Rum Eggnog Cake

Eggnog cake with rum

Diana Rattray

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 12 to 14 servings
Yield: 1 12-cup Bundt Cake

Nothing says the holidays like a mug of eggnog, and thanks to this recipe, you can enjoy its richness in a decadent slice of cake. This easy recipe uses a boxed cake mix, rum, eggnog, and classic spices like nutmeg to recreate the taste of this cozy beverage in every forkful.

You can make rum eggnog from scratch, or buy good quality eggnog with or without alcohol. If serving the cake to kids, pregnant women, or someone who abstains from alcohol, skip the rum version and the butter rum glaze and go for alcohol-free eggnog and powdered sugar for decoration. Feel free to add a festive touch to the top of the cake with mint leaves and red berries.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

For the Rum Glaze:

  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

  • 2 tablespoons rum, or milk and rum flavoring

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 tablespoon milk or eggnog, optional

For Decoration:

  • Fresh mint leaves, for optional garnish

  • 1/4 cup red berries, for optional garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the Cake

  1. Gather the cake ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

  3. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan.

  4. In a large bowl, beat the butter until light, either by hand or with the help of a mixer. Add in the eggs, eggnog, and rum (or 1/4 cup eggnog plus rum flavoring) and beat on low for 3 minutes.

  5. Add the vanilla, nutmeg, and cake mix and beat slowly to combine. Set the mixer on high speed and beat well for 2 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and filled with air.

  6. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt cake pan.

  7. Bake the cake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or a long wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake. If your oven is hotter in some spots, turn the cake 180 F after 20 minutes in the oven.

  8. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes.

  9. Invert the cake onto a serving plate or cake tray and cool completely at room temperature.

Make the Rum Glaze

  1. Gather the glaze ingredients.

  2. While the cake cools, combine the confectioners' sugar with the rum and melted butter in a bowl. Mix well using a small whisk.

  3. If necessary, add milk or eggnog to thin the glaze. Or, if too thin, add more confectioners' sugar to thicken the mixture.

  4. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake in a decorative pattern. Garnish with mint leaves and red berries, if desired.

  5. Enjoy.

Why did my Bundt cake fall in the middle?

  • Although Bundt pans make for a pretty cake, they are actually poor conductors of heat, which can lead to uneven baking; a center that hasn't cooked enough will not rise completely.
  • A cake sinking in the middle may also be due to too much or too little moisture; if it is humid where you live, certain ingredients can retain moisture which will cause the cake to rise quickly and then fall.
  • Overbeating the butter and batter can also lead to a sunken cake as beating just the right amount creates the perfect environment for the cake to rise.
  • If the oven is too hot, the cake will rise prematurely and then fall. Opening the oven door will also throw off the oven temperature, which can lead to a fallen middle.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
296 Calories
11g Fat
42g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 14
Amount per serving
Calories 296
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 15%
Saturated Fat 7g 33%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Sodium 312mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 42g 15%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 111mg 9%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 67mg 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.)