Eggnog Pound Cake

Eggnog pound cake brings the rich, sweet flavor of one of our favorite holiday treats to a moist and delicious cake. Prepared with butter, a sprinkle of spices, a touch of sour cream and a splash of real eggnog, this festive pound cake recipe is then drenched in a creamy eggnog icing making for a truly scrumptious holiday dessert!

Pound cake brimming with the festive flavor of eggnog

Every year, the start of the holiday season beckons me to turn on the oven, pull out the flour, sugar and butter, and bake up sweet little goodies to enjoy and share with loved ones.

I really enjoy getting creative and coming up with festive cakes and cookies, treats brimming with the flavors of the holidays that allow us to get a little lost in the sparkle of the season.

Eggnog is a beloved staple in our fridge as the holidays near, what with its creamy, rich flavor and touch of spice from nutmeg. Of course it's fantastic for sipping out of a glass, nice and chilled, but it also makes for a terrific addition in baked goods this time of year, giving a little richness and flavor to so very many things!

My eggnog pound cake recipe takes classic pound cake and gives it a bit of holiday cheer with the addition of eggnog in both the batter of the cake, as well as in the icing that deliciously drenches it after cooling.

Moist, tender and deliciously buttery, this eggnog pound cake is absolutely divine as a lovely dessert with coffee after a festive meal, or as a simple sweet treat to slice up and share with friends and family that stop over to visit. One slice is usually never enough!

My recipe for eggnog pound cake

Have you ever wondered why pound cake is called, well, pound cake? Because it's traditionally made with a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of flour and a pound of eggs. It's meant to be an easy ratio to remember!

And while classic pound cake is known to be more of a dense type of cake, I like to ever so slightly lighten mine up with some baking powder and a liquid to make it moist…

Because this is a holiday-inspired eggnog pound cake, I use a splash of real eggnog in the batter, as well as a touch of sour cream for tenderness. I also add a small pinch of baking powder for lift, which is not traditionally used in pound cake.

A touch of nutmeg is added to highlight that classic eggnog flavor, and I top everything off with a rich, creamy eggnog icing (infused with more eggnog!) to tie this scrumptious little pound cake together, and make it look extra wintery!

Here's a glance at my eggnog pound cake recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I line my 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with some parchment paper, and lightly spritz with cooking spray for easy removal once baked.
2. Then, I whisk together all of my dry ingredients, and set those aside to have ready.
3. Next, I cream together my butter and sugar very well, until light and fluffy (about 4 to 5 minutes total), then add the eggs, then the sour cream and eggnog, followed by my dry ingredients. I mix everything together just until combined.
4. I spoon my pound cake batter into my prepared loaf pan and bake for roughly 1 hour and 8 minutes, then leave in the oven for two minutes more, oven turned off.
5. Then, while the eggnog pound cake cools, I prep my eggnog icing to have ready.
6. Once cooled, I drizzle the icing over top of the loaf, allow it to completely set, then slice and serve.

Recipe

Eggnog Pound Cake

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This moist eggnog pound cake with eggnog icing is infused with rich, creamy eggnog in every bite, making for the perfect holiday sweet treat!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: 1 loaf cake (Serves 9)

Nutrition Info: 518 calories per serving

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Pound Cake Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ (slightly generous) teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 4 large, whole eggs, room temp
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup sour cream, room temp
• ¼ cup eggnog (not low fat), room temp

Eggnog Icing Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted of lumps
• ¼ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons eggnog (not low fat)
• Pinch nutmeg (just a small sprinkle)

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your pound cake ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°, and line a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper that overhangs a bit on two sides, for easy lifting. Give a small spritz of cooking spray, or rub the sides without parchment paper with butter.
3. To make the pound cake batter, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, and set these dry ingredients aside for a moment.
4. To the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the room temp butter and mix/cream it on its own for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Add in the sugar, then mix/cream the butter and sugar together for about 4 minutes, until very fluffy and light, and pale in color.
5. Next, add in the eggs, one at a time, until each is thoroughly mixed in. Scrape down the sides, then add in the vanilla and continue to mix.
6. Add in the sour cream and the eggnog, and continue to mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to blend all ingredients well (it's OK if things aren't completely smooth, but slightly curdled looking).
7. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients in a couple of increments, and mix just until the batter is smooth and blended, taking care not to over mix as to not create a tough cake.
8. Spoon the pound cake batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth out the top a bit, and bake on the center/lower rack for about 1 hour and 8 minutes (or until just about completely baked through). Then, turn off the oven and leave the eggnog pound cake in the oven for 2 minutes more for a total oven time of 1 hour 10 minutes.
9. Remove the pound cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then carefully lift it out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
10. While the eggnog pound cake cools, gather and prep all of your eggnog icing ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized.
11. To make the icing, add the sifted powered sugar to a large bowl, and drizzling in the eggnog. Whisk together until thick and smooth, then sprinkle in the nutmeg and whisk again to blend. Set aside until the cake is cool.
12. To glaze the eggnog pound cake, place it, with the wire rack, over some plastic wrap or parchment paper to catch any glaze that runs off. Pour or drizzle the icing slowly and evenly over the cake. You can scoop up and re-drizzle any icing that runs off the cake, so the loaf is completely (and thickly) covered.
13. Allow the icing to set for at least 30 minutes to an hour, then slice and serve.

Tips & Tidbits for my eggnog pound cake recipe:

• Good quality, organic eggnog: To create lots of rich flavor in this festive pound cake, opt for the best quality eggnog you can find. I like Straus Family Creamery’s old-fashioned Organic Eggnog in the glass bottle, but any good, organic brand will do. You only need a small container, as you won't use too much for the recipe.
• Room temp ingredients for easy mixing: Make sure to allow your eggs, eggnog, and butter to come to room temp before preparing any baked goods. This allows for them to more easily incorporate into the batter, and become creamy and light.
• Cream the butter and sugar together well: The key to adding some lightness and lift to a denser style cake such as pound cake is to take the extra time to cream the butter and sugar together when mixing the batter. I like to cream the room temp butter on its own for a minute or two before even adding the sugar, then I cream the butter with the sugar for 4 minutes before adding the eggs, until light, fluffy and pale.
• Fresh nutmeg for added spice: If you can freshly grate a touch of nutmeg, it's terrific. Otherwise, just make sure that your bottled nutmeg is fresh for optimal flavor.
• Make this eggnog pound cake ahead: You can make this holiday pound cake a day ahead of when you'd like to serve it. Simply allow it to cool completely after baking, and do not ice it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, keep in the fridge or at room temp. Then, an hour or two before you'd like to serve, ice the pound cake, allow the icing to set, and slice to serve.
• Freeze any uneaten portions: You can wrap any uneaten portion of the loaf tightly in plastic wrap, the same for any individual slices, and store in a large freezer bag in the freezer. Allow the cake to thaw at room temp before enjoying once again.

Craving more holiday goodies? Check out my recipe for Gingerbread Cake, Cherry Almond Winter Cake, Eggnog Cake with Fluffy Eggnog Frosting, Bread Pudding with Spiced Rum Sauce, or even my recipe for Creme Brulee!