Eggnog Cream Cupcakes

Prepare oven to 350F. Grease one 12-cup cupcake pan.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Mix in rum, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix it into the batter until just combined. Fill cupcake pans two-thirds full and bake 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake come out clean.

For the eggnog pastry cream: Beat pudding powder and milk together on high speed 2 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in rum. In a separate bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form, and then gently fold into the pudding mixture. Chill, covered, 1 hour.

For the whipped cream: In a bowl, beat brown sugar and about ¼ cup heavy cream at high speed, gradually adding the rest of the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in rum.

Once cupcakes are cooled, use a sharp knife to cut a hole two-thirds into each one, leaving a 1/8-inch rim around the top. Fill centers with eggnog pastry cream. Top each with a dollop of spiked whipped cream and garnish with shaved chocolate.

Recipe from Booze Cakes by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone/Quirk Books, 2010.