Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Buttercream

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Today we are sharing a delicious scratch recipe for Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Buttercream Frosting!

This classic holiday cake recipe is moist, has a lovely soft texture, and delicious spiced flavor.

Sliced Eggnog Cake on a pedestal.

Why we Love It

There are so many reasons to love this Eggnog Cake recipe! Here are just a few:

  • Moist, tender cake layers
  • Wonderful spiced flavor from cinnamon and nutmeg
  • Richness of flavor from the eggnog
  • Makes a perfect winter birthday cake recipe, holiday cake, and more!

How to Make Eggnog Cake

You can find the full, printable Eggnog Cake recipe further down in this post, but here is a quick rundown of our steps!

  1. Preheat: Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans- we also like to line our pans with parchment.{This recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing.}
  2. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium sized bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil and eggnog. Blend with a fork to combine.
  3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In the bowl of your mixer add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon and
    nutmeg.
  4. Add Butter to Dry Ingredients: Mix on low speed as you gradually add the pieces of butter. Mix until the dry ingredients
    are crumbly and moistened by the butter.
  5. Half of Egg Mixture: Add ½ of the egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 ½ minutes, scrape the
    bottom and sides of the bowl.
  6. Two More Additions of Egg Mixture: Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 additions, mixing at medium speed for 20 seconds
    after each addition.
  7. Fill the Pans: Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and pour into the prepared baking pans.
  8. Time to Bake! Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Makes 7 ½ cups batter. Works well for cupcakes

Eggnog Buttercream

This Eggnog Buttercream tastes fantastic and is so easy to make! It is a delicious combination of butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a splash of eggnog. 

It behaves much like our Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, but has added richness and flavor from the eggnog and spices!

This eggnog frosting recipe works perfectly as a filling and frosting, and pipes perfectly also.

More Spice Cakes

We love spice cakes, especially in the fall and winter months! In addition to today's Eggnog Cake, you will have to add these other recipes to your must-bake list! 

Some of our favorites are our Spice Cake from cake mix, Pumpkin Spice Cake, Cherry Spice Cake, and gingerbread cake.

Delicious Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Buttercream! Recipe by MyCakeSchool.com

More Eggnog Cakes

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! 

It has all of the wonderful spiced flavor of our scratch eggnog cake recipe, and can be whipped up in no time. We also have an Eggnog Rum Cake from cake mix that couldn't be simpler to make- so decadent!

Don't miss our delicious Eggnog Pound Cake and Caramel Eggnog Pound Cake recipes as well! These simple scratch pound cakes are so flavorful and can be whipped up in no time.

Make sure to check out our other holiday cake recipes! You'll find favorites like our scratch Red Velvet Cake ,Italian Cream Cake, Carrot Cake and German Chocolate Cake!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, we hope that you enjoy this homemade Eggnog Cake! Make sure to check out our full Cake Recipes section as well as our collection of free Cake Decorating Tutorials!

If you are interested in Christmas and winter cake designs, we have lots of decorating tutorials to share with you!

The BEST Eggnog Cake Recipe with Eggnog Buttercream! So moist, flavorful, and perfect for holiday entertaining! MyCakeSchool.com

Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Buttercream- A Scratch Recipe

This moist and delicious Eggnog Cake from scratch is so flavorful and perfect for the holidays!
Course: Dessert
Servings: 15
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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
  • ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
  • 2 teaspoons (6g) cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon (3g) nutmeg
  • 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened (should hold shape but dent when pressed)
  • 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (54g) vegetable oil
  • 1 ¼ cups (313g) eggnog

For the Eggnog Buttercream Frosting

  • 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 6-7 cups (690-805g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon (1g) cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon (1g) nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
  • 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 ½ of the egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 ½ 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 ½ 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 ½ 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
4.58 from 21 votes (21 ratings without comment)

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37 Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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!

  5. 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

  6. 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!

  7. 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!

  8. 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.