Today we are sharing a delicious scratch recipe for Eggnog cake with Eggnog Buttercream Frosting!
This classic holiday cake is moist, has a lovely soft texture, but is still firm enough to hold up to fondant and versatile enough for cupcakes!
Another reason to love this flavorful Eggnog Cake recipe is that it makes a generous amount of batter for three cake layers. Once baked & assembled, the cake has a great height to it, and is filled with wonderful spiced goodness.
I have to say that it took me YEARS to finally try Eggnog Cake. Just the sound of it (and the idea of eggnog in general) didn’t appeal to me. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
This is now one of my FAVORITE cakes to make for the holidays. It’s just so cozy. (Can cake be cozy?). I think it can, and it is. The Eggnog Buttercream is simple and amazing too!
I don’t even think the cake in the photo lasted 24 hours…we devoured it. If you’re looking for the perfect festive dessert for the holidays, this is it!
If you prefer working with cake mixes or if you like to keep great doctored cake mix recipes on hand for a super quick and easy dessert, you’ve got to try our Eggnog Cake (doctored cake mix) Recipe!
Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Buttercream- A Scratch Recipe
This moist and delicious Eggnog Cake from scratch is so flavorful and perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
For the Eggnog Cake Layers•
- *Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour three 8 inch pans.
- 3 cups (342g) cake flour **(if you do not have cake flour, see below)
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) salt
- 2 teaspoons (6g) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (3g) nutmeg
- 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened. Do not soften in microwave. Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2 to 1 inch slices, it will be added a few pieces at a time to the dry mixture.
- 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (54g) vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cups (313g) eggnog
For the Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 6-7 cups (690-805g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (1g) cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon (1g) nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) salt (optional) to reduce sweetness of the recipe, popcorn salt is a finer grain and will dissolve more quickly
- 1/3 cup (86g) eggnog - add more a teaspoon at a time if needed.
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Eggnog Cake Layers
- {This recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing.}
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil and eggnog. Blend with a fork to combine.
- In the bowl of your mixer add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon and
nutmeg. - Mix on low speed as you gradually add the pieces of butter. Mix until the dry ingredients
are crumbly and moistened by the butter. - There should be no dry looking flour in the bowl. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.
- Add 1/2 of the egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes, scrape the
bottom and sides of the bowl. - Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 additions, mixing at medium speed for 20 seconds
after each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and pour into
baking pans. - Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with
just a few crumbs attached. Makes 7 1/2 cups batter. Works well for cupcakes
For the Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- Cream the softened butter until smooth. Blend in vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
- Add 1/2 of the powdered sugar and most of the eggnog. Beat at medium speed
until the powered sugar is incorporated. - Add the remaining powered sugar and eggnog and mix at medium speed another 3 to 4 minutes scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally.
- I slow down the mixer to very slow (#2 on the Kitchenaid) for 1 to 2 minutes. This will help eliminate air pockets in the
buttercream. - The recipe and be doubled or halved.
- Can be frozen in an airtight container for at least 3 months, thaw on the countertop
and remix.
Notes
Cake Flour Substitution
If you do not have cake flour, you can make your own using all purpose flour
(plain in UK).
For each cup of flour, remove 2 Tablespoons (14g) flour and
replace with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch.
For this recipe you will be removing 6 Tablespoons (42g) flour and replacing it with 6 Tablespoons corn starch. Whisk
for 30 seconds to combine. All purpose bleached flour will give you a more
tender cake, but you can also use all purpose unbleached flour.Will hold up to
fondant
If you’re searching for more ideas for Christmas and winter cake recipes and cake decorating ideas, don’t miss our full Roundup of Christmas and Winter Cakes!
Thanks for stopping by! Don’t miss our full collection of tried and true cake, cupcake, and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section! Happy Baking!
Looks and sounds delicious! :)
Quick question, I see that the cake can hold up to fondant, I am wondering if it can be carved and how long it could sit at room temp?
Looks yummy and I would like to try for Christmas.
Hi Aimee, I would only do light carving on this cake. The eggnog we used was pasteurized just as milk is so I think it would be fine to be unrefrigerated and eaten by the 3rd day. You can cover and refrigerate it, taking it out a couple of hours before serving to bring to room temperature.
If you do the substitute for cake flour, do you weigh out the all purpose in the same amount as the cake flour before removing and replacing some with corn starch? I like weighing my ingredients because of the consistent results.
Also, I was probably way more excited about seeing an eggnog cake recipe on here than I should have been. It’s only of those seasonal flavors I’m glad doesn’t last long, or I’d be in trouble. I can’t wait to try this.
Cake flour that is lightly spooned and leveled in a measuring cup weighs 7grams less per cup than all purpose flour. That is such a small amount that I think you can use the the weight listed in the recipe and be fine. Hope you like the recipe!
Can you post the amounts that would be needed for the ingredients if you wanted to do 3 nine inch layers?
Hi Prisca, The recipe as written can be made using 8 or 9 inch pans. Hope you like it.
Hi Thank you for your wonderful recipe , this is for sure in my to do list , would you please let me know the tip # for the icing.
thank you
Hi Rosa, thanks! I used a Wilton Basketweave tip 48 and I just squiggled it back and forth starting from the bottom and working my way up. If you make the recipe, let us know what you think!
Thank you for your replay , I’ll for sure let you know
Delicious cake and frosting! Took this to Christmas party where they’re accustomed to my showing up with a great cake. They were not disappointed! Everyone loved it, myself included. Not terribly sweet, but lots of flavor. I wouldn’t add more spices, although I did thin the icing with a little more eggnog. If you were to make three 9″ layers, they would be thin. I made two nice 9″ layers (and a 6″ sampler), torted and filled the two layers, and it was beautiful and delicious cake! This recipe is a keeper!
