Christmas Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream: How I Finally Stopped Messing This Up
Okay, so Christmas spice cake with eggnog buttercream is one of those desserts I saw on Pinterest like five years ago and thought “that looks impossible.” All those gorgeous layers, perfectly spiced cake, fluffy frosting that somehow tastes like actual eggnog… yeah, not for someone who once forgot to add sugar to brownies and wondered why they tasted like chocolatey sadness.
But then last December my mother-in-law mentioned she was making “her famous spice cake” for Christmas dinner and something competitive in me just… snapped. I mean, I love Linda, but her spice cake is dry. There, I said it. It’s like eating cinnamon-flavored sawdust. So I decided to make this festive spice cake with warming spices and show up with something actually moist and delicious.
Plot twist: My first attempt was also dry. Karma, I guess?
Table of Contents
Why This Holiday Spice Layer Cake Became My Obsession
Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. I don’t usually go for fancy layer cakes. Give me a sheet cake any day—less stress, less chance of disaster. But there’s something about the holidays that makes you want to show off a little, you know?
I think I originally got the idea from a cooking show… or maybe it was a blog post? Honestly can’t remember. But the concept stuck with me: a spice cake recipe easy enough for regular people but impressive enough that everyone thinks you went to pastry school.
The eggnog buttercream frosting homemade part? That was a happy accident. I was planning to make regular buttercream but I had leftover eggnog in the fridge from making eggnog lattes (highly recommend, by those way) and thought… why not? Best decision ever.
My First Disastrous Attempt at This Best Christmas Dessert Spice Cake
December 19th, 2023. I had three days until Christmas Eve dinner. Plenty of time, right?
Wrong.
I followed a recipe I found online that claimed to be the “BEST EVER” spice cake (red flag number one—any recipe that uses all caps is lying). Mixed everything together, poured it into my cake pans, baked it at 350°F like the recipe said.
The kitchen smelled AMAZING. Like Christmas exploded in there—all cinnamon and ginger and nutmeg. I was so proud of myself. Started making the frosting while the cakes cooled.
Then I tried to slice the cakes in half to make four layers (because I was feeling ambitious). They crumbled. Like, completely fell apart. Dry as the Sahara desert. I may have cried a little. My husband walked in, saw me surrounded by cake crumbs, and said “So… pizza for dinner?”
But here’s where it gets good. My neighbor Sarah (who actually went to culinary school) came over the next day and looked at the recipe I’d used. She was like, “This has way too much flour and not enough fat. No wonder it’s dry.” She helped me find a better recipe and we tried again. That time? Perfect. Moist, flavorful, absolutely delicious.
How to Make Spice Cake From Scratch (The Actually Moist Version)
This is the recipe I use now. It makes a moist spiced Christmas cake recipe that actually stays tender, doesn’t dry out, and has the perfect amount of warming spices without being overwhelming.
What You Need (Real Shopping List)
For the Homemade Christmas Spice Cake Step by Step:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (this is KEY—don’t skip it)
- ½ cup sour cream (makes it extra moist)
For the Easy Eggnog Buttercream for Cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar (depends on how thick you want it)
- ¼ cup eggnog (I use the good stuff from the dairy section, not that shelf-stable nonsense)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon rum extract (trust me on this—it makes it taste REALLY like eggnog)
- Pinch of salt
Quick note about the buttermilk—don’t have it? Mix 1 cup of regular milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes. Boom, homemade buttermilk. Works every time.
This Spice Cake With Buttermilk Recipe (The Actual Instructions)
Step 1: Prep Everything (Don’t Skip This)
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. I also line the bottoms with parchment paper because I’m paranoid about cakes sticking after the Great Cake Disaster of 2023.
Make sure your eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream are at room temperature. Cold ingredients = lumpy batter. Learned that the hard way.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Stuff
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The smell at this stage is INCREDIBLE. Your kitchen will smell like Christmas. Set it aside.
Step 3: Cream the Butter and Sugar (Actually Important)
In your stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer if you’re brave), beat the softened butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed for about 3-4 minutes. It should be light and fluffy. Don’t rush this part—I did once and the cake turned out dense and weird.
