This festive eggnog cake recipe is three light and fluffy layers of cake sandwiched between decadent buttercream frosting. Garnish with fresh and candied cranberries for a beautiful and delicious holiday dessert that everyone is sure to enjoy!
I always like to offer show stopping dessert recipes when I’m entertaining for the holidays. Some of my favorite options include chocolate crinkle cookies , Christmas tree brownies , snowball cookies , chocolate truffles and this elegant eggnog cake.
It isn’t the holidays without a tall glass of eggnog! This classic Christmas drink also happens to be delicious in baked goods, such as in eggnog cake. I love that this recipe is simple to make, but looks so fancy.
- Eggnog Cake Ingredients
- How Do You Make Eggnog Cake?
- Tips For The Perfect Cake
- Quick Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Flavor Variations
- More Holiday Desserts
- Love This Recipe?
- Eggnog Cake Recipe
Eggnog Cake Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need cake flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, eggnog, vanilla extract, butter and powdered sugar.
How Do You Make Eggnog Cake?
Preheat the oven, then grease three 8 inch cake pans. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients – be careful not to overmix. Divide the batter between the pans, then bake until the cakes are golden brown. Let the cakes cool partway, then invert and cool completely on a wire rack. Cream the butter and vanilla extract with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Finally, add the eggnog to the frosting.
Place one cake layer on your serving plate, then add a thin layer of eggnog frosting and spread it into an even layer. Add the second cake layer, and repeat the process with the eggnog buttercream. Place the third layer on top of the second layer. Use the remaining frosting to cover the entire cake. Add decorations if desired, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Cake
- Eggnog cake will stay fresh at room temperature in a sealed container for 24 hours, or you can store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you choose to chill your cake, let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before you slice and serve.
- No cake flour on hand? You can use all purpose flour instead, but subtract 3 tablespoons of flour and add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- I recommend using unsalted butter in this recipe, but it will also work with salted butter.
- You will want flat cake layers so that the cake stacks properly. One option is to use a cake leveler tool to shave off the top of each layer so that they are not domed. Another option is to use bake even cake strips , which wrap around the sides of the pans and prevent the cakes from getting rounded tops as they bake. I recommend buying the cake strips, as that way you won’t have any wasted cake from trying to cut the tops off!
- Use a kitchen scale to make sure you have the same amount of batter in each pan so that the cake layers look the same.
- This recipe calls for 8 inch pans, but it also works with 9 inch cake pans . Reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes if you’re using 9 inch pans.
- You can also make cupcakes instead of a layer cake. Fill each well of a greased muffin tin 3/4 of the way full, then bake for 20-22 minutes.
Quick Tip
Feel free to add some garnishes to make your cake look really special. I use fresh cranberries, candied cranberries and rosemary sprigs. I provide instructions for the candied cranberries in the notes section of the recipe card .
Eggnog can be used instead of milk in baking. You do not need to change any quantities to use eggnog instead of milk.
Eggnog is a drink served around the holidays. That being said, this drink is so sweet, rich and creamy that it almost could be a dessert! Enjoy the flavor of eggnog for dessert in this eggnog cake or in eggnog cookies .
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Flavor Variations
This eggnog cake is fabulous as-is, but you can add other flavors to make it extra special.
- Cake: Feel free to add other flavorings to the cake batter such as rum extract, cinnamon or allspice.
- Fillings: Get creative with your cake filling! Try brushing rum simple syrup over the cake layers before you add frosting. You can make rum simple syrup by boiling together 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water for 5 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon dark rum. Another great filling option is homemade cranberry sauce .
- Toppings: Finish your cake with white chocolate curls, toffee bits, candied pecans , candied or fresh cranberries, mint sprigs, rosemary or candied walnuts .
Eggnog layer cake is sure to be a huge hit at your holiday gathering. Looking for more holiday cake recipe inspiration? Don’t miss my list of Christmas cupcake recipes !
