This Eggnog Christmas Cake is the perfect way to introduce the holiday season – infused with eggnog and topped with the perfect ratio of frosting!
Cake Assembly
Assembling this Eggnog Christmas Cake is quite different from a traditional cake assembly method. While you may layer the cake however you prefer, I layer my cakes to take after Pastry Chef Christina Tosi’s (founder of Milk Bar) legendary technique. If you are unfamiliar with Chef Tosi she has revolutionized pastry and cake baking. The cake is baked in a flat sheet pan, uses a cake ring to cut out layers, and the extra scraps are used to form additional layers.
I usually bake 2x this recipe for extra cake crumbs and frosting to layer with. There are vital utensils needed to assemble this cake. They consist of a cake ring, an acetate roll, an offset spatula, and a cardboard cake base. All products are linked below. If you plan on baking more cakes I strongly recommend these tools as well as using Chef Tosi’s assembling method as her cakes are perfectly moist with an excellent frosting ratio.
Cake Ring: Ateco 14406 6-Inch Round Stainless Steel Cutter (paid link)
Acetate Rolls: Cake Collars (2Packs) Acetate Rolls, Acetate Sheets,Clear Cake Strips, Transparent Cake Rolls, Chocolate Mousse and Cake Decorating Acetate Sheet, Cake Decorating(3.9 X 394 in) (paid link)
Offset Spatula: Wilton Icing Spatula, 13-Inch, Angled Cake Spatula (paid link)
Cake Base: StarMar Set of 18 – Cake Board Rounds, Circle Cardboard Base, 6, 8 and 10-Inch. Perfect for Cake Decorating, 6 of Each Size (paid link)
Nativity Scene
To make the nativity scene I simply printed out a black silhouette nativity I found on the internet and got creative! I cut them out, glued them to toothpicks, and inserted them into the cake. The star was made out of gold sparkly pipe cleaner, and glued to a bamboo skewer. The little stable was made out of gingerbread cookies, but you could use graham crackers if you are short on time or resources. The staple is held together will royal icing. The trees are upside down sprigs of rosemary dusted with powdered sugar. Lastly, the lights are just a line of battery operated lights.
PrintEggnog Cake
This Eggnog Christmas Cake is perfectly moist, has a perfect ratio of frosting to cake, and is the perfect dessert this Christmas season.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup eggnog
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons rum extract
- 3 egg yolks
For the frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz butter
- 1/4 cup eggnog
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
For cake soak:
- 1/2 cup eggnog
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder). Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, paddle sugar into butter on medium-high for 2-3 minutes or until a creamy consistency. Then add in eggs while mixing over low.
- Add in 1/3 of dry mixture. Then add oil and rum extract. Then add another 1/3 of dry mixture. Now add eggnog and milk, following with the rest of the flour mixture. Scrap the sides down and give the mixture a final mix with a rubber spatula.
- Pour into 1/2 sheet tray (18×13) lined with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Bake the cake for about 30 minutes; when you poke the edge of the cake with a finger, the cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly.
- Allow the cake to cool completley.
Mixing Frosting:
- Beat the butter: Place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can also use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat on medium speed until light and smooth, about 1 minute.
-
Add the cream cheese: Add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until light, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the eggnog and beat until fully combined.
- Gradually add the sugar: Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, return to medium speed, and beat until incorporated. Repeat scraping and beating in the remaining powdered sugar 3 to 4 more times.
- Add in rum imitation.Beat the frosting again on medium speed until smooth and slightly increased in volume. About 3-5 minutes.
Assembling the cake:
- Put a piece of parchment or Silpat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it, pull away your sheet pan, and peel off the parchment or baking mat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake. These are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scrap” will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake
- Layer 1, The Bottom: Clean the cake ring and place it onto a cardboard cake round (at least 8 inches). Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Put the cake scraps in the ring and use the back of your hand to smash the scraps together into a flat even layer .In a small bowl, pour in the eggnog. Using a pastry brush, brush half of the eggnog over the top of the cake. Using a piping bag, spread one-fifth of the frosting in a circular swirl over the cake layer. Smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle extra cake crumbs in an even layer over the frosting, then cover the crumbs with another layer of frosting.
- Layer 2, The Middle: With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall. Set one of the cake rounds (the more imperfect of the two) on top of the frosting, brush with the remaining soak, and repeat the process for Layer 1 (a fifth of frosting, a third of crumbs, and another fifth of frosting).
- Layer 3, The Top: Nestle the remaining cake cut out round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the last fifth of the frosting. Spread remaining frosting on the sides of the cake, smooth with a bench scraper.
- Transfer to the freezer and freeze overnight. Pull the cake out of the freezer. Peel the acetate off gently. Pull the cake ring up and off. Transfer to a cake stand let it defrost for a minimum of 3 hours before serving.
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