Optional toppings: Ground cinnamon or Cinnamon sticks
Instructions
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. With the mixer on low, add vanilla, eggnog, and flour mixture just until combined.
Pour the batter into the liners, about 2/3 of the way full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cool in the tin a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, nutmeg, and salt on medium-high speed 3 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. Mix in the eggnog and vanilla. Add the remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping the bowl in-between each addition, until the frosting is thick but still pipeable.
Transfer to a pastry bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick, if desired.
Notes
Mixer: You don’t have to use a stand mixer for the cupcake batter, but using one for the frosting makes it easy to get it light and fluffy.Make-ahead: Make and frost the cupcakes up to 1 day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freeze: Once completely cooled and frosted, freeze on a baking sheet 1 hour. Once the frosting is hard, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months. Unwrap and thaw in the fridge before eating.
Storage:Since there is eggnog in the frosting, store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Bring them to room temperature before serving.