More Holiday Desserts
Christmas Sugar Cookies
35 mins
Pizzelle Recipe
45 mins
Brownie Cookies
1 hr 30 mins
Thumbprint Cookies
1 hr 35 mins
Chocolate Spritz Cookies
20 mins
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Ingredients1x2x3x
For the cake
- ▢ 3 cups cake flour
- ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
- ▢ 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 2 eggs
- ▢ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- ▢ 1 1/3 cups eggnog
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ cooking spray
For the frosting
- ▢ 1 cup butter softened
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 5 cups powdered sugar
- ▢ 1/4 cup eggnog or more if needed
Optional garnishes
- ▢ 1/3 cup fresh or candied cranberries see notes for candied cranberry instructions
- ▢ rosemary sprigs
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper cut into circles to fit the pans, then coat the pans with cooking spray.
- Place the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, eggnog and vanilla.
- Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the mixture is just combined. Be careful not to overmix your batter.
- Pour the batter evenly between the three pans. I recommend using a kitchen scale to make sure each pan has the same amount of batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake is light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then carefully invert the cakes onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.
For the frosting
- Beat the butter and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until everything is combined.
- Beat in the eggnog. You want your frosting to be smooth, creamy and spreadable. If your frosting is too thick, you can add more eggnog, 1 teaspoon at a time. If your frosting is too thin add more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
For assembly
- Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake layer, then add a second layer on top. Spread another thin layer of frosting over the second cake layer, then place the third layer on top.
- Use an offset spatula to cover the rest of the cake in frosting. You can also use a piping bag if you prefer. Decorate as desired with garnishes such as candied cranberries and rosemary, then cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- No cake flour on hand? You can use all purpose flour instead, but subtract 3 tablespoons of flour and add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. You will want flat cake layers so that the cake stacks properly. I recommend using bake even cake strips, which wrap around the sides of the pans and prevent the cakes from getting rounded tops as they bake. Another option is to use a cake leveler tool to shave the rounded tops off the cake layers. This recipe calls for 8 inch pans, but it also works with 9 inch cake pans. Reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes if you’re using 9 inch pans. You can also make cupcakes instead of a layer cake. Fill each well of a greased muffin tin 3/4 of the way full, then bake for 20-22 minutes. To make candied cranberries, combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it cook for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup cranberries to the sugar syrup. Remove the pot from the heat, and let the cranberries sit in the sugar for one minute. Take the cranberries out of the sugar syrup, then let them dry on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for one hour. Roll the cranberries in 1/3 cup granulated sugar, then they’re ready to use.
Nutrition
These thumbprint cookies are soft vanilla cookies filled with fruit jam and baked until golden brown. An easy and classic cookie recipe that’s perfect for parties, after school snacks and special occasions.
When the holidays roll around, I find myself in the kitchen whipping up plenty of festive Christmas recipes including Italian cookies , Oreo stuffed cookies , eggnog cookies , Nutella cookies and these beautiful little thumbprint cookies.
Thumbprint cookies are a classic for good reason – they’re simple yet look so impressive, and they couldn’t be any easier to make! You can customize your cookies by adding any number of fillings and coatings for a sweet treat that’s delicious any time of the year.
- Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
- How Do You Make Thumbprint Cookies?
- Tips For Perfect Cookies
- Quick Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Flavor Variations
- More Great Cookie Recipes
- Love This Recipe?
- Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, a large egg, vanilla extract, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt and jam.
How Do You Make Thumbprint Cookies?
Thumbprint cookies are all about the perfect dough that bakes up crisp on the outside, yet soft on the inside. Make this dough by beating sugar, brown sugar and butter together. Mix in an egg, some vanilla, flour and baking soda and the dough is ready to go. Chill the dough in the fridge and roll it into balls. Dip the dough balls in sugar, then place them on a baking sheet. Press wells into the cookies with a spoon. Fill the cookies with a little jam, you can use any flavor of your choice. Bake until light golden brown, then cool and enjoy.
Tips For Perfect Cookies
- Keep the dough cold when you roll it into balls. If the dough warms up, it can get sticky and the balls can become rough instead of smooth. You can place sticky dough in the fridge or freezer to chill if needed.
- After you put the jam in the cookies, place the sheet pan of cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. Chilling the dough prevents the dough from spreading too much as it bakes.
- Some dark jams and jellies can “stain” the dough of the cookies. If you are worried about staining, avoid using blackberry or grape jams or jellies. I typically use raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam.
- Make sure you don’t overfill the cookies or the jam may bubble over and run down the sides of the cookies.
- If your balls of dough crack as you make the indentations in the middle, your dough may be overly cold and stiff. You can simply patch any cracks with your fingers .
