Eggnog Cupcakes with Eggnog Frosted “Winter Trees” Spiked with a Hint of Rum!
Can we take a moment here and just look at these beautiful eggnog cupcakes, just one more time? It’s ok, you can scroll up and take another look. I’ll wait as I look too.
When I first started these cupcakes, I had no clue how I was going to photograph this one. All I knew was that I have been dying to use everything blue and white to create a winter wonderland. From the cake plate to the gumballs, it’s all been sitting on the shelf untouched for too long. Today was the day.
With darkening clouds by the hour, I refused to stop and kept pushing until I got the right shots. Unlike my Peppermint Mocha Brownie Bites I posted yesterday which took a record breaking 10 minutes to shoot and another 20 to edit, these winter wonderland cupcakes took quite some time.
Usually I study some of my favorite food photographers for inspiration of how to do my own photos but today, that was not happening. In a race against time, I grabbed all of my props including photo boards, threw it on the bed, and slapped this piece up together on the fly with not much thought behind it. This is not how I usually work but in today’s case with a Winter Wonderland look, everything had to be white and bright and with minimal shadows.
Oh and yes, I said “bed.” This was the only room during the time that had the most light. 😉
It’s been a while since I rushed like a mad woman pacing back and forth from the kitchen to the bedroom before darkness hits but somehow, I managed AND managed to not drop the big blue frosted tree that you see in the photos. In one quick turn, my hip hit the side of the cupcake case where it sat and I was thisclose from tears! Luck was by my side today. Thank you, Jesus!
I can now move on!
Eggnog Winter Wonderland Cupcakes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 18 cupcakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Eggnog Cupcakes with Eggnog Frosted “Winter Trees” Spiked with a Hint of Rum!
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon rum or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup eggnog
EGGNOG BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 5 – 7 cups powdered sugar
- 4 – 6 tablespoons eggnog
- 1 teaspoon rum or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- sky or baby blue gel food color
- 12 – 18 ice cream cones
Instructions
CUPCAKES
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line each cupcake well with a cupcake liner; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, rum and vanilla extract, mix until just combined.
- On low speed, add flour mixture alternating parts with eggnog and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into cupcakes about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool to room temperature before frosting.
EGGNOG BUTTERCREAM
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until completely softened.
- On low speed, mix in 3 cups of powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of eggnog, rum, and nutmeg. Continue mixing until frosting becomes uniform in texture.
- Gradually add more powdered sugar 1 cup at a time with 1 tablespoon of eggnog at a time until a soft spreadable consistency is achieved. Note: use more eggnog if buttercream is too dry or add more sugar if too wet.
- Separate buttercream into 2 parts. Add blue gel coloring to only one part of the buttercream and mix color in thoroughly.
ASSEMBLY
- Cut cones to desired height and frost the sides with buttercream; set aside.
- Spread a small amount of white buttercream onto cupcakes and sprinkle the edge with white nonpareils to resemble “snow.” Insert a frosted ice cream cone upside-down onto cupcake; set aside.
- Fill two piping bags each with its own color, fit bag with an open or closed star tip (I used Ateco 26). Pipe stars from the bottom of the cone working up to the tip. Place a pearl color coated candy on top (I used Sixlets). Before frosting dries, add sprinkles, if desired. ENJOY!
Notes
Please note that rum or rum extract does not have to be used.
As colored buttercream sits, the color may darken slightly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Cuisine: American
Eggnog Recipes
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