Featured Recipe
Eggnog Spice Pound Cake
By Kate
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Dense, moist cake with holiday spice. Uses coconut oil instead of butter. Swaps vanilla extract for almond extract plus a splash of rum for depth. Nutmeg replaced partly with ground ginger for warmth. Flour and eggnog mixed alternately to keep batter light but rich. Baked low and slow in greased loaf pan, not Bundt, to ensure even cooking. Glaze uses maple syrup with powdered sugar for sticky sweet finish. Nutmeg aroma fills kitchen, golden crust forms with gentle pull from pan edges marking doneness. Toothpick test paramount. Rest before release. Glaze cool to stick, not slide.
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Prep:
25 min
Cook:
Total:
Serves:
12 servings
holiday baking
pound cake
dessert recipes
Introduction
Eggnog pound cake—not your grandma’s. Swap butter for coconut oil for a subtle nutty undertone that cuts heaviness. Instead of vanilla, almond extract with a splash of rum kicks up flavor complexity without overpowering spices. Ginger pokes its head in next to nutmeg; depth in winter spice world. Bake slow and steady, no roaring oven heat here. Watch the crust texture—looking for golden, slight pull away from edges, faint crackle sound when nudged with finger. Toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, not batter. Once out, cooling phase critical—too hot and glaze melts into soupy mess.
Ingredients
for glaze===
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
About the ingredients
Using coconut oil changes texture slightly. It makes cake light in crumb but moist and gives a tender crust different than butter. Almond extract stands up better to spices in eggnog than vanilla, which can get washed out. Dark rum isn’t about booziness; it rounds flavor, balances sweetness. Ginger alongside nutmeg lends warmth but isn’t aggressive; feel free to adjust. If no eggnog, use spiced milk or half-and-half with a teaspoon sugar and pinch cinnamon. Glaze swap from eggnog to maple syrup keeps stickiness and depth without diluting sweetness. Always sift powdered sugar for glaze—no lumps. Pan prep non-negotiable; keep cake cleanly releasing.
Method
Technique Tips
Creaming oil and sugar properly key for good air incorporation—don’t rush, beat until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Adding eggs slowly helps emulsify batter, magical with oil base. Alternate flour and liquid—start and end with flour—to maintain structure but keep batter light enough to rise. Don’t overmix or flour proteins form gluten strands that toughen cake. Baking at 320°F keeps crust tender but golden without cracking or drying too fast. Pulling away from pan edges is your go/no-go signal, not alarm clock. Toothpick clean or with moist crumbs—wet batter is no. Cooling in pan sets crumb; release too early, you’ll tear. Wait until cool before glazing; patience pays off. Glaze consistency is crucial; too thin runs off, too thick clumps. Drizzle slowly, let gravity do work.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Use room temp coconut oil. If cold, clumps form. Start mixing with sugar until fluffy—texture matters. Gradually add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down sides; don’t skip.
- 💡 Baking at 320F for slow cooking. Don’t rush; golden brown edges signal nearing done. Toothpick test; clean isn’t always best. Moist crumbs cling. Trust the aroma.
- 💡 Use fresh spices. Old nutmeg loses punch; ginger needs punch. Try out flavor adjustments but keep key components. Substituting butter? Will alter texture slightly.
- 💡 Greasing pan? Use shortening or butter, then flour lightly. Critical step! Avoid cake sticking. Don’t skip. Too much batter spills? Less than 3/4 full to rise correctly.
- 💡 Glaze looks thick like honey. Drizzle slow to avoid runoff. Let it pool and clean edges. Waiting to cool cake; if warm, melts glaze into mess.
Kitchen Wisdom
How to fix a dense cake?
Check mixing technique—overmixing forms gluten. Always alternate dry and wet. If eggs added too fast, dense texture follows.
Best way to store leftovers?
Cover for up to 2 days at room temp. Freeze wrapped for month max. Thaw wrapped too; keeps moisture intact.
What about substitutions?
Coconut oil can swap for butter, flavor changes though. No eggnog? Spiced milk works—add sugar and cinnamon for depth.
When to know it’s done?
Look for edges pulling from pan. Toothpick clean—great! Moist crumbs okay. Watch that golden crust; pulls inwards too.
