Little Ivy Cakes

A MOUTH FULL for CHRISTMAS

Gingerbread Cupcakes
Eggnog Creme Brulee Custard Filling
Eggnog Buttercream and Eggnog Whipped-Cream Frosting
Gingerbread Cookie Topper *Cuuute*

Wanting to make something super special for a Christmas party, cupcakes were the perfect thing as I hadn't made cupcakes in such a long time. I had to get back to my roots with something GREAT. :) (Yeah, my blog was started and inspired by my love for cupcakes.)

Anyway, after thinking of all the greatest combinations I could think of and browsing Cupcake Project *I love Cupcake Project*, I had an idea! But no, it wouldn't work.... It would taste weird ... the thought of gingerbread and eggnog combo which sounded similar to a mint and orange combo to me. You know, you brush your teeth and then eat an orange-it tastes funny.
I didn't think the combo would work right but, a friend seemed to think otherwise and encouraged me to go ahead with my "GREAT" idea! So, I was convinced.

There were four stages to making these cupcakes.
1. Making the gingerbread cookies to go on top.
2. Making the custard filling to go inside.
3. Making the gingerbread cupcakes .
and, 4. Making the two frostings to go on top.

I made these in two days and a 1/2 hour to assemble all 26 cupcakes together right before taking them to the party. Let's just say my kitchen is a SUPER MESS right now. The thing is, I am a clean person, I really am! Except when in a mad rush. Haha.

All the hard work and mess is worth it though because the cupcakes were fantastic as one friend said "all around just... Awesome!" :) They were quite good, I must say. Go ahead and make them if you want a great hit for a Christmas party just know that they ARE not the easiest thing to make because there are many different components that take time.

P.S. A great touch would be adding some rum or brandy into the mix someplace. I didn't do this because some people eating my cupcakes could not have alcohol. ;)

Make the Gingerbread Cookies:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, have more on hand for rolling out if you need.
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup dark molasses(yum)

-Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
-Beat the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy.
-Add egg and molasses.

-Mix in flour combo with butter fluff.

-Form dough into ball and split in half into two discs.
-Wrap slightly flattened discs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for EXACTLY 1 hour.
-Take one disc out at a time and roll out to 1/4 inch with lightly floured surface and rolling pin. If you need you can also sprinkle a teeny bit of flour on top of your dough disc. You don;t want too much flour but, you don't want your shapes sticking either.
-Preheat an oven to 350°F
-Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
-Cut shapes out of the dough with a kid-shaped cookie cutter, pressing straight down and lifting straight up.

-Set the cutout on a baking sheet with 1/2 inch apart. Use your judgement on that-the cookies swell a little.

-Bake for 10 minutes our until cookies a slightly browned around edges or on bottom.
-Smash all the scraps together, roll the dough out and cut out more shapes.
-Once out of the oven transfer to cooling place.
-Decorate when cool with sprinkles of your liking.
Makes about 28 cookies depending on size of your cookie cutters.

Royal icing for cookies:
1 tablespoon meringue powder from Wilton
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-Whip all ingredients together until a good piping consistency-not to runny.
-Put into piping bag and use small round tip for eyes and mouth.

Make the Creme Brulee Custard:
I made creme brulee HERE if you want to see pics.

6 medium size ramekins
1 cup eggnog
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 tsp nutmeg

-Heat eggnog, cream, and nutmeg until hot. set aside
-Boil a kettle of water and line the bottom of a deep baking dish that will hold your ramekins with a dish towel. Set ramekins in baking dish. set aside.
-Preheat oven to 300F

-In a large heat proof glass bowl whisk egg yolks and sugar together until creamy.

-Slowly add warmed eggnog mix 1/4 cup at a time to the egg yolk mix. Stir gently.
-Pour mix into your ramekins
-Pour boiling water around the filled ramekins until water in 3/4 way up the sides.
-Cover baking dish loosely with piece of aluminum foil
-Bake 50 minutes until only the very middle is a bit jiggly
-Take out of oven and let cool.
-Take ramekins out of baking dish to drain water and take out wet dish towel. Place ramekins bake in baking dish cover loosely with the aluminum foil piece and place in fridge to chill for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
-When ready spoon custard into piping back to fill middle of cupcakes.

Make the Gingerbread Cupcakes:
I tripled this recipe from Stef at Cupcake Project who got it from All recipes. My tripled recipe yielded 28 regular size cupcakes but here is the normal recipe for 12 cupcakes do with it as you like.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses (it's molasses people)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup hot milk
-Preheat the oven to 350 F
-Line cupcake pan with paper liners of your choice. I choose pretty silver.
-Cream butter with sugar.

-Add the molasses and the egg and egg yolk.
-Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt.
-Dissolve the baking soda in the hot milk.
-Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined.
-Stir in the hot milk mixture.

-Pour the batter evenly into the prepared tin.
-Bake 20 minutes depending on your size of cupcakes. Test with clean toothpick rule.
-Remove to a rack for cooling.

Make the buttercream frosting:
1 stick butter, room temp
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons eggnog
-Whip all ingredients until fluffy and stiff enough to hold shape when piped.

Make the whipped cream frosting:
Whip 1 envelope dry whipped topping powder with
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup cold eggnog until stiff peaks
-Store in fridge until ready to use for frosting

Assembly:
With a small serrated knife cut out a small hole in the middle of the cupcake
Fill hole with eggnog custard

With a smallish star tip or decorative tip, pipe eggnog butter cream around edge of hole
Spoon a dollop of whipped cream frosting in middle of buttercream ring
Sprinkle with nutmeg

Top each cupcake with a decorated gingerbread cookie.
* I recommend assembling the cupcakes on the actual serving plate you will be bring them on, it's easier and you don't have to handle them as much.
I took my plates of decorated cupcakes and placed them in a fitting box with some balled up plastic wrap stuck under the plates to ensure keeping them in place. These steps will HELP prevent transportation tragedies. Haha!

And that's it...
THE END!