Guest Post Spectacular - Guest #4 - Mommy's Sweet Confessions

Hi Everyone!

My name is Lindsay and I am a mother to two boys 3 and under, and they keep me busy all day long.  In the very rare down time, I love to bake, cook, and blog about my culinary endeavors.  My blog, Mommy's Sweet Confessions, is where I chronicle all these cooking adventures, and I would love for you to visit, and make your acquaintance. You can also catch me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I would love to thank The Mandatory Mooch for inviting me to be part of her link party, it is an honor!!!

I have been on a quest to find eggnog goodies to make for my husband, because he loves eggnog.  This was my second attempt at it.  Thanks to Inside BruCrew Life's Eggnog Latte Cupcakes, I was able to give him a treat that made him go back for seconds!  I made very few changes to their recipe, because it was just so good to begin with, not much room for change.  They have a wonderful, subtle eggnog flavor in the cupcake, and the frosting has so much coffee deliciousness in it, my husband and I were eating it with a spoon.  Yep, that good!  Perfect combo for those that love their eggnog coffee drinks.

Caffè Eggnog Cupcakes

(Slightly adapted from Inside BruCrew Life's Eggnog Latte Cupcakes)


Makes 18-24 cupcakes, depending on how full they are filled

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes
• 1 vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 c. eggnog
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1/4 c. fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. rum extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the Coffee Cream Butter Cream 

• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. hot water
• 2 Tbsp. instant coffee
• 1/2 tsp. rum extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. eggnog

Instructions:

For the Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line pan with cupcake liners. Beat the cake mix, eggs, eggnog, oil, yogurt, extract, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg on low for 1 minute and then on medium for 2 minutes. 
2. Fill liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
3. Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting with coffee buttercream. Dust with nutmeg. Keep cupcakes refrigerated. 

For the Butter Cream 
1. Dissolve the coffee in hot water and set aside. 
2. Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. 
3. Add coffee water, extract, and salt. Beat in sugar slowly. After all the sugar has been mixed in, beat in eggnog to thin it slightly. 
4. Keep refrigerated.