This stunning holiday cake is the next best thing to eggnog in a cup or in creamy pie form. The dense yet tender cake highlights the incomparable flavor of eggnog, while rum, nutmeg, and currants add a complementary dimension.
Bake it in your favorite patterned Bundt or tube pan, and brush the cake with the rum glaze while it’s still warm. As the cake cools, the crystallized topping clings attractively to the crevices and them crinkles, creating a special effect.–Flo Braker
Why Our Testers Loved This
Barb P. loved this eggnog pound cake recipe because “it’s easy to make, attractive when glazed, studded with currants, and festive with the tastes of eggnog and nutmeg.”
Virginia H. joined in with her comment, calling it a “great cake” with “good texture and aroma.”
What You’ll Need to Make This
- Currants–You could substitute any dried fruit here, if you prefer, such as dried cranberries, blueberries, or raisins.
- Rum–For both the fruit soak and the glaze, if you prefer to use a different liquor, feel free to swap in brandy or bourbon.
- Eggs–For best results, use room temperature eggs.
How to Make This Recipe
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour your Bundt pan, tapping out any excess flour.
- Mix the currants and rum. Let them soak for 15 minutes. Combine the dry ingredients.
- Beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the sugar until fluffy, then slowly add the eggs, scraping the sides of the mixer occasionally.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the eggnog to the mixer. Stir in the vanilla, then fold in the currants and any rum remaining in the bowl. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan.
- Bake the cake until the sides are beginning to pull away from the pan. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Make the glaze. Combine the sugar, rum, and water in a small bowl.
- Release the cake onto a wire rack. Brush the glaze over the cake, then let it cool completely before serving.
FAQs
Yes. You can soak the currants in water, and for the glaze, add extra water or eggnog in place of the rum.
Yes. The cake can be frozen, wrapped in plastic, for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the cake unglazed, and add the glaze after defrosting.
Helpful Tips
- Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Use a Bundt pan that has a capacity of at least 10 cups.
More Great Eggnog Dessert Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Eggnog Pound Cake
Equipment
- 10-by-3-inch Bundt pan or a 10-by-4 1/4-inch tube pan (with or without a removable bottom)
Ingredients
For the pound cake
- Scant 1/2 cup currants
- 2 tablespoons dark rum or water, at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup refrigerated eggnog, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crystal rum glaze
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Make the eggnog pound cake
- Center a rack in the oven and crank up the heat to 350°F (175°C) or, if the pan has a dark finish, 325°F (160°C). Butter a 10-by-3-inch Bundt pan or a 10-by-4 1/4-inch tube pan (with or without a removable bottom) and then flour it, tapping out any excess flour. (If your pan has an intricate design or detail, take the extra precaution of spreading it first with solid vegetable shortening, followed by a coating of nonstick spray, and then a dusting of flour to ensure the finished cake releases in one piece.)
- Combine the currants and rum in a small bowl. Let them soak for 15 minutes.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the sugar in a steady stream and continue to beat on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer still on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with the eggnog in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Detach the paddle and bowl from the mixer, and tap the paddle against the side of the bowl to free the excess batter. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the currants and any remaining rum. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with the spatula.
- Bake the cake just until the top springs back when lightly touched in the center and the sides are beginning to come away from the pan, 50 to 65 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes while you prepare the glaze.
Make the crystal rum glaze and glaze the cake
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, rum, and water and stir with a rubber spatula just until blended.
- Tilt and rotate the cake pan while gently tapping it on a counter to help release the cake. Invert a wire rack on top of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack, and carefully remove the pan. Slide a sheet of waxed paper under the rack.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the top and sides of the warm cake with the glaze, using every last drop. Let the cake cool completely before serving.
- To serve, slide the base of a tart pan, a small rimless baking sheet, or a large offset spatula under the cake and carefully transfer it to a serving platter. Thinly slice the cake with a sharp or serrated knife.
Notes
- Storage–Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing–Wrap in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the cake without the glaze.
- Bundt pan–Use a Bundt pan that has a capacity of at least 10 cups.
- Ingredients–For best results, use room temperature ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This eggnog pound cake recipe earns a high rating because it’s easy to make, attractive when glazed, studded with currants, and festive with the tastes of eggnog and nutmeg. It was a little too sweet for my taste, as I tend to think of pound cake as less sweet than many of its frosted cake relatives, but it was not so sweet that many would be turned off.
