Eggnog Cake Recipe

This eggnog cake is what happens when you take everything you love about a carton of holiday eggnog and bake it into a tender, nutmeg-forward coffee cake with a crumbly streusel topping and a drizzled icing that sets into a light crunch. It works as dessert after dinner or straight out of the pan the next morning with a cup of coffee.

Both are valid choices.

The cake itself is soft and slightly dense from the sour cream, the streusel gives it a little texture on top, and the eggnog icing ties everything together. The nutmeg flavor comes through clearly — I left cinnamon out on purpose, and I’d do it again.

What Makes This One a Keeper

• Sour cream keeps it moist. It adds richness and fat that keeps the crumb from going dry, even after a day or two on the counter.
• Eggnog does double duty. It’s in both the cake batter and the icing, so the flavor isn’t just a hint — you actually taste it.
• Nutmeg instead of cinnamon. Cinnamon would have muddied the eggnog flavor. Nutmeg amplifies it. The decision matters.
• Streusel topping, not frosting. The crumbly sugar-butter topping bakes into the cake slightly, giving you a crunchy contrast to the soft interior.
• Dark pan = better browning. A dark 9×13 gives you more even browning on the bottom and edges. If you use glass, drop your oven temp by 25°F or shorten the bake time by 5 minutes.
• The icing sets up firm. Let it drizzle and dry — don’t rush it into the fridge. It forms a light glaze that’s much better than a wet frosting for a coffee cake style.

What to Know Before You Start

A few things worth knowing before you pull out the mixer:

Your butter needs to actually be softened. Not melted, not straight from the fridge.

Leave it out for 30–45 minutes before you start. If you rush this and cream cold butter with sugar, the texture of the final cake will be off — you won’t get that light, even crumb.

Use full-fat eggnog. The thin, reduced-fat versions have more water and less flavor.

They’ll still work, but the taste won’t be as pronounced and the batter may be slightly looser than expected.

Don’t overmix once you add the flour. Mix just until you don’t see dry streaks anymore.

Overmixing develops gluten and gives you a tougher, chewier cake instead of a tender one.

The toothpick test is your best guide. Ovens vary.

Start checking at 38 minutes. The toothpick should come out with no wet batter — a few moist crumbs are fine.

Let it cool before you ice it. I know it’s tempting to drizzle the icing right away, but if the cake is still hot, the icing runs off and pools at the edges instead of setting on top.

Give it at least 20 minutes.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 cup granulated sugar — standard amount for a mildly sweet coffee cake. Not overly sweet, which lets the eggnog flavor come through.
• ½ cup softened butter — real butter, not margarine. The fat content matters here for both flavor and texture.
• 1 cup eggnog — full-fat is best. This is the primary flavor driver.
• 8 oz. sour cream — adds richness and keeps the crumb tender. Don’t substitute with plain yogurt if you can help it; sour cream is thicker and richer.
• 2 large eggs — room temperature eggs incorporate more evenly into the batter.
• 1 teaspoon rum extract — gives the cake a background warmth without making it taste boozy. If you’d rather skip it, vanilla extract works, but you’ll lose a little of that classic eggnog note.
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour — measured correctly. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off — don’t scoop directly or you’ll pack in too much and end up with a dense cake.
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder — the main leavener.
• ½ teaspoon baking soda — works with the acidity of the sour cream.
• ½ teaspoon salt — balances the sweetness. Don’t skip it.

For the Eggnog Streusel Topping

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg — freshly grated nutmeg is noticeably better if you have it, but pre-ground works fine.

For the Eggnog Icing

• ¾ cup powdered sugar — sifted if yours tends to clump, which will prevent lumps in the icing.
• 2 tablespoons eggnog — add a little more if you want it thinner for drizzling, or keep it thicker for a more opaque glaze.

How to Make Eggnog Cake

Step 1: Preheat and Prep Your Pan

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking pan.

A dark metal pan is ideal — it promotes more even browning. If you’re using a glass dish, reduce the oven temp to 325°F or check the cake a few minutes early.

If your pan has a lid (mine does, and I specifically chose it for this recipe so the icing wouldn’t stick to foil), get it out now. No lid?

Set a piece of parchment loosely over the top after icing if you need to cover it later.

Step 2: Make the Streusel Topping

Mix the streusel ingredients first so they’re ready to go: combine the ⅓ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons softened butter, 1 tablespoon flour, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg in a small bowl. Use a fork to cut everything together until it looks crumbly — like wet sand that clumps when you press it.

Set aside.

Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugar

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the 1 cup of sugar with the ½ cup of softened butter until the mixture looks pale and creamy — about 2 minutes on medium speed. You’re looking for it to lighten in color and increase slightly in volume.

It should look fluffy, not grainy.

Step 4: Add Wet Ingredients

Add the eggnog, sour cream, eggs, and rum extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix on medium until well blended.

The batter will look slightly curdled at this stage — that’s completely normal. It comes together once the flour goes in.

Step 5: Add Dry Ingredients

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed just until combined — maybe 30 seconds.

Stop as soon as you don’t see dry streaks. The batter will be thick and scoopable.

Step 6: Fill the Pan and Add Streusel

Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan. Use a spatula to get it into the corners.

Then scatter the streusel topping over the whole surface — cover as much of the top as you can. It doesn’t need to be perfectly even, but try to distribute it fairly evenly so every slice gets some crunch.

Step 7: Bake

Bake at 350°F for 38–40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.

The top should be golden, and the edges will have pulled away from the pan just slightly.

If your oven runs hot, start checking at 35 minutes. Don’t pull it too early — underbaked eggnog cake collapses in the center as it cools.

