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Festive eggnog cake is the perfect dessert to serve this holiday season! Make this moist eggnog-flavored cake bursting with delicious seasonal spices and layered with creamy eggnog buttercream!
Eggnog is the perfect holiday flavor that is delicious in so many desserts. You’ll have to try my eggnog fudge or this eggnog cheesecake. And of course, everyone needs a classic eggnog recipe to serve for the Christmas season. My recipe is non-alcoholic so the whole family can enjoy it!
Eggnog Cake
This festive eggnog cake is moist, fluffy, and full of eggnog flavor and spices. Even the buttercream frosting has eggnog in it! Eggnog-flavored desserts are one of our favorite ways to enjoy a holiday treat. It only comes around once a year, so it’s fun to use it in recipes like this delicious eggnog cake. It really turned out amazing! This dessert could not be more perfect for the holiday season! Every bite transports you into holiday heaven.
I’m a firm believer that good food brings people together. What is better than celebrating the holidays with the people and food that you love?! A few of my tried and true favorites are my honey glazed ham, this punch, and these fun Christmas cookies.
Ingredients Needed For Eggnog Cake
These ingredients are fairly simple! I especially love using eggnog in the cake recipe. It’s so festive! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
Cake
- Cake Flour: I use cake flour in this recipe for a light, fluffy structure. You can also use all-purpose flour, but keep in mind it will alter the crumb slightly.
- Granulated Sugar: White sugar is a must to sweeten up your cake batter!
- Light Brown Sugar: I love the molasses flavor the brown sugar adds.
- Baking Powder: Makes the cake to rise and be fluffy.
- Salt: Used to enhance overall flavor.
- Ground Nutmeg and Cinnamon: The perfect combination of spices for this cake.
- Eggnog: Grab some eggnog at the grocery store. Use it in this recipe then drink the rest of it later!
- Vanilla Extract: Added for flavor! I suggest using pure vanilla extract if possible.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds moisture to your cake and binds the ingredients together.
- Large Egg Whites: I use just the egg whites and not the yolks.
Eggnog Buttercream
- Unsalted Butter: Room temperature is best for making the buttercream.
- Powdered Sugar: The sweetness to the buttercream frosting.
- Ground Nutmeg: The perfect spice to pair with eggnog flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: Added flavor and sweetness.
- Rum Extract: The extract is optional and can be omitted, but it goes well with the eggnog flavors.
- Salt: Just a dash of salt to balance out the sweet.
Eggnog Cake Recipe
I love to make special desserts specific to the season. We look forward to it once a year, and everyone gets excited. Master it just in time for the holidays and your guests will be so impressed!
Cake
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2, 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
- Add the Wet Ingredients and Mix: Add the eggnog, vanilla, almond extract, and oil to the dry ingredients and beat with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a hand mixer just until fully combined.
- Whip the Egg Whites and Fold Them Into the Batter: In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter until no streaks of egg whites remain.
- Pour Into Prepared Pans: Separate the batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back when pressed on.
- Cool Cake Layers: Allow the cake layers to cool completely before frosting. For easier frosting, wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or chill in the fridge overnight before assembling.
Eggnog Buttercream
- Beat the Butter Until Creamy: Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy. Alternatively, you can use a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the Powdered Sugar, Vanilla, Extract, and Salt: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, rum extract, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Frost the Cake Layers: Use immediately to frost the cooled cake layers for best results.
Cake Tips and Variations
Here are some simple things to keep in mind while you make your eggnog cake! Honestly, this cake is so good, you might just want to make it year-round! I know I will!
- Bake the Cake in a Pan: To make this in a 9×13 pan, bake for 45-50 minutes, until the center of the cake springs back when you press on it gently or a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Substitute the Oil for Butter: You can use melted unsalted butter instead of the oil, but typically oil in cakes yields a more tender crumb, and butter results in a more crumbly texture.
- Cake Frosting Tips: To make frosting the cake easier I like to make the cake layers a day in advance. I let them cool completely before wrapping them in plastic wrap then place them in the fridge overnight to chill. Cold cakes frost much easier than room temperature or warm ones.
- Add a Pastry Cream Filling: Try filling the center of the cake with pastry cream! Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the bottom layer and then pipe a dam of frosting around the edge. Fill with pastry cream (or even vanilla pudding) and top with the second layer,
- A Lighter Cake: For a lighter finish, whip up homemade whipped cream and use it to ice the cake, and dust the top with freshly grated nutmeg.
Storing Leftover Cake
If by some slim chance you have leftovers of this delicious and festive cake, here’s how to store it for the best results! Everyone loves to devour this holiday dessert because it’s too good to pass up.
- In the Refrigerator: Since we use buttercream in this recipe, you’re going to need to keep your cake in the fridge. Keep wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It will last for up to 4 days.
- In the Freezer: The baked layers of cake can be wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap followed by one layer of foil and stored in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Festive Holiday Cakes
Delicious cakes around Christmas time make the perfect holiday treat! It’s great paired with any dinner and perfect for parties and gatherings! Here are a few more of my favorite holiday cakes to make this holiday season! They’re festive, beautiful, and undeniably tasty.
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Eggnog Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ cup cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cup eggnog
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
Eggnog Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 5 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoons rum extract optional
- 1-2 dashes salt
Instructions
Eggnog Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
- Add the eggnog, vanilla, and oil to the dry ingredients and beat with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a hand mixer just until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter until no streaks of egg whites remain.
- Separate the batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back when pressed on.
- Allow the cake layers to cool completely before frosting. For easier frosting, wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or chill in the fridge overnight before assembling.
Eggnog Buttercream
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternatively, you can use a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, rum extract, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Use immediately to frost the cooled cake layers for best results.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Instead of cake flour can regular flour be used instead?
Why do you use only the egg whites and not the whole eggs? Thanks
No mention of baking soda in the list of ingredients..yet it is mentioned in the instructions..do you use it or not and if so, how much..thank you
Almond extract is mentioned in step 3, but isn’t listed in the ingredients.
Hi, Do I buy the Eggnog or make it myself and how do I make it if I have to ? Thanks
Hi Brian! You can buy eggnog or make it yourself, either works! I also a recipe for homemade eggnog here.