Savor the holiday with this easy, moist, and delicious Eggnog Pound Cake recipe made simple with store-bought eggnog and beautifully topped with an eggnog glaze!

For my family, nothing quite captures the spirit of the holidays like holiday baking! The entire month of December is spent cooking, baking, and creating treats for family and friends.
The weekend before Christmas, we gather for a big, dessert-making party where we make tons of goodies for the coming week. And, one of our tried and true baked goods is this Egg Nog Pound Cake!

I make it with store-bought eggnog for a super convenient shortcut that doesn’t skimp on flavor or quality! This cake is rich with eggnog flavor and hints of nutmeg for an extra boost of holiday spice. And that eggnog glaze that you drizzle over the top… mouthwateringly beautiful if you ask me!

What is eggnog and what does it taste like?
Eggnog is traditionally known as a holiday drink that many correlate with Christmas and even New Year’s. The most common ingredients of eggnog include but are not limited to milk, cream, sugar, egg, and various spices, such as vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other warm holiday spices. Some even add a bit of alcohol to their eggnog. The most common alcoholic additions are rum, whiskey or bourbon, and brandy.
The texture of eggnog is creamy, a bit thicker than water or milk. I like to describe it as rich, velvety, and decadent. The thickness often comes from the whisked egg and cream. When served as a drink, it is most commonly served chilled with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

Does eggnog have raw eggs in it? Is it safe to drink?
As I mentioned above, eggnog does feature beaten eggs. While most healthy individuals don’t have to worry about food-borne illness from a delicious cup of eggnog, it can be a concern for some with compromised immune systems or those who may be pregnant. This doesn’t mean those individuals don’t get to enjoy eggnog though! Here are three easy tips for minimizing the risk:
- Opt for pasteurized eggs! Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria without cooking the egg. You can find pasteurized eggs when you look for liquid eggs in a carton at the grocery store. Most of these are pasteurized, but be sure you check the label to make sure.
- Cook the eggnog! Can’t find pasteurized eggs? No problem! Just cook the eggnog! You can easily do this by heating your eggnog mixture to 160ยฐF. Then, simply let it cool before serving.
- Go for store-bought eggnog! Most commercially prepared eggnogs are made with pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes. It’s like a double bonus… less work and less risk! This is what I used for this recipe! And, it tastes just as good if you ask me!

Can you substitute eggnog for milk in baking?
The short and quick answer is “yes!” Obviously, you don’t want to just go around pouring eggnog in place of milk for any and every recipe you use. That could get gross real quick. But, in the case of this eggnog cake or eggnog-flavored baked goods, like my Eggnog Chess Pie, you could absolutely substitute eggnog. As a matter of fact, that’s practically what I did with this recipe!

Does pound cake have to be baked in a bundt pan?
You definitely don’t have to use a bundt cake pan to make pound cake. You can make pound cake in a tube pan or even a couple loaf pans (with adjustments to cook time, of course)! I just prefer a bundt pan because I think bundt cakes are so dang pretty.
For this particular eggnog bundt cake recipe, be sure that you’re using at least 12-cup or even a 15-cup Bundt pan. Lots of newer ones are only 8 or 10 cups, and you want to keep all that batter in the pan and not all over the bottom of your oven. Never fill your Bundt pan more than 3/4 of the way full. Just a word to the wise, not that I learned the hard way or anything.

Recipe Card
Eggnog Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter ((3 sticks, softened))
- 3 cups sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup prepared eggnog
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons prepared eggnog
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ยฐF and lightly coat a 12 to 15-cup Bundt pan with baking nonstick cooking spray with flour or grease and flour it.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla and mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the flour and eggnog alternately, beginning and ending with flour, mix well after each addition.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, being cautious not to fill the pan more than 3/4 of the way full, and bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until golden brown, just starting to pull away from the edges of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert over a platter and turn out. Allow to cool before drizzling with the glaze.
For the glaze:
- To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and the 2 tablespoons of eggnog in a small bowl and mix well. Drizzle over the cake.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.