Timings in the recipe were basically correct. I used rum instead of water for the currants.
Great cake! Good texture and aroma. Sourcing eggnog in England is tough, however, I bought some from Starbucks and it worked fine.
I would probably add a touch more rum syrup and nutmeg to bump up the flavor. This would be a great cake for a brunch. Could easily swap any dried fruit for the currants or omit them.
Hello
Please I will like to request for an eggnog recipe that does not require the need to whip the egg.
I want to make the egg Nog cake by Flo Braker but I’m not sure if the eggnog called for has a whipped eggwhites in it before adding to the pound cake.
I await your reply.
Wale
Olawale, you are already so close to an eggnog recipe. All you had to do was search our site and you’d find this easy eggnog recipe, which relies on melted ice cream along with booze and spice. Good luck with the nog and the cake!
I hate to be one of those “I don’t like, so I used…” people, but I don’t love rum. I made this with bourbon instead. (Sorry, Flo.) I like the sound of the cranberry variation mentioned above, too.
Except for the fact that it wasn’t the lovely light color in the photo (using the Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt pan, so not really a super-dark pan), I was pleased with the results. It tested done at 55 minutes, but seemed awfully dark on the outside. I’m at 4200 ft elevation here. I’m wondering if I could get away with lowering the oven temp about 15 degrees to try to lessen the browning.
Renee, is your oven calibrated properly?
I’d be lying if I said I’ve ever done a proper testing of it — never had any reason to think it wasn’t.
Thing is, I did a huge amount of baking that day, and the cake was the last item i made. I wonder if it’s possible that the start to get flaky after eight or nine hours of continuous use.
Guess I better test it before starting Bakapalooza 2014 Part Two this week.
But the recipe? Couldn’t have been easier. I know I’ve said it before, but I Flo Braker’s recipes are always good.
Oh, shoot, the THERMOSTAT. I wonder if the thermostat isn’t reliable after a while. The word was there in my head; it just didn’t make it to my fingers. (This is what baking Christmas cookies for eight hours does to one’s brain.)
Renee, buy two of those inexpensive Taylor oven thermometers. Place them in the oven and test. I never bake anything without them.
David, I’d have to get into the oven with them to read them, and you know that’s the wrong Grimm story for this time of year. 🙂
You’re right. But you knew that.
Ha! I didn’t want to say it, but….
Glad you liked it. And, yes, please do test. Oven are more temperamental than husbands. At least my husband.
I’m the temperamental one around here, so I’m inclined to agree with the comparison of oven v. spouse.
Hey, every single other appliance the same brand as the oven has had to be replaced in the very few years since we bought the house, so it would not at all surprise me if the oven decided to become unreliable. We’ve sworn that nothing of that brand will ever be bought by us again.
Happy holidays, David.
I hear you about the bum brands. I had my share over the years, Renee.
Hello! I discovered your site when I did a search for eggnog cake (with Christmas over, I had a litre of eggnog, unopened, sitting in my fridge!). Oh my goodness! This was absolute heaven!! An easy-to-follow recipe with no-muss, no-fuss ingredients (thanks to a husband and guests who don’t like eggnog!). My only change was using dried cranberries instead of currants. And when I make it again, I will double the quantity of cranberries. I decided to follow Marjie’s recommendation to dust the pan with icing sugar rather than flour—a great suggestion and one that I will do from now on with all of my bundt pan cakes as the icing sugar absorbed into the cake and didn’t leave a “white ghost” effect on the cake sides. I will switch back to my old standby icing, lemon, and icing sugar mixture for the next cake, though, as the sugar and rum coating overpowered the beautiful, rich, velvety taste of the cake. This recipe is a keeper. Even my eggnog-hating husband agreed! It reminds me of my mother’s and grandmother’s babka piaskowa recipes (“sand” babkas) when I was growing up! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I’m at a loss as to what to try next—the recipes on this site all looks so fabulous!
Danuta, this is the best kind of comment we could possibly receive, seeing as it speaks directly to the reason why we do what we do. It’s all about memorable recipes—and, as you said, recipes we remember along with all the attendant emotions that come flooding back upon that first taste. We’re so happy you liked this recipe and can’t wait to hear which one you choose to make next….