The last installment of the Christmas cupcake series is based on a preferred seasonal refreshment known to the french as "lait de poule", which literally translates to chicken milk. Egg nog is a sweetened dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk and/or cream, sugar, beaten eggs (which gives it a frothy texture), and liquor. Brandy, rum, or whisky are sometimes added; and the finished serving would be garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg. When deciding how to name the cupcake this week I thought it would be fun to play on the word 'nog (a beverage made with beaten eggs), and the first word that came to mind was noggin, an informal reference to a person's head. Interestingly enough it is also defined as a small cup/mug or a small amount of liquor which I think relates to the cupcake perfectly! An egg nog cupcake drizzled with spice rum, topped with egg nog frosting and dusted with nutmeg.
Egg Nog Cupcake
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup egg nog ( I used store bought)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan(s).
In a large bowl combine butter and sugar until fluffy (~3 minutes). Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between. In a small bowl whisk together the egg nog and vanilla extract; set aside. In a medium bowl sift together the dry ingredients then add them to the butter/sugar mixture in thirds alternating with the egg nog/vanilla extract mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients until combined. Pour the batter into the pan. This batch yielded 12 regular sized cupcakes baked for until the tops rebounded when touched.
Egg Nog Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 cups powder/confectioner sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp egg not
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Cream the butter and sugar together until well combined. Add vanilla, nog and nutmeg and mix well.
Once the cupcakes cooled, I dipped the tops of each of them in approximately a quarter cup of spiced rum (Sailor Jerry's). I then proceeded to frost each one, sprinkle each with a dash of nutmeg and finished them off with a decorative cinnamon stick.
The Panel
With regards to this weeks cupcake, moisture was noted across the board. Most were able to pull the rum flavour though subtle and found the treat to be well spiced. The egg nog flavour seemed to be generally appreciated and the overall presentation appealing. Peanut recommended serving it up with a side shot of nog or rum, as well as more nutmeg; Sweet Tooth suggested an overnight rum soak and Giovanni proposed introducing a rum/cinnamon/nutmeg based filling.
JRock: "FREAKIN YUMMY - I hearted this!"
My comments:
The spicy aroma was wonderful, the cake moist and the rum ever present though subtle. The frosting was perfectly creamy and sweet, the cake was rich and moist and the elegant, yet simple presentation sealed the deal. Crwod dependent, a slight augmentation in rum quantity would be welcome, otherwise "Use Your Noggin" has been one of my personal favourites! Happy Holidays!!!
With regards to this weeks cupcake, moisture was noted across the board. Most were able to pull the rum flavour though subtle and found the treat to be well spiced. The egg nog flavour seemed to be generally appreciated and the overall presentation appealing. Peanut recommended serving it up with a side shot of nog or rum, as well as more nutmeg; Sweet Tooth suggested an overnight rum soak and Giovanni proposed introducing a rum/cinnamon/nutmeg based filling.
JRock: "FREAKIN YUMMY - I hearted this!"
My comments:
The spicy aroma was wonderful, the cake moist and the rum ever present though subtle. The frosting was perfectly creamy and sweet, the cake was rich and moist and the elegant, yet simple presentation sealed the deal. Crwod dependent, a slight augmentation in rum quantity would be welcome, otherwise "Use Your Noggin" has been one of my personal favourites! Happy Holidays!!!