Eggnog Pound Cake

Holiday eggnog pound cake with eggnog, dried cranberries, brandy, nutmeg and orange zest has holiday party written all over it.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated June 19, 2022
Elise Bauer
Eggnog Pound Cake
Elise Bauer

Have extra eggnog? (Is that even possible? It takes every ounce of self control I possess to not drink the entire quart if there is one in the fridge.)

If you do have some eggnog, here is a wonderful pound cake to make with it, a cake that celebrates all things eggnoggy (new word, just made it up). Like eggnog, it is well spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. It has flecks of sweetened dried cranberries and orange zest.

Like eggnog, it can be made virgin (not alcohol), or spiked, with brandy or rum.

Eggnog Pound Cake
Recipe updated, first posted 2007. Elise Bauer

Recipe updated, first posted 2007

Eggnog Pound Cake

Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 55 mins
Glazing 10 mins
Total Time 90 mins
Servings 16 to 20 servings

Eggnog can be frozen if you don't have time to bake the cake and the eggnog is in danger of going sour.

To make the cake in a standard loaf pan, cut the ingredients in half (use 3 eggs), use a 5- x 9-inch or 4- x 8-inch loaf pan, and bake for about 50 minutes. It helps to line the loaf pan with buttered parchment paper. You'll only need about 1/3 of the glaze ingredients.

Recipe inspired by one by Flo Braker.

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest

  • 4 tablespoons brandy (can sub orange juice or water)

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

  • 2 cups white granulated sugar

  • 5 large eggs, room temperature

  • 1 cup eggnog

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 to 4 tablespoons brandy for drizzling on the cake (optional)

For the glaze:

  • 1 to2 tablespoons orange juice

  • 1 tablespoon brandy or dark rum

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Method

  1. Soak the cranberries:

    Soak dried chopped cranberries and orange zest in brandy in a small bowl for 15 minutes.

  2. Preheat the oven:

    Adjust rack to lower third of oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter the inside of a 9 to 10 inch bundt pan.

  3. Mix the dry ingredients:

    In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice.

  4. Cream the butter and sugar:

    Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, 30 to 45 seconds. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.

  5. Add the dry ingredients and eggnog to mixture:

    Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently add the dry ingredients in 4 additions, alternating with eggnog (begin and end with dry ingredients). Gently fold in orange zest, dried cranberries and any remaining brandy.

  6. Bake:

    Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread evenly. Bake at 325°F 55 to 60 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center and pulls away from the sides of the pan. You can also use a bamboo skewer and insert into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done.

  7. Cool:

    Remove from oven and cool upright in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a rack while the cake is still warm. Let cool completely.

  8. Prepare the glaze:

    Once the cake has completely cooled, prepare glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, orange juice, and brandy. (You can sub the brandy with more orange juice or water if you want.)

    Make the glaze thick if you would like a thick, pronounced drizzle, or make it more thin if you want a glaze that is somewhat translucent.

  9. Glaze the cake:

    Place cake on serving platter. Poke a few holes in the top and drizzle with brandy if you want. Use a spoon to stream the glaze onto the cake in back and forth motions to create a striped pattern. Or, if the glaze is thin enough, you can use a pastry brush to brush on the glaze.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
304 Calories
11g Fat
46g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16 to 20
Amount per serving
Calories 304
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 78mg 26%
Sodium 129mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 58mg 4%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 68mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.