Eggnog Layer Cake with Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
Enjoy the magic of this year's white cake!
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Recipe Summary
Oh, Christmas tree! Bedecked with a pile of presents and topped with a shiny star, this year's Southern Living White Cake captures the sweetness and sparkle of the season. If you are an eggnog drinker, then our Eggnog Layer Cake with Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting is for you.
For this year's December cover cake, we're leaning into the classic holiday flavor of eggnog to infuse merry cheer into this impressive dessert. In addition to incorporating eggnog in the batter, drizzling eggnog over the baked cake layers not only helps the cake stay moist, but also adds an extra boost of festive flavor. We're adding a little dose of spirit to this frosting—in the form of bourbon. A bit of bourbon complements the eggnog in this cake; you can omit it if you prefer.
The layers are baked in 6-inch pans for a taller dessert to show off the frosting tree. Standard 8-inch pans will also work with slightly amended directions (find these below). Since this is a tall cake, it's a little more difficult to frost. You can freeze the cake layers ahead of time or put your cake in the refrigerator to set the frosting between layers—this makes the cake layers less likely to slide around.
Ingredients
Directions
One Cake, Multiple Ways
For 8-inch Pan: Divide batter among 3 (8-inch) round cake pans coated with baking spray and lined with parchment paper. Bake as directed until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Poke hot cakes with a fork; drizzle evenly with remaining 1 cup eggnog (⅓ cup per layer). Cool in pans 20 minutes. Remove from pans, and place, soaked side up, on a wire rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Spread Frosting between layers (1 cup per layer) and on top and sides of cake, reserving ½ cup Frosting for tree decoration.
For 13- x 9-inch Pan: Pour batter into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Poke hot cake with a fork; drizzle evenly with remaining 1 cup eggnog. Cool cake in pan on wire rack, about 45 minutes before frosting.
For Bundt Pan: Spoon batter into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes to 1 hour. Poke hot cake with a fork; drizzle evenly with remaining 1 cup eggnog. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours). Dollop with frosting and garnish as desired.
For Cupcakes: Place 24 paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) standard muffin pans; spoon batter into cups, filling each about three-fourths full (about ¼ cup batter in each). Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and poke hot cupcakes with a fork; drizzle evenly with remaining 1 cup eggnog, ½ Tbsp. per cupcake. (You will have about ¼ cup eggnog left over). Let cool completely in pans on wire racks, about 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and frost.