My eggnog cake with box mix recipe is an easy and delicious Christmas dessert. By adding storebought eggnog to a box of cake mix, you can create the perfect holiday treat. With plenty of eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and rum extract, this cake has all the flavors of traditional eggnog. In addition, the combination of yellow cake, white cream cheese frosting, and a sprinkle of spices on top captures the image of a classic glass of eggnog in cake form. If you want to learn how to make eggnog cake with a box of cake mix to celebrate Christmas or use up leftovers from the holiday, keep reading!
Eggnog Cake: The Perfect Christmas Cake
Traditional Eggnog Cake
Since the rich, heavy flavors or eggnog lend themselves to a thick cake, most old-fashioned recipes call for making either a bundt cake or pound cake. These cakes are often finished with an eggnog glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar: the cakes are so sweet on their own that a thick frosting would be too much.
Outside of the United States, Eierlikoerkuchen is a traditional German cake flavored with egg yolks and brandy. Karen from GermanGirlInAmerica.com describes the flavor as eggnog but without nutmeg, so it’s definitely similar. As you can see, people all over love to make eggnog-flavored cakes!
My Eggnog Cake With Box Mix Recipe
Although I am sure those recipes are delicious, I wanted something different. I absolutely love southern-style layer cakes such as coconut cake with box mix, so I wanted to see if I could come up with a recipe of my own.
Also, even though many of the classic eggnog cakes do not have a lot of frosting, I love layer caked with plenty of frosting. I knew that the cake would be thick, rich, and sweet, so I decided on cream cheese frosting because I thought the tanginess would help balance out the sweetness.
In addition to being delicious, I also wanted a recipe that would be quick and easy. Using a box of cake mix makes any recipe a lot easier, so used a box of white cake mix as a starting point from which I developed my recipe–and honestly, I think it turned out very well.
Eggnog Cake With Box Mix Ingredients
Like I said, my eggnog cake with box mix recipe is easy to make. Let’s go over the ingredients:
Eggnog Cake
White Cake Mix – A box of either white or yellow cake mix is fine.
French Vanilla Instant Pudding – Although you could use plain vanilla, I thought the egginess of French vanilla would help recreate the filling of classic eggnog.
Eggnog – A cup of a good, storebought eggnog is totally fine.
Sour Cream – Although you won’t find sour cream in hardly any eggnog recipes, it works in this cake because it not only helps to make the cake fluffy but also balances out the sweetness.
Melted Butter – Traditional eggnog has cream, so it makes sense to use the fat from cream in this recipe.
Eggs – Eggnog is basically a sweet egg custard, so I made sure to add 4 eggs instead of my usual 3.
Rum Extract – The combination of rum and vanilla is what gives eggnog its unique flavor.
Cinnamon – Along with nutmeg, cinnamon is a must in eggnog.
Nutmeg – Many would argue that nutmeg is one of the distinguishing flavors in eggnog, so even if you aren’t a fan, I would add at least some.
Vinegar – Similar to sour cream, the vinegar helps to create an acidic environment for the leavening agent, as well as tones down the sweetness.
Cream Cheese Frosting
As usual, I used my cream cheese frosting without butter recipe. It has a lot fewer calories than the traditional recipe, so it’s great for balancing out a rich cake. To make the frosting, you will need:
Cream Cheese – 1 8 oz block
Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon
Powdered Sugar – 1 pound (454g)
Salt – 1/8 teaspoon
As you can see, my eggnog cake recipe incorporates all the right ingredients to recreate the flavor of a glass of Christmas eggnog in cake form. Although I liked how my cake turned out, later on in the article I will suggest ways in which the recipe could be tweaked (mainly, adding more spices / extract).
Can I Make This Cake When Fresh Eggnog Isn’t At The Grocery Store?
Eggnog is usually only available in stores around Christmas, so you’re probably wondering if you can make this recipe without actual eggnog. I know it sounds weird, but I think you actually could!
If you don’t have homemade or storebought eggnog but still want to make this recipe, as a substitute I would mix together:
7 Tablespoons whole milk
7 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 large eggs (with the yolk)
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rum extract (Although you can add extra vanilla extract, I HIGHLY recommend adding a bit of rum extract)
Basically, you’re mixing together all the usual ingredients in fresh eggnog without having to worry about making a drinkable custard. Since the cake will be baked anyway, it doesn’t matter if the ingredients are fully combined.
7 Tablespoons? Why Not 1/2 Cup?
8 Tablespoons is equal to 1/2 cup, just 1 more Tablespoon than the amount of milk and cream called for in this eggnog substitute. Although you could just “round up” and use 1/2 cup of each, I’m afraid that, together with the eggs, it would be too much moisture in the batter.
Leave Out The Sugar?
Actually, if you make your own substitution for fresh eggnog, you might want to think about using less sugar, maybe 2 Tablespoons, and adding a bit more milk and cream. The cake mix and instant pudding have sugar, so leaving out the added sugar would make the cake less sweet.
How to Make Eggnog Cake with Box Mix
Learning how to make my eggnog cake with box mix recipe is easy. All you have to do is follow a few, simple steps:
Mix the Ingredients With the Cake Mix
Some cake recipes require you to add the ingredients in a certain order–but not this one. Since this eggnog cake starts with a box of white cake mix, all you have to do is add the ingredients in a bowl and then combine.
