Whimsical Eggnog Christmas Cake

Once again, I present a recipe that is actually rooted in a food dislike of mine: eggnog. I have never liked eggnog. Unfortunately, the hubster loves it. It's unfortunate because I have a bad habit of not buying what I don't like...so he misses out. Our boy loves it too. He says it's his favorite drink ever, more than cream soda (which he loves an awful lot)! I, on the other hand, won't go near the stuff. 

I don't think it's disgusting, I just don't particularly enjoy it. In cake, though? That's a completely different story!

This cake turned out to have one of the best textures of any cake I've made before. It was moist and soft, but still had a firm bite. And the frosting ended up being the perfect compliment! I used the same frosting from this recipe, but adapted it to have a bit of an eggnog flavor. Needless to say, this cake was a huge hit in my house...even with me!

To make this cake, all you need is cake flour, unsalted butter (at room temperature), sugar, eggnog (at room temperature), salt, nutmeg, baking powder, eggs (at room temperature), and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog, and vanilla; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. With the mixer on medium low, add the butter one piece at a time until the mixture looks sandy, and just start to come together. Add half of the eggnog mixture and mix on low until it just comes together. Increase the speed to medium high speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to medium, and add the remaining egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Continue mixing until thoroughly combined, scraping the bowl, as needed.

Divide the batter into the cake pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, and lined with parchment paper on the bottom. I chose to make six-inch rounds for a very, very tall cake. The batter divides perfectly into six layers in a six-inch pan. You could also bake this cake in two nine-inch rounds. If making nine-inch rounds, place both pans on the same rack and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. If making six six-inch rounds, place three pans in the oven (on the same rack) and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Repeat with the remaining three pans. Run a paring knife around the outside edge of the cakes, turn them out onto a wire cooling rack, and peel away the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely before assembling and frosting.

You can make this cake into several layers if you like, or just leave them whole. I chose to cut each layer in half, making my six layer cake into 12. Just place two to four tablespoons of frosting on each layer before stacking the next one on.

Once the cakes are stacked, put a thin layer of frosting on your cake as a base coat before frosting it again with a thicker layer of frosting. Once I had my cake frosted and smoothed, I chose to put clear sanding sugar all around the outside of it before decorating the cake.

For the "tablecloth" on top of the cake, I rolled out some red fondant to slightly less than a quarter of an inch thick. Next, I placed a nine-inch round cake pan on it, and cut around the pan to make a nine-inch round piece of fondant.

Center the fondant circle on top of the cake, the, cut even triangles out around the edge before pressing the remaining fondant points down. Next I shaped ornaments by making top pieces out of a small piece (about 1 gram) of fondant that I shaped into small, fat disks. Cut the disks in half and paint with silver luster dust. Next roll another small piece (about 5 grams) of fondant, in the color of your choice, into a ball. Cut the ball in half and paint with gold or pearl luster dust. Once all of the painted pieces have dried, use I small amount of frosting on the back to stick them to the cake at the base of the points.

Next I added some sweet and simple rosettes to the cake. I've never made anything like these before, but I wanted some ribbon-like Christmas flowers, so I improvised, and this is the result. I'm very pleased with them, and they're incredibly easy to make!

All you have to do is pinch off a small amount of fondant. Roll the fondant into thin rope. Flatten the rope with a rolling pin, rolling it width-wise, as well as length-wise. Next, just pleat the bottom repeatedly until the fondant has wrapped around to form a circle.

Use a small dab of water to "glue" the ends of the fondant together, then repeat the process with a slightly smaller piece of fondant in a contrasting color. Glue the "petals" to each other with a small amount of water, then finish the rosettes off with a tiny button of fondant placed in the center.

I chose to brighten my flowers up with a light layer of pearl luster dust before using a little frosting on the back of them to stick them to the cake. I love the results, and the effect of the sweet flowers. The cake looks sort of homespun and old fashioned, which is one of my favorite Christmas looks!

Yet the inside is bright and funky! Who wouldn't get a punch of Christmas spirit if this arrived on their plate?! When i served this cake, I chose to divide the slices in half, serving up the bottom six layers on one plate, and the top six layers on another.

I highly recommend this delicious cake as an alternative to the usual chocolate that you see at Christmastime! It's rich and delicious, with a pleasant bit of spice to it. Plus, the decorations are cute, easy, and festive, so don't be afraid to give them a chance! You'll be sure to impress everyone at the table when you present this exciting cake! Enjoy!

Eggnog Cake

Makes 2 9-inch rounds, or 6 6-inch rounds

Ingredients


FOR THE CAKE

4 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup eggnog, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 16 pieces

FOR THE FROSTING
5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog, and vanilla; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. With the mixer on medium low, add the butter one piece at a time until the mixture looks sandy, and just start to come together. Add half of the eggnog mixture and mix on low until it just comes together. Increase the speed to medium high speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to medium, and add the remaining egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Continue mixing until thoroughly combined, scraping the bowl, as needed.

Divide the batter (18 ounces in each 9-inch round, or 6 ounces in each 6-inch round) into the prepared pans. If baking 2 9-inch rounds, place both pans on the same rack and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. If making 6 6-inch rounds, place 3 pans in the oven (on the same rack) and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Repeat with the remaining 3 pans. Run a paring knife around the outside edge of the cakes, turn them out onto a wire cooling rack, and peel away the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely before assembling and frosting.

To make the frosting: In a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water, combine the egg whites, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Heat the mixture, whisking often, until it reaches 160 degrees and the sugar is dissolved.

Pour into a large bowl (if using a hand mixer), or the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attached. Whisk on medium high speed until stiff peaks form, about 8-10 minutes. The mixture should also be room temperature, at this point.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until incorporated before adding another piece. Continue to beat until thick and smooth (if it looks curdled or soupy, just keep beating it until smooth again, another 3 minutes or so). Stir in the vanilla and eggnog until incorporated and tint with food coloring, as desired.

Recipe by Darla