Light, fluffy and absolutely delicious this homemade Eggnog Cake is a holiday treat that everyone will love. Spiked with eggnog in the cake and frosting, you will get your Christmas fix with this dessert!
The holidays are fast approaching, it feels like yesterday that it was sunny and 75 and now the temps are dropping, leaves are falling and we are preparing for the holidays.
I hate to admit it, but I do love this time of year, the brisk air, the snow, sitting in front of the fireplace, snow and everything that comes with autumn and winter.
But the thing that I love most is all the desserts that come out as well! This Eggnog Cake is hands down one of my favorite cake recipes ever.
I’m obsessed with eggnog and anything that it is associated with, so this cake is right up there with some of my holiday flavored desserts.
Completely homemade the cake has eggnog in it and the frosting is lightly spiked with eggnog and spices, making this the absolute perfect pairing.
One you bite into this cake you will first notice how light and fluffy it is, then the flavor will hit you and you won’t be able to get that fork to your next bite fast enough.
To give this a true spiked eggnog flavor we added some rum extract that really amps up this cake but does not overpower it in the least.
If you love eggnog and you love baking then I highly encourage that if you are baking this year (I’m assuming that is a yes) that you make this Eggnog Cake!
Some of my other favorite holiday cakes include: Homemade Gingerbread Cake, Cranberry Orange Layer Cake and Chocolate Pecan Piecaken.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With eggnog in the cake and frosting, you have the perfect balance of that eggnog flavor that is no too overpowering.
- This can be halved and baked in a 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan if you are serving a smaller group.
- This is a great recipe to bring to any and all holiday gatherings.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
Ground nutmeg
Baking soda
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Rum extract
Sour cream
Eggnog
Powdered sugar
Ground nutmeg
Christmas sprinkles
HOW TO MAKE EGGNOG CAKE, STEP BY STEP:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar for 3 minutes until light and fluffy, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the eggs into the mixer one at a time, mixing them in fully before adding the next one.
- Add the vanilla and rum extract until smooth, the mixture may look a little curdled, that’s okay.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix in until combined.
- Mix in the sour cream until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour.
- Slowly stir in the eggnog, scrape down the sides and give another mix so everything is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 35-42 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, start the frosting. Place the eggnog and flour into a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick like a paste. Let cool to room temperature.
- Place the butter and powdered sugar in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Slowly stir it in until combined. Add the vanilla and nutmeg, stir to combine. Add the cooled eggnog/flour mixture, stir it in until combined, then turn the mixer on medium-high speed. Whip it for 3 minutes until light and fluffy with a whipped cream texture.
- Frost the cake and add Christmas sprinkles if using or a sprinkle of ground nutmeg would also be pretty. Slice and serve.
WHY DO THE INGREDIENTS NEED TO BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE?
Room temperature ingredients make a difference! When a recipe calls for room temperature butter, eggs, milk, ect. there is a reason behind that!
You will want to follow those directions because baking is a science, trust me it can go awry very quickly. Room temperature ingredients create a nice silky batter and when baking forms an emulsion and traps air.
This is what will give your cake it’s light and fluffy texture rather than a dense and heavy texture where you would get if you were to use cold ingredients.
Now if you use cold ingredients, the recipe will usually turn out, but not how the baker/recipe developer intended it to.
WHAT DOES SOUR CREAM DO IN CAKES?
Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products. When it is used in cakes for the replacement of milk or oil it makes the cake moist, tender and richer.
It brings out the flavor and the texture is just amazing! I absolutely love adding sour cream to baked goods and I believe it is something you should incorporate when you can.
HOW TO STORE:
This Eggnog Cake Recipe can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
This can also be frozen, to do that, let cake cool and frost. Wrap your cake pan in plastic wrap and then foil and place in the freezer where it will keep for up to 3 months.
Remove to refrigerator to defrost, then place on countertop to come to room temperature before eating.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature, see above as to why this is important.
- Cake needs to fully cool before frosting.
- You can add more rum extract if you’d like, just replace the vanilla with the rum extract.
- If you really want it boozy you can take a fork after it is done baking and poke holes on the top and brush the cake with rum and let it soak in!
- You can cut this cake in half and bake in an 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan.
- Sprinkle with nutmeg for a little extra flavor.
Looking for that perfect cake that you can make for the holidays? Then you absolutely have to make my Eggnog Cake! You will not regret it.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this EGGNOG CAKE or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Eggnog Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- ½ cup sour cream room temp
- ¾ cup eggnog room temp
For the frosting:
- ½ cup eggnog
- 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temp
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Christmas sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with baking spray, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar for 3 minutes until light and fluffy, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the eggs into the mixer one at a time, mixing them in fully before adding the next one.
- Add the vanilla and rum extract until smooth, the mixture may look a little curdled, that’s okay.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix in until combined.
- Mix in the sour cream until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour.
- Slowly stir in the eggnog, scrape down the sides and give another mix so everything is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 35-42 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, start the frosting. Place the eggnog and flour into a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick like a paste. Let cool to room temperature.
- Place the butter and powdered sugar in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Slowly stir it in until combined. Add the vanilla and nutmeg, stir to combine. Add the cooled eggnog/flour mixture, stir it in until combined, then turn the mixer on medium-high speed. Whip it for 3 minutes until light and fluffy with a whipped cream texture.
- Frost the cake and add Christmas sprinkles if using or a sprinkle of ground nutmeg would also be pretty. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature, see above as to why this is important.
- Cake needs to fully cool before frosting.
- You can add more rum extract if you'd like, just replace the vanilla with the rum extract.
- If you really want it boozy you can take a fork after it is done baking and poke holes on the top and brush the cake with rum and let it soak in!
- You can cut this cake in half and bake in an 8x8 or 9x9-inch baking pan.
- Sprinkle with nutmeg for a little extra flavor.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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