed the recipe, so it should be correct now!
Emily says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter for the frosting? I’m assuming salted since it doesn’t say otherwise
Deborah says
I used unsalted butter. Feel free to use salted butter, but you might want to cut back on the salt amount in the recipe.
Ina says
Can these be made using cake flour? Cake flour tends to make the cupcakes fluffy and moist.
Deborah says
I haven’t tried them with cake flour, but I would guess that they’d work just fine with cake flour.
Katlin says
I just made these today! I LOVED the light nutmeg flavor of the cake, but I felt like the frosting wasn’t flavorful enough. I made it as written at first, but I wound up using a total of 1½ tsp. rum extract, 3/4 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you were able to make them work for you! 🙂
Shelly says
Oh these looks so much good and delicious! I love how fluffy and tall the eggnog frosting is, plus the caramel drizzle – these look amazing.
Joanne says
This is definitely the best eggnog recipe I’ve seen all holiday season! Drooling over that buttercream. Big time.
Amy says
can you omit the rum extract?
Deborah says
Definitely! I won’t have as much of the eggnog flavor, but they will still be delicious! 🙂
Serena says
Do you think I could thin caramel sauce with a little hot water? I NEED these cupcakes! (:
Deborah says
I would maybe try to thin it with milk or cream. You just want it to be a pourable consistency.
CakeSpy says
These cupcakes…I just need one or twelve to spend some time with me right now.
Chels R. says
Oh heaven help me, this looks amazing. I LOVED eggnog when I was a kid, but since becoming an adult, I can’t down it the same way I used to. Like 2 sips and I’m done-but I love the flavor and I bet it is delicious in this cupcake.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Just this past weekend, I had my first glass of eggnog of the season. Loving these cupcakes! The frosting looks crazy good!
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
I love the addition of caramel to these cupcakes! I’ve only just tried eggnog for the first time & I’m in love, so I need to make cupcakes ASAP!
tanya says
I have never been a fan of eggnog with alcohol, but I guzzle the plain version! The cupcakes are wonderful. Love the dulce de leche!