My First Encounter With All Things Eggnog
Another birthday and another round of cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. I wanted to make these before Christmas, but January 5th is close enough for me for all purposes.
I went into these cupcakes blind about anything and everything eggnog related. I've never tasted it. I've never smelled it. And in all reality, I was fine if I never did any of that stuff. But for cupcakes' sake and for being willing to try something new, I would give these cupcakes a try. I would, at the very, eat a cupcake.
I started mixing these up, sort of on the fence about whether I would make a double batch. The recipe says it will make 18 cupcakes. Since I was making these for a Saturday night, I didn't think that 18 would be enough to bring to work, but I also wasn't sure if I had enough eggnog. I began following the directions. First step: mixing all the dry ingredients. Second step: cream together the butter and sugar. Third step: add the eggs. It took me until this next step to realize I was going to make a double batch of cupcakes. I had enough eggnog! So I threw more dry ingredients in the one bowl. Then, I added more butter, sugar, and eggs all at once to the already started mixture. After this, I accidentally got off the beaten path of the recipe. I got so caught up in the excitement of having enough eggnog. So instead of having the eggnog and the vanilla together, I poured the eggnog and the rum together, and since it was a double batch it was a lot. I continued on to mixing the dry and wet ingredients together. It only took me until I made a huge eggnog-and-rum-splashy mess to realize that somewhere I made a mistake. I just kept mixing everything up the way I started it and threw the vanilla in last. I kept a dish towel over the mixer to prevent an even bigger mess. It worked pretty well. Finally, I just added the cocoa and that was that. The batter was perfect. Not too runny and not too thick. I filled up the cupcake liners just like the recipe instructed and into the oven they went.
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| Eggnog and Rum Mixed Together Ooops |
The recipe suggests checking the cupcakes at 15 minutes. Don't worry about it. After I unnecessarily checked them, I set the timer for 4 more minutes. They came out so perfect! I'm always so happy when they come out domed and beautiful. Not a single one baked over. While they cooled, I ran to the store to get some more powdered sugar and dark rum for the icing.
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| So Many Cupcakes |
Normally, I will have a ton of icing left over no matter what I do. So I decided to just make a single batch of icing and see how far it took me. The recipe calls for 6 ounces of cream cheese, but just to make it easy and so I don't have to throw a way a tiny bit of cream cheese, I just use the 8 ounces that comes in a block. I added a little extra powdered sugar, and I let the mixer rip while I helped my mom take the ornaments off the Christmas tree for 3-5 minutes. I spread the icing on every cupcake. I plopped plenty of it on and I still had some icing left over. It might be some kind of curse that's on me.
Then it came time for the taste test. My mom reluctantly was the first taste tester. After she told me that she didn't like eggnog, I still insisted that she tried one. She took a bite, and then another, and handed me the other half of her cupcake. She said it was very strong, which I already expected after tasting the icing. I ate my half of the cupcake. All I tasted was the rum. Then I realized, I didn't even know what eggnog tasted like to even start to look for the flavor. So I had a tiny bit left in the bottom of the bottle. I went into the fridge and grabbed the eggnog. I opened it up and smelled it. It smelled like Christmas, like cinnamon and nutmeg and those appropriate holiday spices. I nervously put the bottle to my lips, and slowly, slowly, slowly tipped the bottle back. And that's when it happened! I actually drank eggnog! I expected to instantly drop dead from it. But! It wasn't so bad. It has the consistency of a good chocolate milk, like the kind you get out of the carton already all mixed up, and it tasted kind of like Christmas, like gingerbread and yummy tastiness. It's not something that I need to buy every year when Christmas comes around, but if I was offered, I wouldn't not drink it. I think it's just the fact that you're drinking eggs that freaks everyone out. Anyway... after I knew what eggnog tasted like, I took another bite, just of the cupcake, and somewhere in there, I could taste the eggnog. The spices came out well in the chocolate, but was still slightly overpowered by the rum.
When I got these cupcakes out at work, after all the busy-ness was over, everyone asked my what kind of cupcakes I brought. All I would tell them was "They're rum, it doesn't matter what else is in them, the rum is all you taste."
Eggnog Cupcake Ingredients
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 Tbsp butter
1 1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 c eggnog
1/2 c dark rum (or rum extract)
1/2 c cocoa
Cupcake How to
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line cupcake pans.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
5. Combine the vanilla and eggnog in a large liquid measure.
6. Add 1/3 flour mixture to the butter, then 1/3 of the eggnog mixture, beating slowly until well incorporated. Add another 1/3 flour mixture, followed my 1/3 of the eggnog. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining eggnog mixture, and beat just until combined.
7. Add the rum and mix.
8. Add the cocoa powder, beating on low.
9. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes)
Rum Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
4 Tbsp butter
4 c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 c dark rum
Frosting How to
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all ingredients for 3-5 minutes, until frosting is light and airy.
from the cookbook Sweet Celebration
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