Double-Glazed Bourbon Eggnog Cake is possibly the best holiday cake you could ever make!
Nothing says the holidays like a glass of eggnog. From an early age, I have loved a glass or two of this holiday treat every season. It just isn’t the season until I have a nice big glass of eggnog. I’ve wanted to make an eggnog cake for some time and played around with several different versions. But I decided to make a Bundt cake to keep it a little more straightforward. Not that this cake is basic. This Double-Glazed Bourbon Eggnog Cake is full of rich flavors and has two, yes TWO, glazes. I really wanted to make sure you got that this is a bourbon eggnog cake!
Now I have a secret, I know most adults like a little tipple in their nog. I am actually a purist. I don’t like any rum or bourbon in my frosty glass of holiday cheer. I think it all comes down to my childhood memories, and adding bourbon or rum to eggnog wasn’t something I would have enjoyed as a kid. Even now, I don’t like to add it. I actually was a late bloomer to the drinking game. I didn’t drink at all till my mid-twenties. I went off to college in Montana after going to restaurant management school first. But I sure made up for it when I arrived in Bozeman MT! All that being said, bourbon in a cake, that is an entirely different story. There is a cake from my childhood that had sherry in it. In fact, I did a post about it here. My Stepmothers Sherry Wine Cake is lovely and delicious. That recipe uses cake mix and pudding to make a moist and tasty cake for any holiday. I encourage anyone to make. It still is a fantastic cake that I enjoy most Christmases, until now. I may have found a better Christmas tradition.
This Double-Glazed Eggnog cake is filled with holiday flavors of eggnog and loads of bourbon. This is definitely an adult cake. It has bourbon in all the elements of this cake. From the moist bourbon eggnog cake to the warm glaze, you soak the cake in just after it comes out of the oven. And to the eggnog and bourbon glaze that is drizzled over the cooled cake. If you don’t like bourbon or if you have issues with alcohol, this is not the cake you should make.
This cake is a spectacular holiday dessert that I’m sure your friends and family will enjoy. It does use a lot of bourbon so make sure it is an excellent flavored bourbon maybe a little on the sweeter side. This cake can be made a day or two ahead as the bourbon glaze keeps this cake very moist.
The Bundt pan I used in this post can be found on Amazon (I get a tiny percentage if you use this link). This pan is by far my favorite Bundt pan, and I have made may a beautiful cake with this pan. I hope you make this, and it becomes a tradition in your home for the holidays. It is worth the effort.
eggnog and loads of bourbon, this double glazed eggnog cake is the perfect dessert for entertaining or any special holiday celebration.
- 3½ cups sifted cake flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1¼ cups butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 5 eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1¼ cups eggnog
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup bourbon
- 1 stick butter at room temperature
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 1/4- cup bourbon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
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Preheat oven to 350°
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Grease or spray a 12 cup Bundt pan and then sprinkle with flour. Or use the cooking spray with flour.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and grated nutmeg. Set aside.
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Using an electric mixer, cream together the 1 ¼ cups butter with the sugar and the brown sugar at medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and has lightened in color. Scrape the bowl down as necessary.
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Thoroughly beat in each egg one at a time. Scaping down the bowl between each addition.
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Combine the bourbon, eggnog, and Vanilla.
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Add the flour mixture, with the mixer at low speed, in 3 parts alternating with ½ the eggnog mixture than ⅓ more of the flour mixture the second ½ of the eggnog and ending with the last ⅓ of the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl after each addition. Do not over mix, you can stop the mixer after just barely adding the final flour mixture and blend in the rest by hand with a spatula.
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Spread the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
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Tap the pan lightly to make sure there are no big air pockets.
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Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted near the center.
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Towards the end of the baking time, combine the butter, sugar and the water in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the butter has melted, and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool for a few minutes and stir in the bourbon.
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When the cake has finished baking place the cake on a cooling rack and immediately poke holes with a toothpick or cake tester. Pour about 1/3 of the warm glaze over the cake.
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Let the cake cool for 15 minutes.
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Invert and remove the pan onto a rack over a sheet pan to catch the dripping glaze.
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Immediately brush more of the warm glaze over the still-warm cake.
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Wait a few minutes for the cake to absorb the glaze and repeat with more of the glaze. Repeat until you have used up the glaze and the cake as absorbed it all. You can reuse the glaze from the sheet pan drippings too.
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Let cool for at least 45 minutes to an hour or more.
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When the cake has completely cooled, make the second glaze.
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Beat together with a whisk the butter and the powdered sugar, beat in the bourbon. Try not to overbeat as the glaze will split. Add additional bourbon or eggnog to get to a very thick but porable glaze.
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Spoon the second glaze over the cooled cake.
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Grate or sprinkle the nutmeg over the freshly glazed cake.
This cake can be made a day or two ahead as the bourbon glaze keeps this cake nice and moist.
I used salted butter in the recipe as to add some salt to the glazes if you want to use unsalted butter increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon in the batter and add a pinch of salt to each of the glazes.
