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Eggnog Bundt Cake

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on November 15, 2011

Time

1¼ hours, plus 4 hours cooling

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Eggnog Bundt Cake

Ingredients

3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon lemon juice 18 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces and softened2 cups (14 ounces/397 grams) granulated sugar 3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature¼ cup dark rum or brandy1 teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ½ cups (6 ounces/170 grams) confectioners' sugar

Before You Begin

For the best results, use dark rum (or brandy). We recommend that you grind your own nutmeg for this cake. You can bake this cake in a decorative 10-cup Bundt pan; place a baking sheet under the Bundt pan.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with baking spray with flour.
  2.  Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl. Whisk buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice together in small bowl.
  3.  Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
  4.  Combine 1 cup cake batter, 1 tablespoon rum, nutmeg, and cinnamon in large bowl and stir until just combined. Using rubber spatula, spread remaining batter in prepared pan and smooth top. Spoon spiced batter over top and spread gently in thin, even layer. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 25 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, remove pan, and let cool completely on rack, about 3 hours.
  5.  Whisk confectioners' sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons rum in bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and let set for 25 minutes before serving.
Eggnog Bundt Cake

Eggnog Bundt Cake

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1¼ hours, plus 4 hours cooling

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
18 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces and softened
2 cups (14 ounces/397 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature
¼ cup dark rum or brandy
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups (6 ounces/170 grams) confectioners' sugar

Ingredients

3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
18 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces and softened
2 cups (14 ounces/397 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature
¼ cup dark rum or brandy
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups (6 ounces/170 grams) confectioners' sugar

Ingredients

3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
18 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces and softened
2 cups (14 ounces/397 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature
¼ cup dark rum or brandy
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups (6 ounces/170 grams) confectioners' sugar

Why This Recipe Works

Bundt cake's rich stores of butterfat, sugar, and eggs mean it retains its moisture and therefore keeps well, making it just the thing to have at the ready during a busy December. We wanted to create a seasonal version that featured the flavors of one of the holidays' most ubiquitous traditions: eggnog. But simply pouring eggnog into the batter didn't make the cake taste like eggnog. We were better off separating the ingredients that make eggnog unique and focusing on how to lengthen their influence. Freshly ground nutmeg and a tablespoon of rum hit the right notes and were a good starting point; rather than simply add them to our buttermilk-based batter, we swirled them into a portion of the batter for a ribbon of flavor that spiced and sweetened the cake. A simple glaze of confectioners' sugar and rum pointed up the flavors.

Before You Begin

For the best results, use dark rum (or brandy). We recommend that you grind your own nutmeg for this cake. You can bake this cake in a decorative 10-cup Bundt pan; place a baking sheet under the Bundt pan.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with baking spray with flour.
  2.  Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl. Whisk buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice together in small bowl.
  3.  Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
  4.  Combine 1 cup cake batter, 1 tablespoon rum, nutmeg, and cinnamon in large bowl and stir until just combined. Using rubber spatula, spread remaining batter in prepared pan and smooth top. Spoon spiced batter over top and spread gently in thin, even layer. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 25 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, remove pan, and let cool completely on rack, about 3 hours.
  5.  Whisk confectioners' sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons rum in bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and let set for 25 minutes before serving.

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