It’s a really quiet Christmas Day around here. Almost too quiet. Both of us are used to loud, raucous family gatherings, so it’s a bit strange to be home in a relatively quiet house. Nonna just isn’t up to traveling to North Jersey anymore – she got carsick the last two times she went, so I don’t see any more trips north, for a while. We miss the fun, but it is what it is…

So with a mere three in the house, there’s lots of time to do things. Like bake a cake. And what to do when you have a quart of eggnog in the ‘fridge? Why… make an Eggnog Cake, of course!

I was first going to make my mom’s Eggnog Pie, but changed my mind on the way to the kitchen. I do that often…

A quick Google Search brought up a score of the exact same recipe, so I went for it.


Eggnog Cake

All Recipes.com

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup prepared eggnog (or see notes for recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey

Frosting:

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups prepared eggnog (or see notes for recipe)
  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon rum-flavored extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
  2. Beat 1/2 cup butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into butter mixture before adding the next. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel, mixing well.
  3. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Pour flour mixture into the batter alternately with 1 cup eggnog, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in bourbon. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
  4. Bake in preheated oven until cake springs back when touched lightly with a fingertip or a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (test both cake layers). Cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. To make frosting, combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups eggnog, whisking until smooth.
  6. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. When mixture boils, cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely to room temperature.
  7. Beat 1 cup butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in cooled eggnog mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, rum extract, and 1/8 teaspoon grated lemon peel. Beat on high speed until mixture is fully incorporated and frosting is fluffy.
  8. Spread cake with plain frosting between cake layers, over the top and on the sides. Coat the sides with toasted pecans, pressing the nuts onto sides in small handfuls. Refrigerate until serving time.

The frosting is interesting – you cook a batter of sorts with eggnog and flour, let it cool, and then whip it in to butter and granulated sugar. It’s very soft and fluffy – easy to work – and definitely needs to get into a refrigerator to set up.  Both the cake batter and the icing tasted great on their own.

And it was a hit! We may have to add this onto the Holiday Baking List!