Step 8: Cool, Then Ice

Let the cake rest in the pan for at least 20 minutes before icing. While it cools, mix the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of eggnog together in a small bowl until smooth.

It should be thin enough to drizzle — if it’s too thick, add eggnog a teaspoon at a time.

Drizzle the icing over the cake in a back-and-forth motion. It will look wet and glossy at first.

Let it sit for another 10–15 minutes and it will set up into a light, slightly crunchy glaze. Don’t cover the cake until the icing is fully dry.

Helpful Tips

Measure your flour carefully. This is the most common reason a coffee cake comes out dense.

Spoon flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level off the top — don’t dip the cup into the bag. Packed flour = dry, heavy cake.

Room temperature ingredients mix better. Pull the butter, eggs, and sour cream out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start.

Cold ingredients don’t incorporate as evenly and can leave streaks in the batter.

Don’t skip the rum extract. I know it sounds like a minor ingredient, but rum extract is part of what makes this taste specifically like eggnog rather than just a vanilla-nutmeg cake.

It’s a small bottle and it lasts forever.

If you want more icing coverage, double the icing recipe. The original amount gives you a light drizzle.

If you want something closer to a full glaze, 1½ cups powdered sugar and 3–4 tablespoons eggnog will cover the whole top.

A dark pan with a lid is genuinely useful here. I specifically reached for mine because covering the iced cake with foil later would pull the icing off.

If you don’t have a lidded pan, let the icing fully set before covering with anything.

Freshly grated nutmeg is worth it. Pre-ground nutmeg works, but if you have a whole nutmeg and a microplane, use it.

The flavor is noticeably sharper and more aromatic.

Variations

Bundt cake version: This batter works in a well-greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350°F for 45–50 minutes.

Skip the streusel (it will sink into the batter in a bundt) and go heavy on the icing drizzle once cooled.

Add a cream cheese swirl: Beat 4 oz. softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 egg yolk.

Drop spoonfuls over the batter before adding the streusel and swirl with a knife. It adds a subtle tang that works well against the sweetness of the icing.

Spike it: Replace the rum extract with 2 tablespoons of actual dark rum. Reduce the eggnog in the batter to ¾ cup to compensate for the added liquid.

The flavor is slightly more complex, though the alcohol bakes off.

Mini muffin version: Scoop the batter into a greased muffin tin (about ⅔ full), top with streusel, and bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes. Makes roughly 18 muffins.

Drizzle icing over the cooled muffins the same way.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Leftovers

Counter storage: Cover the pan (once the icing is fully set) and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cake actually gets slightly more moist on day two as the sour cream continues to do its thing.

Refrigerator: If your house runs warm, refrigerate after the first day. Cover tightly — the cake will dry out if exposed to refrigerator air.

Pull individual pieces out and let them come to room temp for 10 minutes before eating, or warm for 20 seconds in the microwave.

Freezer: This cake freezes well. Cut it into individual portions first, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a zip-top bag.

Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a couple of hours.

Add a fresh drizzle of icing after thawing if you want it to look nice again.

Make-ahead option: You can make the batter and the streusel up to 24 hours in advance. Store the batter covered in the fridge and the streusel in a sealed container at room temp.

When ready to bake, spread the batter in the pan (it will be a bit stiffer from the cold — just spread it gently), top with streusel, and bake. Add 3–5 minutes to the bake time since the batter will be cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store-bought eggnog?

Yes, and that’s what this recipe assumes. Use any brand of full-fat eggnog from the dairy case.

Shelf-stable eggnog from a carton also works, though the flavor is slightly less rich. Avoid the reduced-fat versions — they have more water and the eggnog flavor isn’t as strong.

Can I make this without a stand mixer?

A hand mixer works fine. You can also do it by hand with a whisk and some arm effort — cream the butter and sugar really well before adding the wet ingredients.

The sour cream and baking agents will carry most of the leavening work, so it doesn’t need to be beaten as thoroughly as a traditional layer cake.

My cake came out dense. What went wrong?

Two most likely causes: too much flour (packed into the measuring cup instead of spooned) or overmixing after the flour went in. Both develop extra gluten, which makes the cake tough and heavy.

Use the spoon-and-level method for flour and mix just until the batter is combined.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes, but you’ll need two 9×13 pans rather than one deeper pan. Doubling and baking in a single deeper pan changes the bake time significantly and the center often underbakes before the edges overcook.

Two standard pans is the cleaner option.

What can I substitute for sour cream?

Full-fat plain Greek yogurt is the closest substitute — use the same amount. It will make the crumb very slightly less rich but still moist.

Regular plain yogurt works in a pinch but is thinner, so the batter will be a little looser. Do not use low-fat or non-fat varieties.

Do I have to use rum extract?

No. If you don’t have rum extract, vanilla extract is a reasonable swap.

The cake will still taste like eggnog — you just lose a bit of that specific rum-spice background note. Actual rum (2 tablespoons) also works; just reduce the eggnog by the same amount so you don’t add excess liquid.

Related Recipes

• Eggnog Cookies — the most-pinned thing on my site every December. Soft, chewy, and very eggnog-forward.
• Eggnog Bread — a quick bread version that’s great for gifting or making a big batch ahead.
• Eggnog Cheesecake Bars — creamy cheesecake filling with an eggnog-spiced layer, cut into bars. Holiday potluck staple.
• Christmas Cookie Recipes — a roundup of holiday cookies if you’re baking for a crowd.
• Holiday Dessert Recipes — more ideas for Thanksgiving through New Year’s.

Eggnog Cake Recipe Card