Quick Tip
If you have trouble shaping the dough into balls, try putting a little cooking spray on your hands.
You can freeze baked thumbprint cookies. Just place them in an airtight container in a single layer. If you want to stack cookies, put a piece of waxed paper, plastic wrap or parchment paper between the layers. The frozen cookies stay fresh for about a month. When you are ready to eat the cookies remove them from the container and let them thaw on the counter.
There is no need to refrigerate thumbprint cookies, and they will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days.
It’s very important to chill your cookie dough before you bake it. This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
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Flavor Variations
While this recipe is delicious as written, you can easily customize the flavors to suit your tastes.
- Coatings: Try rolling your balls of cookie dough in coatings such as sprinkles, coconut, finely minced almonds, pecans, walnuts or cinnamon sugar.
- Fillings: The filling possibilities are endless and include ingredients such as Nutella, lemon curd, chocolate ganache, marshmallow cream or caramel sauce.
This thumbprint cookie recipe is so fun to make because you can fill the cookies with all different kinds of flavors. This is a holiday classic that never goes out of style!
More Great Cookie Recipes
S’mores Cookies
27 mins
Monster Cookies
25 mins
Cake Mix Cookies
20 mins
Snowball Cookies
50 mins
Chocolate Spritz Cookies
20 mins
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Ingredients1x2x3x
- ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling the cookies
- ▢ 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- ▢ 1 egg
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 cup jam
Instructions
- Place the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat for 1-2 minutes or until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Beat until just blended.
- Place the dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Cover the dough completely with the plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 3 days.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you plan to use it.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then coat each ball in granulated sugar.
- Place the balls of dough 3 inches apart on 2 sheets pan lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
- Use your thumb, the back of a teaspoon, or the round end of a pestle to make an indentation in each cookie. Be gentle as you make each indentation so that the cookies don’t crack.
- Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Place the trays of cookies in the freezer. Chill for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are firm.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.
Notes
- Keep the dough cold when you roll it into balls. If the dough warms up, it can get sticky and the balls can become rough instead of smooth. You can place sticky dough in the fridge or freezer to chill if needed.
- If you have trouble shaping the dough into balls, try putting a little cooking spray on your hands.
Nutrition
Eggnog Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/3 cups eggnog
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cooking spray
For the frosting
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup eggnog or more if needed
Optional garnishes
- 1/3 cup fresh or candied cranberries see notes for candied cranberry instructions
- rosemary sprigs
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper cut into circles to fit the pans, then coat the pans with cooking spray.
- Place the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, eggnog and vanilla.
- Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the mixture is just combined. Be careful not to overmix your batter.
- Pour the batter evenly between the three pans. I recommend using a kitchen scale to make sure each pan has the same amount of batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake is light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then carefully invert the cakes onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.
For the frosting
- Beat the butter and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until everything is combined.
- Beat in the eggnog. You want your frosting to be smooth, creamy and spreadable. If your frosting is too thick, you can add more eggnog, 1 teaspoon at a time. If your frosting is too thin add more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
For assembly
- Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake layer, then add a second layer on top. Spread another thin layer of frosting over the second cake layer, then place the third layer on top.
- Use an offset spatula to cover the rest of the cake in frosting. You can also use a piping bag if you prefer. Decorate as desired with garnishes such as candied cranberries and rosemary, then cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- No cake flour on hand? You can use all purpose flour instead, but subtract 3 tablespoons of flour and add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. You will want flat cake layers so that the cake stacks properly. I recommend using bake even cake strips, which wrap around the sides of the pans and prevent the cakes from getting rounded tops as they bake. Another option is to use a cake leveler tool to shave the rounded tops off the cake layers. This recipe calls for 8 inch pans, but it also works with 9 inch cake pans. Reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes if you’re using 9 inch pans. You can also make cupcakes instead of a layer cake. Fill each well of a greased muffin tin 3/4 of the way full, then bake for 20-22 minutes. To make candied cranberries, combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it cook for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup cranberries to the sugar syrup. Remove the pot from the heat, and let the cranberries sit in the sugar for one minute. Take the cranberries out of the sugar syrup, then let them dry on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for one hour. Roll the cranberries in 1/3 cup granulated sugar, then they’re ready to use.