Hi Doris, Thanks so much for making your post! I’m happy you like the cake and your tips on how you made it will be helpful to others.
I’m trying this out for Christmas for sure
I followed the recipe exactly, but the cakes disintegrated coming out of the pans. I cooled them first, then inverted them. Any ideas what might have happened?
That being said, the cake is delicious. Very egg-noggy. I’m standing here eating the pieces with my fingers….
Hi Maryellen, Isn’t that just so frustrating, I am sorry there was a problem. Did you grease and flour the pans or use one of the commercial “cake release” products? You could also add a wax paper circle to the bottom of the cake pan to help the cake release (grease and flour the wax paper also). If you accidentally added too much baking powder or sugar that could cause it to fall apart.
You only cool it gir10 Minuit than inverted
Hi Rosa, Cool the cakes in the pan 10 to 15 minutes then turn out
I made this back in December, and I must say this is now one of my most favorite cakes. The texture of the cake was so velvety smooth! The cake was very moist, but still had a great deal of substance to hold up to the icing. I made this cake for my husbands birthday a few weeks ago and tweeked it just a bit!! I substituted buttermilk for eggnog, browned the butter, and added pecans!! The whole family loved it. I am going to play with it some ore to make a lemon cake for Easter!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is now my go to!! ?
Hi Shannon! I’m so happy that you love this recipe and love that you’ve been able to experiment & come up with a new version! The buttermilk/browned butter & pecan version sounds fabulous! Thank you for the feedback and for sharing your variations! xoxo
Can this cake be baked in a bundt/tube pan or 13×9? If so how would you adjust cooking time? Thanks
HI Betty, You could bake this recipe in a 13×9 pan. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes. You could place a rose nail in the center of the pan for more even baking. I’m not sure how well it will work in a bundt pan.
Would this recipe with for a 6″ four layer cake? Meaning would it hold up with 4 layers? And what about cupcakes?! ?
Thanks!
Tammy
Hi Tammy, Yes, you could use this recipe. I use 2 cups of batter for 6 inch pans and this recipe has 7 1/2 cups so you will need to use slightly less in each pan to have enough for 4 layers. It will hold up to 4 layers but you should fill and stack two layers, place four dowels into those two layers. Place the remaining 2 cakes on a cake circle (cut to the size of the 6″cakes) After filling the layers place on the dowels. This will give the final cake stability. Remember to settle the cakes before the final frosting. If you are not familiar with settling, Melissa has a video showing this in the video Baking a Cake from start to Finish. Let me know if you have other questions.
Hi Bebe,
Could you explain the technique of putting a rose nail in the centre of a 9″ x 13″ cake for even baking, please? I am so interested in learning more about this.
This works for cupcakes as well? Thanks!
Great cake, turned out perfect. I used a cinnamon Swiss meringue buttercream.
It looks divine, Zoe, and cinnamon SMBC is a perfect choice. Thanks so much for posting a picture!
This was delicious. For anyone curious, the recipe makes about 29 cupcakes using a wilton standard cupcake scoop to fill the cups. There’s actually a little batter left at that point, but not enough for a full cupcake, so next time I’d add a little bit of batter to each cupcake after the initial filling. They took about 21 minutes to bake.
Hi JadesRevenge, Thanks so much for posting the information on cupcakes, very helpful. We are happy to like the recipe!
Would really love to try this cake, but for some reason the reverse creaming never works for me. Is it possible for me to mix it the conventional way?
Hi Sara, Yes, you can definitely make any of the reverse creaming recipes using the conventional way. I suggest using one of your conventional recipes as a guide, rewrite the recipe into the conventional method. You are less likely to make a mistake if you rewrite the recipe. Be sure to count the ingredients to make sure you have not left out one. I think the only question you might have is when to add the vegetable oil……combine it with the eggnog to add alternately to the dry ingredients. Let me know if you have other questions.
Made the cake layers and they look delicious and smell delicious. I always have domes cakes though. What could be the cause of this.
Thanks,
Can rum be added
Hi Patrice, I think that could be done but we have not tried it so I am not sure how much rum to add for the flavor to come through. I think you could replace some of the milk with rum, maybe 1/4 cup. You could also add a teaspoon of rum extract in place of one of the teaspoons of vanilla (Wal-Mart carries rum extract) Hope all goes well, let me know what you think if you give it a try.
Hi, I would like to make this cake for a gathering, but I only have two 8″ cake pans. Can I keep some batter in the bowl while two layers are baking, then reuse one cake pan to bake the 3rd layer? I wonder if the batter would keep well after it’s made. Thanks!
Hi Qing, The third layer may not rise quite as high, but this is your only option so I would give it a try. I have done so with success but have not tried using this recipe. Refrigerate the batter while the first two pans are baking. Let me know how it goes.
Hi, I did make the 3 layer cake with 2 8″ pans. I followed your recommendation and kept the batter for the 3rd layer in the fridge while the first 2 layers baked. But I brought it back close to room temperature before baking. Indeed it didn’t rise as much as the first 2 layers but the difference is not very big. The cake was delicious. I did make quite a few changes. I always cut the sugar and oil/butter down. That’s just me. ☺ Thank you!
The recipe is not coming up, there is no link. I would love love make the homemade version as I just made the spruced up box one and my whole family is in love
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for letting me know! It’s back ;0)
Hi I thought I’d let you know that a website called the cake blog copied your recipe without credit!!!