Use your favorite eggnog to make this buttery Eggnog Pound Cake. Combining the flavors of eggnog in a pound cake will get you rave reviews at your holiday celebrations.
Be sure to check out my gift guide here!
A luscious pound cake, this recipe celebrates the season with the addition of a popular beverage in the cake. The custard base of eggnog makes it the ideal addition to pound cakes. Eggnog is silky and creamy thus making the cake soft, velvety and buttery tasting.
Always a crowd-pleaser, this dessert is wonderful at holiday celebrations.
I have reviewed A LOT of pound cakes and shared them with you. You can get all of those reviews and recipes here. I also wrote an extensive post on Bake the Perfect Pound Cake that’s worth a read.
Here is a sample of some of my pound cakes.
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- Cookie Butter Pound Cake
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- German Chocolate Pound Cake
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- Scratch-made Orange Zest Pound Cake
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- Kentucky Butter Sauce Pound Cake
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- Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake Recipe
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- Old Fashioned Buttermilk Orange Juice Pound Cake recipe
Eggnog Pound Cake
I want to stress a few things when attempting my pound cake recipes, or any cake recipe in general. Review my post Baking Cakes: Problems and Tips.
- You may think you have your oven set at the right temperature, but you need to calibrate your oven to be certain. It’s may read correctly on the outside, but the actual temperature on the inside be way off!
- Test the cake for doneness carefully (without moving the cake too much) with a small, long wooden skewer. The cake is done with no crumbs or dry crumbs are on the skewer.
- Finally, when it comes to measuring flour, a cup is not always a cup. Please read this post on how to correctly measure flour.
More tips
- If you use flavored eggnog, your pound cake will naturally take on that flavor. For this reason, I recommend plain eggnog that doesn’t contain cinnamon or a strong vanilla flavor.
- You can substitute eggnog in your favorite pound cake recipe for the buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese, or milk. I adapted this cake from my favorite whipping cream pound cake and was thrilled with the result.
- I opted not to put a glaze on my Eggnog Pound Cake simply because the outside was nice and crispy and I didn’t think it needed anything else. If you want to make an Eggnog Glaze, whisk together 2 to 3 tablespoons eggnog (depending on how thin you want the glaze) with 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour over cooled cake.
- If omitting the glaze, serve simply with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, fresh fruit, or a raspberry sauce and ice cream.
- I use this tube pan. You can also use this bundt pan.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary based on products used.
Eggnog Pound Cake
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter at room temperature (no substitution)
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted, (I use this flour)
- 1 cup plain eggnog no alcohol or spices added
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease a 10-inch tube pan (or this bundt pan) with solid vegetable shortening then sprinkle flour or granulated sugar over the shortening.*If you have a 2-part, 10-inch tube pan, wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the bundt pan to prevent any batter from leaking out.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and mix until smooth about 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add flour and eggnog alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
- Add vanilla and mix on low to medium until well combined.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Test cake for doneness by inserting a wooden pick into the thickest part of the cake. The cake is done when no crumbs or dry crumbs remain on the pick.
- Cool in the pan for 20 to 25 minutes before inverting onto a serving tray to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container on the countertop 3 to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes at Recipe Index or at Meal Plan Monday
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Grace says
We have a small family dairy in my area that in addition to egg nog, puts out other flavored milk. I’ve made this cake with their root beer milk and tonight I’m making it with orange Creamsicle milk. It’s such an easy and versatile recipe, it was a big hit at Thanksgiving
Paula says
Oh yum!! That sounds wonderful!
William says
I made this cake and it came out great!!!
Patricia Gibson says
Omg. I made this cake yesterday and I just cut it today. Lawd have mercy. I used the southern comfort eggnog and added a little nutmeg and a tablespoon of Hennessey. Perfection. Taste is unbelievable. Thanks for sharing recipe.
Joan says
I made this last year. It tasted better by third day. Loved it. Made again this year but had trouble getting it out of pan. It fell apart. I let it cool 20-25 minutes. Used tube pan. It baked one hour and 45 minutes cause pick kepttt coming out with crumbs on. What’s wrongg.
Donna says
No baking powder required?
Paula says
No, it’s leavened with eggs only.
Tamika Mann says
I made this cake and the flavoring was so delicious! I was so surprised of how it taste. It was a winner for my family at Christmas. I will still continue to make this best kept secert! Mum, mum good.🤗
Gail says
Also I had to cook the cae for at least an hour and a half at 325 degrees. Good ingredients though
Tamika says
Imade this ccake and the flavoring was so delicious! I was so surprised of how it taste. It was a winner for my family at Christmas. I will still continue to make this best kept secert! Mum, mum good.🤗
Andrea says
Well adding cream cheese to the batter alter the taste
Paula says
I wouldn’t add cream cheese to the Eggnog Pound cake. I have a Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe >> https://www.callmepmc.com/lemon-cream-cheese-pound-cake-recipe/
MARY says
Can I cut the sugar to maybe 2 cups, i don’t want a really sweet cake?
