Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream

Recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes with an Eggnog Buttercream frosting in celebration of #ChristmasSweetsWeek! These wonderfully scented and spiced gingerbread cupcakes are topped with a light and fluffy eggnog buttercream for quite the festive holiday treat.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored in conjunction with ChristmasSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream

After participating in Brunch Week last April/May, I am so excited to celebrate #ChristmasSweetsWeek with a group of wonderful bloggers and sponsors! I am starting the week with these festive Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream.

The gingerbread cupcake base features Dixie Crystals light brown sugar and Cabot butter. I added LorAnn super-strength eggnog flavor to the buttercream and topped the cupcakes with this fun Reindeer Food Sprinkles Mix from Sweets & Treats.

Fill each prepared muffin tin about 3/4 full. I usually do this by slightly overfilling a standard ice cream scoop to transfer the batter to each of the prepared muffin tins. This is the easiest way I have come across to get a consistent size. 

Bake until just until barely golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Over-baking will cause them to lose their moisture and become dry. Cool completely to room temperature before topping with the frosting.

Once topped with the frosting, the cupcakes are best served within a couple of hours or refrigerated in an airtight container. The unfrosted cupcakes can be made a day or two in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. 

This Gingerbread Cupcake recipe makes around 10-12 cupcakes. It can easily be doubled to serve closer to 24 if desired.

Looking for more cupcake recipes?

Try my 

• Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes
• Blood Orange Chardonnay Cupcakes
• Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

#ChristmasSweetsWeek

Welcome to #ChristmasSweetsWeek 2018 hosted by Terri from Love and Confections and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures! What better way to celebrate the holidays than with food?

44 bloggers from around the country have come together to share over 180 sweet Christmas recipes!! Deck the halls and get ready for very merry sweet treats, like fudge, cookies, Christmas morning breakfasts, layer cakes, martinis, cocoa, and more! 

#ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes:

Beverages:

Brownie Batter Hot Chocolate Mix from The Spiffy Cookie
Christmas Flip from Our Good Life
Easy Cranberry Orange Madras from Love and Confections
Glogg from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Grinch Cocoa with Peppermint Marshmallows from Kate’s Recipe Box
Salted Caramel Toffee Martini from Family Around the Table
Sugar Cookie Martini from The Redhead Baker

Breakfast:

Christmas Cranberry Bread from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Overnight Caramel French Toast from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen

Candies:

Cherry Mash Truffles from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
Dark Chocolate Cherry & Peppermint Snowflake Bark from Sweet Beginnings
Grinch Fudge Topped Brownies from Big Bear’s Wife
Pineapple Upside Down Cake Fudge from Lady Behind the Curtain
Red Velvet Fudge from Live Love Texas

Desserts:

Black Forest Tiramisu Parfait from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Chocolate Eggnog Cupcakes from The Crumby Kitchen
Christmas Chocolate Chip Sprinkles Butter Cookies from Moore or Less Cooking
Cookie Butter Pudding Cups from The Beard and The Baker
Date Filled Cookies from Platter Talk
Easy Snickerdoodle Cake from Daily Dish Recipes
Eggnog Blossom Cookies from Blogghetti
Eggnog cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Gingerbread Cheesecake Trifle from My Suburban Kitchen
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream from Tara’s Multicultural Table
Glazed Gingerbread Loaf from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
No Bake Peppermint Eggnog Pie from Who Needs A Cape?
Peppermint Shortbread from Cheese Curd in Paradise
Pepper Jelly Rugelach from Take Two Tapas
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies from April Golightly
Sugar Cookie Cheesecake from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
Toffee Thumbprint Cookies from The Bitter Side of Sweet
Vanilla Yogurt Mousse with Cinnamon Apples from With Two Spoons
Vegan Hot Chocolate Layer Cake from The Baking Fairy
Winter Wonderland Snack Mix from An Affair from the Heart

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream Recipe

Adapted from Baking-Ginger, Buttercream from Completely Delicious

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream

Recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes with an Eggnog Buttercream frosting in celebration of #ChristmasSweetsWeek! These wonderfully scented and spiced gingerbread cupcakes are topped with a light and fluffy eggnog buttercream for quite the festive holiday treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cupcake, dessert, eggnog, frosting, gingerbread, winter

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk

Eggnog Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon eggnog extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 2-4 tablespoons eggnog

Instructions

To make the Gingerbread Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 12 muffin tins with liners or grease.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses, then the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla extract.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt.
• Mix 1/3rd of the flour mixture into the butter until just incorporated, followed by half of the milk, 1/3rd of the flour, the remaining milk, and the remaining flour. 
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared muffin tins, filling the 2/3 full (I used an ice cream scoop). Bake in preheated oven just until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool on wire racks.

To make the Eggnog Buttercream:

• In a large bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, eggnog extract, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined. Slowly beat in the eggnog until the buttercream is smooth and has reached the desired consistency for piping.
• Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with desired tip and pipe onto the cooled, room temperature cupcakes. Top the cupcakes with desired sprinkles or even small gingerbread cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.