Perfect Holiday Eggnog Buttercream. Combine soft butter with powdered sugar, chilled eggnog, a pinch of nutmeg, and rum extract for a decadent frosting recipe ready for your favorite cake. 

I am in love with eggnog. Or, er, the idea of eggnog. In reality, I probably could not gulp down a glass but when you pair this fabulous flavor with gingerbread you have got me hooked.

The flavor combination is DIVINE. I first stumbled upon the idea when I made Eggnog Dip with gingerbread cookies to take to a party. The presentation was beautiful and everyone inhaled the dish. I can’t tell you how many people begged for the recipe after. It was in that moment that I knew I needed to create even more yummy treats with this flavor duo. Enter >>

Eggnog Buttercream

What should you serve this on? Absolutely everything (according to my 8 year old). I took our go-to frosting recipe and substituted eggnog making this the perfect holiday cake topping. After slicing into a fresh made gingerbread cake we had smothered with the sweet stuff my son was too quick to exclaim this is THE BEST OF ALL TIME. It blew his mind when I revealed the secret ingredient and he decided that maybe eggnog isn’t too bad after all.

Ingredients for Eggnog Buttercream:

• Butter
• Pure vanilla extract
• Ground nutmeg
• Powdered sugar
• Eggnog
• Rum (optional)

The difference between frosting and buttercream:

THIS is the question of the hour. What is the difference between frosting and buttercream?? The truth is rather simple… Frosting contains no butter while buttercream is made with butter only.

Frosting is typically made with shortening or cream cheese in place of butter. This gives you a relatively bland base to build on making it ideal for flavoring. It also produces a stiffer result making it perfect for piping fine detail and flowers.

Buttercream has a smooth, rich, and creamy butter flavor that is hard to resist. There are a few different types of buttercream (classic, meringue, French…) but we will get into those later.

Even if you tend to veer away from anything eggnog we strongly encourage you to give this a try. The pinch of nutmeg gives the buttercream just the perfect hint of holiday cheer and if you’re feeling a little brave we suggest adding a dash or two of rum!

How to make frosting with eggnog:

1. Whisk together your butter, vanilla, and nutmeg in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth.

2. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.

3. Slowly pour in the eggnog and whisk until fluffy.

4. Add rum if using. Stir until combined.

Tip: If your frosting is too thick, add an additional tablespoon or two of eggnog. Whip a few more minutes until your frosting is the perfect spreading consistency.

Like this recipe? You will love my:

• Pumpkin Eggnog Dip
• Eggnog Dip
• Gingerbread Pancakes

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Eggnog Buttercream

Perfect Holiday Eggnog Buttercream. Combine soft butter with powdered sugar, chilled eggnog, a pinch of nutmeg, and rum extract for a decadent frosting recipe ready for your favorite cake. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, eggnog, frosting, holiday

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Mix time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup eggnog
• 1 tablespoon rum (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk together your butter, vanilla, and nutmeg in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth.

2. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.

3. Slowly pour in the eggnog and whisk until fluffy.

4. Add rum if using. Stir until combined.

Recipe Notes

Buttercream too stiff? Add additional eggnog, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. 

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