This festive, scrumptious eggnog cake uses creamy eggnog and a touch of rum to transform a light cake into a half-cake/half-custard cake combination that will wow anyone at your holiday gatherings.
The eggnog cake recipe can be made with eggnog rum frosting or made as a bundt cake. Either way, the taste of Christmas will keep you coming back!
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What is eggnog?
Eggnog is a traditional milk punch that usually has alcohol added. Eggnog is traditionally dairy-based, sweet, and is served chilled. You might find eggnog being served at holiday parties or family gatherings in a big serving bowl.
What is eggnog made of?
Eggnog is made with eggs (of course), milk/cream, in addition to holiday spices like nutmeg and vanilla. Eggnog is often enriched further with alcohol, such as rum, whiskey, or brandy.
Nowadays, you can get lactose-free eggnog or even almond milk eggnog or eggnog made from other plant-based milks. The choices are vast for your creamy version of a holiday punch.
What makes this eggnog cake a great holiday dessert?
This eggnog cake recipe will work for nearly any type of baking pan. This eggnog cake uses a 7 - 8 inch springform pan, so you can make an easy-to-assemble one layer cake with eggnog rum frosting.
You could also use a round cake pan or square cake pan. If you decide to make this recipe in an eggnog bundt cake pan, you would then just swap out the frosting for a lighter rum glaze.
Additionally, you would only need either a stand mixer or a hand mixer to make this spiked eggnog cake. The high dairy content in this eggnog cake allows for a split-level flavor sensation.
The cake comes out with a half cake/half custard consistency, which pairs wonderfully with the nutmeg-eggnog-rum frosting for a holiday treat worth serving.
Eggnog Cake
🥘Ingredients
Eggnog Cake
- eggnog
- dark rum
- eggs
- cream of tartar
- confectioners sugar
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- ground nutmeg
Eggnog Rum Buttercream Frosting
- confectioners sugar
- unsalted butter
- eggnog
- dark rum
- ground nutmeg
🔪How to Make Eggnog Cake
For The Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease baking pan.
- Warm eggnog and add rum and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Mix egg yolks and confectioners sugar.
- Add melted butter, followed by flour.
- Slowly add eggnog mixture until incorporated.
- Fold egg whites into the batter in thirds.
- Pour batter into baking pan and bake until golden brown with a small jiggle in the center.
- Cool completely on a wire rack until turning out from the pan.
Eggnog Rum Buttercream Frosting
- Combine confectioners sugar, butter, rum, eggnog, and nutmeg until smooth.
- Frost the top or the entire cake. Dust additional nutmeg on top.
💭 Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to grease your baking pan using shortening, butter, or cooking spray, especially if making a bundt cake. The last thing you want is a cake that doesn’t leave the pan.
- You can easily leave the rum of this spiked eggnog cake recipe. Just add the vanilla extract into your eggnog and leave the rum out of the frosting recipe. You can adjust the frosting consistency using additional eggnog.
- When folding the egg whites into the batter, do so with a rubber spatula and make sure to keep the air in the batter as best you can. A few egg white lumps are better than an overmixed batter.
If you are looking for more fun and festive holiday recipes do check out our Gingerbread Bundt Cake and this easy lunchbox cake recipe.
FAQ
How to make eggnog cake with rum glaze?
If you decide to make a eggnog bundt cake or just prefer a lighter rum glaze on your eggnog cake, you can simply mix the confectioners sugar with eggnog and vanilla extract (and rum, if spiked.)
The butter is the main part of buttercream, so otherwise, it’s pretty easy to whip together a rum glaze. Make sure the cake is completely cooled before glazing.
How do I remove my eggnog bundt cake from the bundt pan?
Greasing and/or greasing and flouring your cake pan is the key here. Whether you use shortening, butter, or cooking spray, you should cover the entire inside of the baking pan, especially when making an eggnog bundt cake. You want to grease all the grooves of your bundt pan.
Can I make an eggnog cake ahead of time?
You can bake, cool, and wrap your eggnog cake in airtight plastic and keep it in the refrigerator for up to two days. If making buttercream frosting, you can refrigerate the frosting for up to four days.
How should I store eggnog cake?
Eggnog cake is best stored at room temperature for up to three days or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to five days. You can freeze slices of the cake for up to two months if using freezer-proof plastic storage bags.
Eggnog Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Eggnog Cake
- 2 cups eggnog chilled
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 4 large eggs separated
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg plus more for dusting
- Eggnog Rum Buttercream Frosting
Eggnog Rum Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 TBSP eggnog
- 1 TBSP dark rum
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
Eggnog Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a springform pan and add parchment paper, if using.
- Warm the eggnog in the microwave or on a stovetop until lukewarm (between 1-2 minutes). Whisk in the rum and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer for 4-5 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks with the confectioners sugar on medium high speed until thick and pale yellow, which usually takes 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the cooled melted butter and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour into the batter in three parts, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl each time. On low speed, slowly pour in the eggnog mixture until combined.
- By hand, fold the egg whites into the cake batter, making sure not to knock any air out of the batter. The batter will look loose with a few lumps of egg white.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake until the top is golden brown and there is a slight jiggle to the center, about 55 minutes to 1 hour.
- Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack and release from the springform pan or remove from the round, square, or bundt cake pan.
Eggnog Rum Buttercream Frosting
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the confectioners sugar, butter, rum, eggnog, and nutmeg on low speed until smooth. You can add additional sugar or nutmeg to adjust the consistency. This recipe uses a buttercream that is slightly looser, but you can use less eggnog and more sugar to create a more stiff buttercream, if preferred.
- Frost the cake on top or on the entire cake. Sprinkle some additional nutmeg on the cake and decorate for the holidays!
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