spiked eggnog layer cake
The cake that made me fall in love with eggnog. Make that shit a Hallmark movie.
As I wrote probably in my Eggnog Espresso Martini, I haven’t always enjoyed the ‘nog. This year, though, I’m a different me. The right brand of anything can really make you rethink the efficacy of your own tastebuds, and after I bought Target’s home brand of eggnog, I felt that I’d been missing out on a very unique and festive flavor for a long time.
Put that shit in a cake and add some bourbon, ya’ll – and I’m a full on convert. Yessir. This Spiked Eggnog Layer Cake is the perfect holiday treat if you’d like to veer from cookies for a bit and try your hand at a lil novice decorating. The piped tree squiggles were so delightful to attempt and even more delightful to peep.
This soft cake and its buttercream are infused with bourbon for a pleasurable flavor akin to a cozy adult beverage. Plenty of vanilla underlines the eggnog flavor, which is strong enough in the layers to pull through with every bite. Simple and enjoyable to create. The more I bake up layer cakes, the more fun I seem to have. Hopefully you will too!
Right In the Nog’gen
The big detour from my usual vanilla cake batter is the use of eggnog and bourbon instead of buttermilk. Otherwise it’s the same formula we know and love!
Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then whip in two eggs, one at a time, vanilla, and plain Greek yogurt. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a touch of salt. With the mixer running, stream in the eggnog and bourbon. I like to whisk them together a bit in my measuring cup before pouring into the batter.
Grease two 9-inch cake pans (or three 6-inch pans) with butter or oil. Divide the batter amongst the pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes (keep in mind, if you use 6 inch pans, the baking time may be less). The layers are ready when a toothpick inserted emerges with just a few moist crumbs. God, that’s so fucken annoying to write every time, but it’s accurate.
Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen, then flip onto a wire rack. Cool completely. The cakes cannot have any remnant warmth else the frosting will ooze awkwardly when you try to decorate. Like melting snow.
Booze Cruise
The buttercream is an easy, bourbon-laced version of a classic vanilla frosting. Nothing complicated, but so delectable. Maybe keep the beater away from the kids.
Start with butter, vanilla, and bourbon. Mix on low speed to combine, then add 4 cups of powdered sugar. Mix until it becomes cohesive, then crank up the speed and whirlybird that frosting together until very smooth. I added an extra cup of powdered sugar, as well as a couple tablespoons to heavy cream, to increase the volume and get the silky texture I needed.
Scoop out about 1 cup of frosting. You’ll be reserving this to pipe the trees! If you so choose, that is. Totally up to you. I just find that little enhancement really cute.
Set one layer on a cake stand or flat plate. Frost the top with a nice thick layer, then add the second cake and frost all the way around until thoroughly covered. Smooth out the coating with a bench scraper as best you can to create a flat canvas for your trees.
Depending on your dye brand, you’ll need various amounts of blue and yellow to achieve a nice hue for the trees. Or, you can buy pre-made green dye, but I find it usually too bluish or too vivid for my liking. I don’t remember the drop number I used for my green – it was an assload, though.
Mix up your reserved frosting with the dye, in your mixer, until you get the color you want. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small start tip. Starting from the narrower top, zigzag the frosting downwards, increasing the girth as you go, to create the tree silhouette. Repeat a few more times around the cake so it resembles a little forest. Aw!
A finished cake will keep just fine for up to 3 days, covered, at room temperature, or 5 days in the fridge. You can also store baked and undecorated cake layers in the fridge for a few days prior to frosting. I usually prefer to do this to save time and to ensure they’re 100% cooled.
What do you think – yea eggnog or nay eggnog? Perhaps this cake will alter your mindset, as it did with mine!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Caaaaake!
Salted Caramel Apple Layer Cake
Classic Yellow Celebration Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting
spiked eggnog layer cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cup eggnog, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup bourbon (or more eggnog)
bourbon buttercream
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
- heavy cream, as needed, to smooth shit out
- blue and yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans with butter or oil.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Whip in the vanilla and Greek yogurt. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, slowly stream in the eggnog and bourbon, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until the center is set and an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to release the layers and flip onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
- When the cakes are cooled, make the frosting. In a bowl, whip the butter, bourbon, and vanilla on low speed until combined. Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix to combine, then increase the speed to medium high and whip until very light and fluffy. If needed, pour in more sugar 1/4 cup at a time until the frosting is soft and spreadable. If the frosting seems too thick, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve a silky texture.
- Pull out about 1 cup of frosting. Mix the yellow and blue food dyes according to package directions to achieve the desired orange hue.
- Place one cake layer on a flat plate or cake stand. Frost the top generously, then add the second layer. Frost all the way around the cake until completely covered. Use a star piping tip to swizzle on some Christmas tree shapes. Place a star anise pod on top to create a Christmas star.
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