With a rich crumb and light warm spices, this delightfully buttery cake is my version of eggnog pound cake. It boasts a creamy, custardy, and sweet eggnog flavor that is sure to delight all of the eggnog lovers in your life! Creating that true eggnog experience in baked good form, this eggnog cake even features a splash of your favorite rum, adding sweet and nutty notes that are simply out-of-this-world. Thanks to the use of a Bundt pan, my recipe makes a superbly delicious cake with a very easy method and no fussing with cake layers!
The alcohol in the eggnog cake batter bakes off, making it a perfect option for friends and family of all ages throughout the holiday season. Best of all, this cake is made with common pantry staples found at nearly every grocery store and is made with simple techniques even the most novice baker can conquer. For more festive christmas cake ideas, check out my bûche de noël recipe, gingerbread cake recipe, and red velvet cake recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Eggnog – use your favorite store-bought brand or make your own eggnog recipe. If making eggnog from scratch, omit the rum from it so you can control the amount added to the cake batter. Bring the eggnog to room temperature before adding to the batter.
Eggs – bring the eggs to room temperature before using, as they will more easily blend into the cake, creating a tender and even crumb. To quickly do so, just place the eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5 minutes.
Butter – opt for unsalted butter to control the saltiness of the cake. Soften the butter to room temperature before making the recipe; softened butter whips up easier, creating the perfect light texture.
Spices – particularly, ground cinnamon and grated nutmeg. For superior flavor, be sure to use fresh spices. Using pre-grated nutmeg powder works, though freshly grating nutmeg elevates this cake to new heights if you have whole nutmeg seeds on hand.
Rum – I recommend using your favorite spiced rum or aged for a festive and sweet flavor. If you prefer a lighter flavor, however, use light rum. The flavor of the liquor will come through in the cake so choose a decent quality bottle if possible.
How to Make Eggnog Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
5. Add the eggnog and the rum and mix until combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and liquids, alternating another third of the flour, the remaining eggnog and rum, and then the remaining flour. Scrape down the bowl and beat just until the batter is well combined.
6. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray, and spoon the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, eggnog, melted butter, and rum until smooth.
8. Spoon icing over the top of the cake and dust the top with nutmeg or cinnamon if desired. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes before slicing.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Measure the flour carefully. For a perfectly light and buttery crumb, measure the flour by weighing it on a food scale. If you do not have one, the flour can also be measured by spooning it into measuring cups and before leveling off with a knife to prevent overpacking. Using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour gives the cake a better structure, but if you overpack the flour, it cake lead to a dry cake that is too dense.
- Spray the bundt pan with baking spray. To ensure that the cake releases fully from the pan, spray it generously with baking spray before spooning in the batter. Most brands of baking spray contain added flour, making for clean releases and saving the step of flouring the pan. If you do not have baking spray, spray with cooking spray or grease with butter before sprinkling lightly with all-purpose flour. Then, tap the pan to evenly coat and dump out any excess flour.
- Alternate wet and dry ingredients. Beat in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating the eggnog and rum between the additions for a light batter and to prevent overmixing, which can create a dense and heavy cake.
- Optional: alcohol-free variations. To make this recipe without alcohol, replace the rum with additional eggnog or use 1 teaspoon of rum extract and ¼ cup room temperature apple juice. As mentioned above, the alcohol does cook off during baking, so there is no risk of consuming it once baked.
- Cool the cake completely before glazing. Make sure your cake is at room temperature before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting off of the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover eggnog cake in an airtight round cake or pie container or covered cake stand to protect the cake from drying out without smearing the glaze. If you do not have a container, you can also stick a few toothpicks into the cake and tent plastic wrap over it before storing it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serve slices of eggnog cake sprinkled with nutmeg or cinnamon with glasses of hot tea, coffee, or hot toddies. Dollop whipped cream or scoop vanilla ice cream on top of the slices for an extra indulgent touch. For a complete holiday dessert ensemble, serve this eggnog Bundt cake alongside thumbprint cookies, rainbow cookies, and anise cookies.
You most certainly can freeze this cake or make it ahead of time. If freezing an already glazed cake, freeze the cake on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours, or until the glaze is firm and will not smear. Once firm, move it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Otherwise, you can wrap an unfrosted cake tightly in plastic wrap before freezing it in a freezer-safe container. Defrost the cake at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, or until thawed through. The frosting can be made ahead of time and frozen as well, or you can make that fresh before serving.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this eggnog cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Eggnog Cake
Video
Equipment
- 9” or 12-cup Bundt pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar (250g)
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar (165g)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup eggnog room temperature, (240ml)
- ¼ cup rum (60ml)
For the Frosting:
- 2¼ cups powdered sugar (270g)
- ¼ cup eggnog (60ml)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons rum
- Ground nutmeg or cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by half of the eggnog and rum. Repeat, alternating with another third of the flour, the remaining eggnog and rum, and then the remaining flour. Scrape down the bowl and beat just until the batter is well combined.
- Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray, and spoon the batter into the greased pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, egg nog, melted butter, and rum until smooth. Spoon icing over the cooled cake and dust the top with nutmeg or cinnamon if desired. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Measure the flour carefully. For a perfectly light and buttery crumb, measure the flour by weighing it on a food scale. If you do not have one, the flour can also be measured by spooning it into measuring cups and before leveling off with a knife to prevent overpacking. Using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour gives the cake a better structure, but if you overpack the flour, it cake lead to a dry cake that is too dense.
- Spray the bundt pan with baking spray. To ensure that the cake releases fully from the pan, spray it generously with baking spray before spooning in the batter. Most brands of baking spray contain added flour, making for clean releases and saving the step of flouring the pan. If you do not have baking spray, spray with cooking spray or grease with butter before sprinkling lightly with all-purpose flour. Then, tap the pan to evenly coat and dump out any excess flour.
- Alternate wet and dry ingredients. Beat in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating the eggnog and rum between the additions for a light batter and to prevent overmixing, which can create a dense and heavy cake.
- Optional: alcohol-free variations. To make this recipe without alcohol, replace the rum with additional eggnog or use 1 teaspoon of rum extract and ¼ cup room temperature apple juice. As mentioned above, the alcohol does cook off during baking, so there is no risk of consuming it once baked.
- Cool the cake completely before glazing. Make sure your cake is at room temperature before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting off of the cake.