Step 4: Add Eggs and Vanilla
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla. The batter might look a little curdled. That’s normal. Don’t panic like I did the first time.
Step 5: Alternate the Wet and Dry (This is Where Magic Happens)
Here’s the key—oh wait, I forgot to mention—keep your mixer on LOW speed for this part or you’ll have flour everywhere (been there).
Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture, mix just until combined. Then add half the buttermilk. Mix. Another ⅓ of flour. The rest of the buttermilk. Final ⅓ of flour. Mix just until you don’t see any more flour streaks. Don’t overmix or you’ll develop too much gluten and the cake will be tough.
Fold in the sour cream with a spatula. This is what makes it SUPER moist.
Step 6: Bake Until Perfect
Divide batter evenly between your prepared pans. I actually weigh mine on a kitchen scale to be precise, but eyeballing it works too.
Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Don’t overbake! This was my mistake the first time. I left them in “just another minute” and they turned into hockey pucks.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Seriously, wait until they’re COMPLETELY cool before frosting. I got impatient once and the frosting melted everywhere. Disaster.
Step 7: Make the Eggnog Frosting Recipe Fluffy
Beat the softened butter in your mixer until it’s pale and creamy—about 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low until combined.
Add the eggnog, nutmeg, rum extract, and salt. Beat until smooth. Then add the remaining powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. I usually use about 4 ½ cups total.
Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Taste it. Seriously, just stick your finger in there and taste it. If it needs more nutmeg or eggnog, add it now. This is YOUR frosting.
Step 8: Assemble This Cinnamon Ginger Nutmeg Spice Cake
Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread about 1 cup of frosting on top. Place second layer on top of that. Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides.
I’m not great at smooth frosting, so I usually do a “rustic” look (aka I gave up trying to make it perfect and just swirled it around with an offset spatula). Looks intentional. Nobody knows the difference.
If you want to get fancy, sprinkle some extra cinnamon on top or add a few whole cinnamon sticks as decoration. Makes it look like you actually know what you’re doing.
Make Ahead Christmas Spice Cake Freezer Friendly Options
Yes! You can make the cake layers ahead. Bake them, let them cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before assembling.
The frosting can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Just let it come to room temperature and give it a quick whip before using.
I usually bake the cakes a week before Christmas and freeze them. Then I just make the frosting and assemble the day before or morning of. Way less stressful than trying to do everything at once.
This Festive Holiday Dessert Eggnog Flavored Cake Reality Check
Real talk: This cake is not difficult, but it does require attention to detail. Room temperature ingredients matter. Not overmixing matters. Cooling completely before frosting matters.
But here’s the thing—even if your layers are a little uneven or your frosting isn’t Instagram-perfect, this cake tastes AMAZING. The spices are warm and cozy without being overwhelming. The eggnog buttercream is creamy and just boozy enough from the rum extract to taste grown-up.
My father-in-law (who normally only eats pie) had two slices. TWO. And asked for the recipe. That’s when I knew I’d finally nailed it.
Storage and Holiday Entertaining Spice Cake Ideas
This cake stays moist for 3-4 days if covered and kept at room temperature. The buttercream keeps it from drying out. In the fridge it’ll last about a week, but let it come to room temperature before serving for best flavor.
You can also make this as cupcakes—just reduce the baking time to about 18-20 minutes. Perfect for parties where people want individual servings.
Final Thoughts on This Warming Spices Christmas Cake Baking Adventure
If I can make this Christmas spice cake with eggnog buttercream—someone who once made a cake so dry it could be used as a weapon—you absolutely can too. Is it a little time-consuming? Sure. Will your first layer maybe be slightly uneven? Probably. But even a wonky spice cake covered in eggnog frosting tastes incredible and smells like Christmas in cake form.
This has become my signature holiday dessert. People actually request it now. Last year my sister-in-law asked if I could make it for Thanksgiving too (I said yes because I’m a people pleaser).
Try it. Worst case scenario, you make a dry cake and cover it in extra frosting. Best case scenario, you become the family member known for “that amazing spice cake” and get to be smug about it forever.
Happy baking! (And may your cakes be moist and your frosting be fluffy!) 🎄
