Eggnog Cake With Bourbon Cream

Name: Eggnog Cake With Bourbon Cream
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Photo: Danielle Atkins

December 05, 2022

An easy-to-make cake that embodies the ultimate holiday cocktail.

Just like prebatching cocktails or picking up a few cases of wine, we stand by the methods that make entertaining easier and leave more time for actual celebrating. Cookbook author and food writer Anne Byrn may as well have a PhD on the subject, as her first book, The Cake Mix Doctor, proved just how creative you can get with a box of cake mix. Now, 20-plus years and nearly a dozen cookbooks later, Byrn is still crafting cakes that bely their simplicity with modern flavors and methods—such as this bourbon-accented eggnog cake—in her newest release, A New Take on Cake. “Every Christmas my husband makes his family’s recipe for eggnog, a potent nutmeg-dusted libation full of eggs,sugar, cream, and ‘nog’ (whiskey!),” writes Byrn. “With this holiday drink as my muse, I created an eggnog cake that says eggnog, pure and simple.”

Ingredients

Cake
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
1 (15.25 oz.) package yellow or butter cake mix
4 Tbsp. vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
3 oz. bourbon
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
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Bourbon Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbsp. bourbon

Tools:9-inch springform pan, large mixing bowl, electric mixer, rubber spatula

Preparation

Make the CakePlace a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with oil and set the pan aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix, pudding mix, and nutmeg. Add the eggs, half-and-half, bourbon, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.

Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cake is lightly browned and the top springs back when gently pressed in the middle, 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge and unsnap and remove the sides of the springform.

Whip the CreamChill a large mixing bowl and electric mixer beaters in the freezer for a few minutes or the refrigerator for 15 minutes while you measure the ingredients. Pour the cream into the chilled bowl and beat with the electric mixer on high speed until it thickens, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add the confectioners’ sugar and bourbon. Beat on high speed until firm (but not stiff) peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

Assemble the CakeCarefully run a long knife under the cake to remove it from the base of the pan. Place the cake on a cake plate and spoon the bourbon whipped cream on top. Dust with a little nutmeg, if desired, then slice and serve. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. (Or store the ungarnished cake, lightly covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.)