The only thing to keep in mind is to try to bring the ingredients as close to room temperature as possible. So, I recommend taking the eggs, eggnog, and sour cream out of the refrigerator about an hour before you make the cake.
I would also suggest letting the melted butter cool down slightly before adding it to the batter. You don’t want to accidentally make scrambled eggs in cake batter!
Bake
After mixing all the ingredients together, pour the batter into prepared 8-inch cake pans and bake at 325 F for 45 minutes. Although you want the cake pans to cool down enough to handle, it’s a lot easier to get cake out of the pan when the pans are still warm.
Make the Frosting
While letting the cake layers cool down completely, it’s time to make the frosting. As I started earlier, I used no butter cream cheese frosting so that the tanginess could help balance out the sweetness of the cake, but I’m sure many types of frosting would work, too.
Assemble the Cake
With the cake layers cooled completely and the homemade frosting ready, it’s time to assemble the cake. After putting frosting on the bottom layer, I added a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg on top of the frosting before adding the top layer so that the cake would have more flavor.
After the cake was fully frosted, I sprinkled nutmeg and cinnamon on the top. Not only did the extra spice add flavor, but it also helped create the image of a class of eggnog with nutmeg and cinnamon sprinkled on the foamy top.
Chill
Once the cake is frosted, cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours, preferably 4–if not overnight–before serving. Although it’s temping to dig in right away, letting it chill will let the flavors mature. Besides, eating a chilled sliced of eggnog cake is more reminiscent of drinking a glass of cold eggnog.
Serve
When the cake is ready, it’s time to serve. Honestly, I can’t think of a better dessert on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
What To Serve With Eggnog Cake With Box Mix?
This eggnog cake with box mix is absolutely delicious on its own, you could serve it with:
A glass of eggnog – It just makes sense, lol.
A scoop of vanilla (especially French Vanilla)–or even eggnog–ice cream – Cake and ice cream is a classic.
A cup of strong black coffee – To balance out the sweetness.
However you choose to serve this southern-style eggnog layer cake, I’m sure you’ll love it!
Can I Add Real Rum to Flavor the Cake?
Yes, you can! In fact, I think that adding real rum instead of just extract is a great idea. I would suggest adding 2 Tablespoons of rum.
Can You Bake Eggnog Cake Ahead Of Time?
Yes, you can! Because of the amount of liquid in this cake, it should stay moist for multiple days, especially if frosted with a thick layer of icing and covered with plastic or placed in a cake carrier. If you want to make this cake for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, you can make it up to 3 days in advance.
Honestly, I think the cake will taste better if the flavors have time to mingle. So, I suggest making the cake the day before you plan to serve.
Can You Freeze The Cake?
Yes, you can! After baking and cooling the cake layers, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2-3 months. When you’re ready to assemble the cake, simple thaw in the refrigerator and then assemble normally.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend freezing a frosted cake, or even individual pieces with frosting. I think that once the frosting thaws, the texture would change and become very unpleasant.
Can You Make Eggnog Cake Without Fresh Eggnog?
Yes, you can! As explained above, you can add ingredients that would normally be found in eggnog as a substitute if you don’t have fresh eggnog on hand. In fact, this recipe is so versatile, you could make this cake during the summer, not just for Christmas!
A Chef’s Review
My eggnog cake recipe I developed is exactly what I had in mind. It captures the look and feel of a southern layer cake while also representing the flavors and appearance of a glass of eggnog. The cake itself was moist and fluffy, and the cool, creamy cream cheese frosting was the perfect addition.
Even though this cake tasted great, I honestly expected the eggnog flavor to be a bit stronger. That’s why I would recommend that people who really like eggnog add a bit more rum extract and spices. Other than that, this Christmas recipe is definitely a great one to make during the holiday season.
Possible Changes to the Recipe
Although I really liked this cake, a few changes could be made to give it even more eggnog flavor:
Changes to the Current Recipe
More spices – I would add 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg to the cake itself, then sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon each on top of both the bottom and top layers after putting on the frosting.
More rum extract – I would increase the rum extract to 2 teaspoons to make the flavor stronger.
Things to Try in the Future
Add real rum – Since rum extract is such an important ingredient in this cake, I am curious what real rum would do to the flavor profile.
Add other spices – Some eggnog recipes have other spices like cloves. I’ve made homemade eggnog with only cinnamon and nutmeg, and it tasted just like the storebought eggnog I grew up drinking as a kid. So, I don’t think all eggnog recipes have cloves. However, now I’m curious how cloves would be in this cake…
Other Christmas Dessert Recipes
Sweetened Condensed Milk Fudge Recipe
Eggnog Cake with Box Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- Eggnog Cake
- 1 15.25 oz box white cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz box instant French vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup eggnog (storebought, non-alcoholic) (240g)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120g)
- 4 large eggs
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon rum extract *(However, I recommend adding 2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg *(However, I recommend adding 1 teaspoon)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon *(However, I recommend adding 1 teaspoon)
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
- 1 lb powdered sugar (454g)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1. Mix all the ingredients together to make the batter. Order does not matter, except for making sure that you let the melted butter cool a bit before adding it to the batter.
- 2. Pour the batter into prepared 8-inch cake pans and bake at 325F, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- 3. Make the cream cheese frosting while waiting for the cake to cool completely.
- 4. Assemble and frost the cake, then cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours, preferably 4, if not overnight.
YouTube Video:
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