Paula says
It’s a large cake, the sugar per servings isn’t great. I’ve made pound cakes with 2.5 cups of sugar but not less than that.
Esther Vasquez says
I’d like to make this in mini loaf pans to gift for Christmas. Any idea on how many the recipe will make.. also since eggnog is really sweet to begin with, are the 3cups of sugar still required or can I cut that in half without it affecting the texture of cake?.
Paula says
It should make six 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in mini loaves. It wasn’t overly sweet in my opinion. I have not tried reducing the sugar.
Audrey says
How long do I cook them in the mini pans
Mary Lee says
Can this be frozen?
Paula says
yes, airtight container up to 3 months
Melvenia Simpson says
Can I use Swans Down cake flour
Paula says
Yes, use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour
Diane says
Can I make this in bread pans?
Paula says
yes
Nicole says
I made this for Christmas with spiced eggnog, some nutmeg, a shot or so of silver rum and some very choice vanilla. Delicious! I had a bundt and not a tube pan, so the lovely crisp and crackly top kind of became the bottom of my cake, but I added a rum laced eggnog drizzle and it was pretty tasty. Tender crumb and a lovely flavor. Thank you for the recipe!
Audra Reed says
Thank you so much for the Eggnog Pound Cake recipe. It came out amazing! I added a few table spoons of real rum for a little extra flavor. It was moist and dangerously delicious.
Steve Braun says
I am going to make this tonight, but I will try to beat the egg whites and fold them in at the end, to see if this makes a bit lighter I am concerned about 3 cups of sugar, I did like the idea about added nutmeg, I think I will try that.
will update let you know how it went.
Paula says
Most standard size pound cakes have 3 cups flour and 3 cups sugar
Deborah Green says
Made this for Thanksgiving. It was the IDEAL pound cake texture, flavor. Rich, moist, delicate crumb. I did add about 1/2tsp fresh grated nutmeg because nutmeg is kind of the whole point of eggnog for me. This cake did a disappearing act, even in the midst of several desserts.
JR says
Looks great but, I would make with a flavored eggnog, too. Can’t wait to make! Gave 5 stars anyway because it looks so delicious.
lakshmi says
Hi Paula,
Can in substitute the egg nog with something else and still get the “ribbon filled” effect-like a pound cake with a cream cheese ribbon effect?
Thanks!
Paula says
You can use whipping cream (heavy cream). https://www.callmepmc.com/whipping-cream-pound-cake-recipe/
Bonnie says
Am I reading this correctly? No salt? No baking powder or baking salt? Looks delicious. I just don’t want to make a mistake & waste my butter or egg nog . . .
Paula says
Yes, that’s correct. The eggs are the leavener.
Valerie says
Thanks for sharing oaula…I liked this simple recipe. It was very easy. Only change I did was instead of using plain egg nog, I used spiked and I omitted the vanilla extract. Cake is in the oven now and I will update once my family devour it…speaking positively.
Paula says
Sounds wonderful!!
Melanie says
Do you have any recommendations for what to serve with it? Not sure any fruits would pair well with it. Perhaps some sort of ice cream or a rum sauce?
Paula says
My eggnog was unflavored so the cake had a neutral flavor. Vanilla ice cream is my favorite with pound cake. I also love love this pecan pie sauce with vanilla ice cream https://www.callmepmc.com/pecan-pie-caramel-sauce/
Tonia says
Deliciously decadent! I did cook it a tad bit longer because I was afraid it wasn’t done but still delicious!
Janet says
Could this recipe be baked in a bundt pan instead of a tube pan? It looks amazing!!
Paula says
yes it can. I don’t like my bundt pan so I don’t use it much.
MIchele @ Queenbeebaker says
Incredible! Love your blog. ☺️ I wish I had seen this recipe before I got rid of my leftover eggnog. Next time!
The Bearded Hiker says
I made this last night….damned delicious! Perfect sweetness, super moist, can’t wait to eat my way through your pound cakes!
Suzanne Lankshear says
Hi from New Zealand, Paula – love your recipes.
Problem is, we don’t use eggnog here (it’s summer at Christmas time) so it’s very hard to know what recipe to use for this Eggnog Pound Cake. Is it possible to share the recipe you used, so I (and others in the Southern hemisphere) can get it right, please? Cheers
Paula says
Did you get my email?
GeneMae Reams says
Can I put the pound ,cake in a loaf pan if don,t have tube pan ?
Paula says
You can use 2 9×5 loaf pans