Best Christmas Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream Recipe
This Best Christmas Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream is a festive and flavorful dessert perfect for holiday celebrations. The cake is moist and tender, infused with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and enhanced by rich eggnog and rum flavoring. The smooth, creamy eggnog buttercream frosting complements the cake beautifully, making it an irresistible treat for Christmas gatherings.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cut into 1-inch pieces, softened)
- 1 cup eggnog
- 3 cups cake flour (King Arthur recommended)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp rum flavoring
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly ground preferred)
- 2 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
For the Buttercream:
- 4 tbsp milk
- 2 cups unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp rum flavoring (McCormick’s suggested)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 6 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Prepare the Oven and Cake Pans: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans thoroughly to prevent sticking.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Whisk them together to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggnog, milk, oil, vanilla bean paste, rum flavoring, and eggs until fully blended. Set aside.
- Combine Butter with Dry Ingredients: Add softened butter chunks to the dry ingredient mixture in a mixer on low speed. Gradually incorporate the butter and then increase to medium speed, mixing until the mixture resembles a crumbly, sand-like texture.
- Incorporate Liquid Ingredients: Pour one-third of the liquid mixture into the butter-flour blend and mix on low to medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining liquid mixture and mix just until combined. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another 10-15 seconds to ensure even incorporation, being careful not to overmix.
- Bake the Cakes: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the sides pull away from the pans and a toothpick inserted into the cake centers comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Prepare Eggnog Buttercream (not included in detailed steps but essential): In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter, milk, rum flavoring, salt, and vanilla bean paste. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar while beating to create a smooth, fluffy buttercream. Stir in ground nutmeg for a spicy finish. Use to frost cooled cakes.
Notes
- Use freshly ground nutmeg for the best flavor in both the cake and the buttercream.
- Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent the buttercream from melting.
- You can substitute rum flavoring with actual rum if preferred, adjusting the liquid quantities accordingly.
- Sift the powdered sugar to avoid lumps in the buttercream for a silky smooth texture.
- Make sure butter is softened but not melted for proper creaming with dry ingredients and buttercream.
- This cake can be made one day ahead and stored tightly wrapped to enhance flavors.
Keywords: Christmas spice cake, eggnog buttercream, holiday cake, festive cake, spiced cake, rum flavor, eggnog cake
