Delicious Eggnog Cake Recipe
This Eggnog Cake with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate ganache is just the thing to warm you up this holiday season!
Our Christmas decorations are up! I am SO excited.
Some of our holiday movies don’t get as much love as they deserve.
A recent new favorite of ours is Arthur Christmas — super cute and fun!
Another lesser-known favorite of mine is While You Were Sleeping. Does anyone remember that one? It’s totally cheesy, but I enjoy a good Sandra Bullock movie.
And, of course, no Christmas is complete without at least one viewing of Mickey’s Christmas Carol and the various Disney holiday shorts.
Wow, I rambled for four paragraphs about Christmas movies. Don’t even get me started on our Christmas decorations; that’s a post of its own!
How to Make This Eggnog Cake
This is it! This Eggnog Cake is my final eggnog recipe for the season. Are you tired of them yet?
I totally understand if you are, but for some reason, I was on an eggnog kick this year. I tend to go through phases, and I guess this year was all about eggnog.
This cake recipe incorporates over a cup of eggnog into the batter, along with some brown sugar and nutmeg. The flavor and texture of the cake are amazing. You will love it!
Ganache Drip
I love the naked cake style, and if you’ve been following Liv for Cake for a while, you know I have a fondness for a drippy ganache!
White chocolate isn’t my favorite, but this was my first time using it in a ganache, and I think it worked wonders on this Eggnog Cake.
In hindsight, I should have made the ganache with eggnog instead of cream (duh). I recommend trying that for an extra flavor boost!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Also, I forgot to include nutmeg in the frosting (oops!).
I intended to, considering how well it complements eggnog (since there is nutmeg in the cake), but I was in a hurry and didn’t grab my recipe notebook since the frosting was the same as the one used in last week’s Gingerbread Cake.
After assembling the cake, I realized I specifically wanted to add nutmeg to the frosting (sigh). Oh well! It’s delicious as is, but a touch more nutmeg wouldn’t hurt if you decide to add it.
I’m really happy with how this Eggnog Cake turned out! It’s delicious and looks better than I expected, which almost never happens.
The eggnog flavor shines through, and the sweet cake pairs wonderfully with the tangy cream cheese frosting. The white chocolate ganache adds both flavor and flair — a perfect cake for the holiday season!
Notes & Tips for This Spiked Eggnog Cake:
- Dec 15, 2019 – Recipe revised to create taller layers. The layers should bake up to 2 inches tall in three 6-inch cake pans.
- The recipe as is also works in two 8-inch pans. For three 8-inch pans, multiply the recipe by 1.5.
- To make cupcakes, simply reduce the baking time — begin checking at about 15 minutes.
- The cooled cake layers can be baked in advance, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw for 2-3 hours before assembly.
- The frosting can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before use.
- You can omit the rum or substitute it with vanilla or rum extract for a kid-friendly version.
- I forgot to incorporate nutmeg into my frosting but had intended to include it!
- If the ganache is too thick (mine was a little thick), add a teaspoon of heavy cream until you reach a thinner consistency.
- You will have some rum simple syrup leftover; this can be used to sweeten or spike cocktails or hot beverages like coffee or hot chocolate.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using simple syrup.
- To ensure flat cake layers, check out my post on how to bake flat cake layers!
Eggnog Cake
This Eggnog Cake with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate ganache is just the thing to warm you up this Holiday season!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 821 kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup eggnog
Instructions
Eggnog Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake round pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat on medium-high until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Reduce the mixer speed and add the eggs one at a time, incorporating fully after each addition, then add the vanilla.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and eggnog, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of eggnog), incorporating fully after each addition without overmixing.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
White Chocolate Ganache:
- Place the chopped chocolate and cream (or eggnog) in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir, then continue with 10-second increments, stirring in between, until smooth and silky. Set aside to cool and thicken slightly before using on the cake.
Assembly:
- Trim the tops of the cakes slightly to remove the crust. Brush each cake layer with about 2-3 tablespoons of simple syrup.
- Place one layer of cake on a stand or serving plate. Top with 2/3 cup of frosting. Repeat with the remaining layers and apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Smooth the sides using a bench scraper and chill for 20 minutes.
- Using a teaspoon, drip ganache along the edges, then fill in the top and smooth. Chill for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with nutmeg and decorate with rosettes, if desired.
Notes
*Remember, I forgot to include the nutmeg in the frosting!
**If the ganache is too thick, add in a teaspoon of heavy cream until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
***You will have some rum simple syrup leftover to sweeten or spike cocktails or hot beverages like coffee or hot chocolate.
