Best eggnog pound cake recipe for your holiday table! Old fashioned eggnog pound cake recipes with rum extract and freshly grated nutmeg are full of amazing holiday flavors! If you love simple eggnog cake recipes, you've got to try this pound cake recipe with eggnog! It's one of the best Christmas cakes you'll make!
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And for of my best Christmas cakes, you'll love my Chocolate Spice Cake, my Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake, and my Key Lime Pound Cake!
Old Fashioned Eggnog Pound Cake Recipe
This eggnog pound cake is so buttery and full of warm holiday flavor. It’s the kind of cake that makes the whole house smell like Christmas: creamy eggnog, a hint of rum, and just enough nutmeg to feel festive. It’s easy enough for a weeknight bake but fancy enough for your holiday dessert table.
Even if you're not a big fan of eggnog, this cake recipe with eggnog will make you a believer! It's similar to my other festive cakes like my Rum Pound Cake or my Peach Cobbler Pound Cake, and it's perfect for holiday parties and potlucks during the holiday season!
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What makes this the best eggnog pound cake recipe?
This eggnog cake recipe is the perfect holiday dessert! Here's why you'll love it:
- Full of real butter, pure vanilla, and freshly grated nutmeg for the best flavor
- Made with your favorite homemade eggnog or store-bought eggnog for the perfect holiday flavor
- Draped in a rich eggnog glaze that's so easy to make.
- Made with a hint of rum extract -- or a splash of rum if you want to get really festive!
What is eggnog pound cake made of?
You can find the full list of ingredient measurements in the recipe card below, but here's a quick look at what you'll need for this old fashioned eggnog cake:
- butter - in this recipe, we'll use salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, just add in ¾ teaspoon of salt with your dry ingredients. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before adding it in. If your kitchen is excessively hot or cool, you may want to check the temperature of your butter with a meat thermometer. It should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- sugar - we'll use granulated sugar to give this eggnog cake recipe the perfect amount of sweetness.
- vegetable oil - to add moisture to this simple eggnog cake!
- eggs - you'll want your eggs to be at room temperature too. If they feel cold to the touch, submerge them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
- vanilla - for the best flavor, I like to use pure vanilla extract. Or you can make your own!
- rum extract - a little rum extract complements the flavor of eggnog in this cake! If you like, you can swap in dark rum.
- cake flour - Measure your cake flour by weight with a kitchen scale to make sure you don't accidentally add too much.
- nutmeg - the best thing to add more of that delicious eggnog flavor. I like to use a microplane zester to freshly grate my nutmeg, but any ground nutmeg works too!
- baking powder - it isn't usually necessary in a traditional pound cake recipe, but this leavening agent helps to ensure a fluffy texture in this cake.
- eggnog - serves as the dairy in our cake instead of whole milk or sour cream. you can use your favorite eggnog recipe like my Oat Milk Eggnog, or pick up some store-bought eggnog! It should be full-fat, or "traditional" eggnog. Your eggnog should be room temperature before you begin.
- cake release - I usually use baking spray with no problems, but with this cake's stickier batter, I opted for "cake goop": equal parts shortening, flour, and vegetable oil. Mix them with an electric mixer and use a pastry brush to brush a thin later of the goop onto your cake pan. Your cake will come right out!
Then, we're topping our cake with a rich eggnog glaze! For the glaze recipe, you'll need:
- eggnog - we'll use some more eggnog for the glaze to add that amazing flavor!
- powdered sugar - we'll use powdered sugar to provide the structure and sweetness for our glaze.
- nutmeg - I like to garnish the glaze with some more freshly grated nutmeg -- you could also use some sparkling sugar to highlight the festive winter look of the cake!
Equipment
I recommend making this easy eggnog pound cake recipe in a high-quality Bundt or tube cake pan. I recommend using the USA Pan Nonstick Fluted Tube Pan to minimize the risk of the cake sticking in the pan, but your favorite Bundt cake pan should work too -- just be sure to brush it well wi. To mix this simple eggnog cake recipe, I use my KitchenAid stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer.
I also recommend a rubber spatula for folding in the dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl, and a zester to grate your whole nutmeg. You may also want to have a wire rack to help the cake cool more quickly and allow for your glaze to drip off the sides cleanly. I also like to use an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake to check for doneness -- the thermometer should show 210℉.
Instructions
The recipe card below will give you detailed step-by-step instructions and a recipe video! But here are the basic steps you'll follow to make to make this bundt cake recipe with eggnog:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in oil.
Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla and rum extract.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and nutmeg.
Alternate mixing in dry ingredients and eggnog into batter.
Add batter to your prepared pan and bake!
For glaze, mix powdered sugar and eggnog until smooth and pour over cooled cake.
Hint: Adjust glaze consistency as needed. Add a little less eggnog to keep it thick for drizzling, or add more if you want it thinner to soak into the cake.
Can I make eggnog pound cake with cake mix?
I prefer to make my eggnog cake recipes from scratch, but you can definitely make this old fashioned eggnog pound cake using cake mix! Just pick up a vanilla cake mix!
Here's how you do it: just replace the water in the box directions with eggnog, replace the oil with 2 sticks of butter, add an extra egg and a little nutmeg, and bake according to the Bundt cake instructions on the box until a toothpick entered into the cake comes out clean. Finish it with my simple eggnog glaze for that homemade touch.
Eggnog Pound Cake with Rum
If you like, you can add dark rum to this cake recipe with eggnog instead of rum extract! It adds a more authentic rum flavor and might be easier to find if you can't find rum extract. It'll be the same eggnog and rum flavors as my Eggnog Bread Pudding with Brown Butter Rum Sauce!
Storage
You can store this old fashioned eggnog cake at room temperature, covered in a domed cake stand, for up to 3 days, or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze this cake, well wrapped, for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely. Once cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and drizzle with fresh glaze before serving.
Yes — just skip the rum or bourbon and use a teaspoon of rum extract or extra vanilla. You’ll still get that cozy holiday flavor.
My simple eggnog glaze made with powdered sugar, eggnog, and nutmeg is perfect. You can also add a splash of rum extract or bourbon for more flavor.
There are many reasons why your cake might stick: you may have an older or damaged pan and the nonstick layer on your Bundt cake pan has worn down a bit. You may not have coated your pan well enough with baking spray or cake goop (see recipe card below for cake goop instructions).
My advice is: (1) use a nonstick pan; (2) brush your pan well with a thin layer of cake goop just before adding your batter to the pan; and (3) turn cake out of the pan after just 10 minutes of cooling.
Top Tip
Don't forget to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale! It'll help ensure accurate measurements and prevent a dry cake!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this one? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe:
10 festive recipes. No stress. All the holiday magic.
Let’s make this your best holiday baking season yet. Inside this e-book, you’ll get:
- 10 simple, foolproof holiday dessert recipes
- Cozy flavors like gingerbread, peppermint, eggnog, and vanilla
- Step-by-step instructions made for beginners and busy bakers
- Bonus: Christmas cookie troubleshooting cheat sheet and printable holiday grocery list
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup (341 g) salted butter - room temperature
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 2¼ cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) rum extract - or 1 ½ teaspoon dark rum, if you like
- 3 cups (360 g) cake flour - measured by weight using a kitchen scale or with the spoon and level method
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) freshly ground nutmeg - or ½ teaspoon store-bought ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (237 ml) eggnog - room temperature
Eggnog Glaze
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) eggnog - plus more as needed
- ground nutmeg or sparkling sugar - for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉.
- Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vegetable oil.
- Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by extracts. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and nutmeg.
- Alternate folding in flour mixture and eggnog to batter, starting with ⅓ of flour, then ½ of eggnog, then repeat and finish with remaining ⅓ of flour mixture, folding until just barely combined.1 cup eggnog
- Spray Bundt pan with baking spray or brush with cake goop (see note). Spoon batter into pan and tap firmly on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
- Bake in preheated oven 80-90 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean. To be sure, use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the cake is 210℉.
- Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Eggnog Glaze
- Combine powdered sugar and eggnog in a bowl and whisk well. Add more eggnog, a little at a time, until your desired consistency is reached.2 cups powdered sugar, ⅓ cup eggnog
- Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and top with grated nutmeg or sparkling sugar, if desired.ground nutmeg or sparkling sugar
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Kira says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Chenée Lewis says
Great to hear! Thank you!
Cynthia N says
Would you have an idea of baking time for mini bundt pans? Thanks Looks delicious.
Chenée Lewis says
Hi Cynthia! I haven't tried making this recipe into mini bundts yet so I can't say for sure, but you could try checking the mini bundts for doneness after 20 minutes. Otherwise the recipe should be the same 🙂
Chenée Lewis says
This eggnog pound cake is truly the ultimate Christmas dessert! I can't wait for you guys to try it!