Mini Eggnog Cakes with Praline Topping

Mini Eggnog Cakes will be everyone’s favorite food gifts this Christmas! Slightly sweet, moist eggnog flavored cake that’s light and delicious. Topped with homemade pecan praline topping to make a perfect treat.

Eggnog just screams that it’s the holiday season!  Eggnog cakes with pecan praline topping are also a Christmas time treat that are fun to make to give out as gifts in your holiday cookie exchanges! 

You can buy storebought eggnog or you can use the easy eggnog recipe that I have for all of your holiday entertaining needs.

It’s that time again for Freaky Friday.  It’s the event where several other food writers do a “website exchange.”  We are given a name to make a recipe from their site to share with our readers to introduce you to delicious recipes you may not have seen before.

I got super lucky for this edition in getting Debi from Life Currents!  We were to select recipes that we could make for a cookie, bar or candy exchange!

Debi’s philosophy is similar to mine in that good things happen around the table!  Good food with good company is what life is all about!

Life Currents has so many sweet treats to make I had to make three different ones in trying to decide which one to share with you!  Seriously, Debi has so many fun things for cookie exchanges, check out all of her delicious treats here!

I’ve actually had Debi’s site before so I was excited to be able to make another recipe from her site.  After my first experience making the Smoke Sauced Shrimp I knew she made food that was ah-MAY-zing!

She has so many things you’ll want to make for Christmas or any time of year!!  Her Oatmeal Sandwich cookies, Brown Sugar Fudge and Old Fashioned Cream Caramels’s are all so good.  I made every single one of them and gave them out to family at Thanksgiving and my family raved about them!

In the end though I ended up deciding on her Eggnog Cakes!

When I was mixing up the batter for these eggnog cakes I couldn’t believe how nice the eggnog flavor was.

Just smelling the mouthwatering aroma made me think of the holidays and all the good foods that are a part of the season.

What is Eggnog?

Eggnog is a drink that is really popular in the United States and Canada.  It’s typically served from Thanksgiving through New Year’s eve.  It’s more often than not served cold but in recent years with so many people worried about raw eggs it’s also served warm.

Eggnog can be served non-alcoholic but adding a bunch of rum or bourbon makes it even better for a cocktail party!  You can make a big batch of it so you don’t have to be making drinks all night too which also makes Eggnog an excellent choice for entertaining!

What is eggnog made of?

• Eggs
• Milk
• Whipped Cream
• Sugar
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla
• Rum

How do you make eggnog cakes?

Batter

• Butter the pans you’ll be using.
• Beat butter, sugar, nutmeg and salt until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs in one at a time.
• Whisk flour and baking powder together, add in sections alternatively with eggnog until combined.
• Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove from heat, add nuts and bourbon and stir
• Pour immediately over the top.

Topping

• Melt butter, brown sugar and syrup with salt until sugar dissolves.
• Bring to a boil until it hits soft ball stage.

PRO TIP:  When using any sticky sugary liquid and you have to measure it out.  Spray the measuring cup with cooking spray just before filling the cup up.  In this recipe, the corn syrup will just slide right out of your measuring cup!  

Questions you might have with Eggnog Cake

Can I make eggnog cake ahead?  Yes, these eggnog cakes stay fresh for several days.  Just cover them with plastic to keep them moist. I would make the praline topping on the day you are serving them or the day you are giving them away for maximum freshness!

What is softball when talking about praline topping?  Softball temperature is when the melted sugar mixture is between 235°-245°  Use a special candy thermometer to test the temperature.

What if I don’t have a candy thermometer to test it?  As a last resort, you can prepare a bowl of iced water and drop a small amount into the water if it forms a small ball and remains soft and malleable it is at softball temp. It’s easy to make an error this way unless you make candy often so I highly recommend getting a thermometer!

I don’t drink alcohol, do I have to put rum or whiskey in the praline topping?  You can make the praline topping with a rum extract (1/2 teaspoon) or you can leave it out completely.

Can I use a different nut instead of pecans?  Yes, any nut you want to use for the praline topping will work.  I suggest using walnuts or chopped almonds if you prefer them over pecans!

Love Sweet Treats? Check out all of our Dessert Recipes!

More Food Gifts to make this holiday season!

• Million Calorie Bars
• Tropical Christmas Cookies (always requested !)
• Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Cookies
• Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
• Cranberry Orange Bread

BE SURE AND CHECK OUT THESE OTHER HOLIDAY COOKIE EXCHANGE RECIPE IDEAS!

• An Affair from the Heart – White Chocolate Cherry Cookies
• Bowl Me Over –  Easy Shortbread Cookies with Confetti
• Hostess at Heart – Peanut Butter Pretzel Puppy Chow
• LeMoine Family Kitchen – White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
• Life Currents – Chocolate Marshmallow Moonpies
• Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Peanut Butter Chocolate Dipped Cookie Dough Truffles
• Mildly Meandering –  Cheesecake Bars
• Plattertalk – German Pfeffernusse Cookies
• Seduction in the Kitchen – Chewy Chocolate M&M Cookies
• Take Two Tapas –  Turtle Wonton Kisses
• The Foodie Affair – Easy Cut Out Cookies
• West Via Midwest – Mini Eggnog Cakes with Praline Topping
• Who Needs a Cape? – Copy Cat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

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Yield: 12 mini loaf cakes

Mini Eggnog Cakes with Pecan Whiskey Praline Topping

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Mini Eggnog Cakes will be everyone's favorite food gifts this Christmas! Slightly sweet, moist eggnog flavored cake that's light and delicious. Topped with homemade pecan praline topping to make a perfect treat.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

cooling before adding topping 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

BATTER

• 1 1/2 cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 3 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups eggnog

TOPPING

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon whiskey or bourbon, (non alcoholic - Omit)
• 3/4 cup toasted pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease the pan(s) of your choice: a large (10") tube or bundt-style pan; six small loaf pans (about 3 1/2" x 7"); 12 mini oaf pans (4.5 in. x 2.5 in.or two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2) loaf pans.
2. Batter: Beat the butter, sugar, nutmeg, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
3. Whisk the flour and baking powder together, and add to batter alternately with the eggnog, 1/3 at a time, beating well after each addition. 
4. Pour the batter into the pans.
5. Bake 25 to 35 minutes for the small loaf pans, or 60 to 65 minutes for the large loaves or tube pan, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn it out onto a rack set atop parchment, to catch any drips.
6. Topping: Melt the butter, and stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves. 
7. Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue to boil for several minutes, until it reaches 240°F (soft ball stage) on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Add the rum/whiskey/bourbon and nuts, and pour the toffee topping over the cake. Cool completely before serving.
8. Add the rum/whiskey/bourbon and nuts, and pour the toffee topping over the cake. Cool completely before serving.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

12 mini loaf cakes
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 670Saturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 449mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 1gSugar: 49gProtein: 8g

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