Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
Inspired by the popular holiday coffee flavor at Starbucks, this cupcake is full of spice and topped with a creamy buttercream frosting made with eggnog. A great addition to your holiday dessert table or just to have as an extra special treat during the holiday season.
Many years ago, like two….I wasn’t a coffee drinker. I didn’t start my day thinking about coffee and I didn’t need to hook up to an IV filled with coffee like I do now. (Note to self, must quit coffee immediately.) The only time I “indulged” in a cup of my new drug was on a trip to Starbucks and only during the holiday season. As soon as they had started making the Gingerbread Latte I was there. Like everyday. Like Santa Claus at the mall….I was addicted. Now they have a ton more flavors to choose from and that’s cool. Really cool…but I still always order the Gingerbread Latte like 85% of the time. It’s Christmas in a cup. Seriously. Have you tried it?
So, I decided to make a cupcake in honor of my obsession and it turned out wonderfully….on my first try. This is rare in the recipe testing world. I usually go through a few rounds before a recipe actually turns out the way that I think it will blow your socks off. These Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream were just meant to be. It will blow your socks off. Just trust me here.
If you don’t like eggnog….don’t fear. It’s not all boozy and eye watering like some eggnogs I’ve had that turned me off to the stuff years ago. This is the store-bought, uber-thick, almost like heavy cream eggnog that we’re using here. You can add a splash of bourbon if you want but I just wanted that nutmeggy, thick, christmassy flavor that you can’t get from just heavy cream….AND I wanted it to be easy for all of you to throw together. Buttercream can be finicky. It can get all separated and weird looking if you don’t add enough sugar. Don’t be afraid of the sugar….it’s Christmas people. Just do it. And let your frosting sit overnight….it needs to rest a bit so it can set up. If you find it separated the next day…add more sugar. It’s cool.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup eggnog
- 4-6 cups confectioners sugar
- Freshly grated nutmeg for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the coffee, vanilla and molasses stirring to combine.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue beating on low until completely incorporated. Divide the batter among 24 cupcake wrappers filling about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Slowly add the eggnog and combine. Add the sugar to the butter mixture one cup at a time until the frosting begins to thicken and stabilized. Transfer to an airtight container and allow to rest for 4 hours or overnight.
- Top the cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.
29 Comments on “Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream Frosting”
When you transfer the frosting to an airtight container and allow it to sit 4 hours or overnight, should you put it in the refrigerator for that length of time?
No, the frosting does not need to be refrigerated.
I also made these. The cupcakes are insanely delicious! But I too, had difficulty with the frosting, it was runny, I’ll make it thicker and let it sit longer next time. These are definitely worth making!!
I found that if it’s a little loose you can add more sugar and then let it set up overnight is helpful, too.
I actually did bake these, the cupcakes themselves were delicious (I served them with homemade peppermint ice cream, the perfect combination)…the eggnog frosting however was a disaster.
I’m sorry the frosting didn’t work out for you. A few tips for next time: for best results I make it a day in advance to give the butter a chance to firm up a little bit. The beater heats up making the frosting soft so using it right away usually results in a runnier consistency. Add enough sugar to the frosting so that it is smooth and thick. Using too little will cause the frosting to separate. I hope you do try it again in the future. Happy Holidays!
This is bullshit. The comments are all kiss ass … doesn’t anyone ever actually MAKE anything they’re commenting on?
Hi Bebe…Thank you for your comment. There are plenty of recipes that have comments by readers who have made the recipe, unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. I hope you try the cupcakes anyway because they’re one of my favorites and I’m here should you have questions about the recipe along the way. Thank you again for visiting.
Perfect holiday cupcake lady!
These are the most gorgeous cupcakes I’ve seen for the holidays. They are cupcakes for grown ups. Just totally in love with these.
These look perfect! Love those holiday flavors.
I love that sprinkle of nutmeg on top, just like an eggnog latte! I’m going to get a gingerbread eggnog latte today JUST because you’ve inspired me to (and I’m actually sitting in a Starbucks typing this, ha!)
I’m not a coffee or eggnog drinker (I know, what’s wrong with me?!) but these cupcakes, I totally eat with the bourbon please!
These are so cute! Love that little striped straw 🙂