Eggnog cake

This eggnog cake is festive and decadent! The eggnog frosting is rich, creamy and not too sweet. Buttery vanilla cake layers are optionally spiked with brandy or rum. The combination of flavours is incredible! You'll find the video of how to make this cake at the bottom of the page.

Bake the cake layers

The vanilla cake starts with butter and sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Then add buttermilk and a little bit of oil to keep it moist. Finish with the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

These bake in three 8” pans at 325F or 160C for 35 minutes. You'll know they're baked when yo poke the middle of the cake and it bounces back up. Let the cakes cool in the pans until you can lift the pans without burning yourself, about 10 minutes. Turn them out onto a wire rack and leave them to cool for about an hour.

Make the eggnog frosting

Meanwhile, make the eggnog frosting, which is one of my favorite things ever. This is an ermine frosting or boiled milk frosting or cooked flour frosting. All of the names sound awful but trust me, you definitely need to make this!

Put flour, milk and salt in a pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Whisk it constantly until it simmers so it doesn’t get lumpy. The mixture will thicken suddenly so don't stop whisking for a moment!

As soon as it starts to thicken, switch to a spatula. Scrape along the bottom and sides of the pan. Stir for about two minutes until the mixture thickens enough to leave ribbons when you lift the whisk. It needs to be quite thick - somewhere in between being liquid and solid. Remove the pan from the heat and add vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix that in and then pour it all into a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about an hour to cool to room temperature. 

When you take the cooked flour mixture out of the fridge it should have thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Cream together butter and sugar by mixing for 3 minutes, until creamy and lighter in colour. Scoop the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and mix for another minute or two, until smooth.

This frosting is even better than eggnog, in my opinion! It was one of the bestselling flavors when I had a cake shop. If you like this frosting, you’ll love my cookie dough cake, which has a brown sugar version of this frosting!

Optionally, make a spiked simple syrup

While the eggnog frosting is cooling, make a spiked simple syrup. I don't like to drink brandy or rum but I love the flavour in this cake! Making the syrup is quick and easy. Mix water, sugar and half a tablespoon of rum in a pan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Then let this cool.

Pour the spiked simple syrup into a squeezy bottle or use a pastry brush and pour it into a bowl instead. Drizzle or brush this generously over your cake layers.

For the best results, level the tops of your cake layers by trimming them with a serrated knife. The syrup will absorb much better into the cake this way.

Put the eggnog cake together

Attach the first cake layer to a cake board with a blob of the eggnog frosting. Now layer the cake with more eggnog frosting. It’s on the inside of the cake and also on the outside. Yum!

Cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting, called a crumb coat. This will trap any crumbs that come off the cake. I like to chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes before this. This way the cake is firmer and less crumbly, which makes it easier to frost. Smooth the crumb coat but it doesn’t have to be perfect because it’s going to be covered up soon.

Put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to chill and set the crumb coat. Then add another layer of frosting, the final layer. You can smooth this with a cake comb or use a textured cake comb. Or use a spoon to create texture like I did for this Pumpkin Spice Cake!

I added little rosettes of eggnog frosting on top using a #32 piping tip, which has a small star shape. However you decorate it, it’s going to taste amazing!

How to store and serve this eggnog cake

Keep the cake in the fridge but take it out about 2 hours before you serve it. This will give it time to come to room temperature. The cake and frosting will soften and not only be easier to slice, but also taste their best!

This is the perfect flavour combination for December cakes! If you want to save a slice for later, put it into the freezer for 30 minutes to set the frosting. Then wrap each slice in cling film or Saran Wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. This is perfect is you crave eggnog in January or February! Just pull a slice out and leave it on the counter for a few hours to thaw. It will taste just as good as when it was freshly baked! 

Are you going to make this? Tell me in the comments and please leave a recipe review below! I hope you love this cake as much as I do!

Eggnog cake

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• Author: Emily
• Yield: a three-layer 8 inch cake 1x

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Description

This cake is festive and decadent! The eggnog frosting is rich, creamy and not too sweet and the vanilla cake layers are buttery and optionally spiked with brandy or rum. The combination of flavours is incredible!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the cake layers:

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
• 2 cups white sugar (granulated sugar)
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 1/2 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the eggnog frosting:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated white sugar

For the spiked simple syrup:

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon brandy or rum or bourbon

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Instructions

To make the cake layers:

1. Using a mixer with a beater/paddle attachment (not a whisk), beat room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter or sugar is stuck at the bottom.
2. Add room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition for 30 seconds. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated before adding the next egg.
3. Add vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds to combine. Add room temperature buttermilk and oil and mix on the lowest speed to incorporate.
4. In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate, scraping down to the bottom of the mixing bowl to check that batter is evenly mixed.
5. Grease three 8" baking pans with non-stick oil spray or butter. Divide batter equally between the cake pans.
6. Bake at 160ºC or 325ºF for 35 minutes or until the cake bounces back up when you poke it.
7. Leave cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the cakes from the edges of the pans and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely.
8. Optionally, when the cakes have cooled you can use a serrated knife like a bread knife to trim off any domed tops of the cake layers to leave them level.

To make the eggnog frosting:

1. Put flour, milk and salt in a pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Whisk it constantly until it simmers to prevent lumps. When the mixture thickens, switch to a spatula. Scrape along the bottom and sides of the pan, stirring for about two minutes until the mixture thickens enough to leave ribbons when you lift the spatula.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap (e.g. cling film / Saran Wrap), pressing it down to touch the surface of the mixture. Put it into the fridge for about an hour to cool to room temperature. 
3. Mix butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy and lighter in colour, about 3 minutes. Add cooled flour mixture and mix for another minute, until smooth.

To make the spiked simple syrup:

1. Mix water, sugar and rum, brandy or bourbon in a pan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Let this cool and then drizzle generously over cake layers with a squeezy bottle or brush with a pastry brush.

Then pour it into a squeezy bottle or use a pastry brush to drizzle or brush this over your cake layers. You can do this on the top of the layers as they are, or if they’re domed, level the tops with a serrated knife and the syrup will absorb much better like this.

To put the eggnog cake together:

1. Spread a bit of eggnog frosting onto the middle of a cake board or plate and press your first cake layer down to attach it. Spread eggnog frosting to cover the top of the cake and then place another cake layer on top. Repeat with another layer of eggnog frosting and the final cake layer.
2. Put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes to chill and set. Then spoon half of the remaining eggnog frosting on top and spread with an offset spatula or palette knife to cover the cake. Use a straight edged cake comb or frosting smoother to smooth the frosting but it doesn't need to be perfect yet! Chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes to set this crumb coat of frosting.
3. Spoon the rest of the eggnog frosting onto the cake and spread to cover the cake. Smooth with a cake comb and optionally, add piping around the top using a star shaped tip like a #32.
4. You can refrigerate this cake for 2-3 days but take it out 2 hours before serving so that the cake comes to room temperature.

Watch a video of how to make this eggnog cake:

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