High Altitude Eggnog Coffee Cake

An easy recipe for soft and fluffy high altitude eggnog coffee cake, with crumb topping spiced with freshly grated nutmeg, and sweet eggnog icing. If you love eggnog, then this delicious and festive coffee cake will be perfect for a holiday breakfast or brunch.

Looking for more holiday recipes? Don’t miss this gingerbread coffee cake, classic pecan pie, eggnog layer cake with eggnog buttercream, and chocolate peppermint ice cream.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect for the Holidays. While I love to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, a coffee cake with streusel topping would be just perfect for Christmas Eve breakfast.

Uses Up Leftover Eggnog. Eggnog is one of my favorite holiday treats. I love it cold, with a splash of bourbon or spiced rum for a yummy cocktail at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There always seems to be some leftover, and this coffee cake recipe is a great way to use up that last bit of leftover eggnog.

Easy to Make. The cake batter and the crumb topping are both quick and easy to make. And the cake only needs to cool for a few minutes before you can dig in and enjoy warm pieces of crumb cake.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Crumb Topping

• For the crumb topping, you’ll just need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter. I always use freshly grated nutmeg, but of course you can use pre-ground nutmeg, too.

Cake

• Liquid Ingredients. The liquid ingredients include granulated sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, eggnog, sour cream, and vanilla. All of these add sweetness, richness and moisture, for a tender, delicious coffee cake.
• Dry Ingredients. You’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Feel free to add more nutmeg, if your eggnog doesn’t seem very heavily spiced.

Icing

• The icing is just a simple mixture of powdered sugar and eggnog, whisked together until smooth.

Instructions

Get things ready.

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
• Spray a 9 or 10-inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray.

Make the crumb topping.

• In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and spices.
• Drizzle with the melted butter and use a fork or your fingers to work the butter in until the topping is moist and crumbly.

Make the cake batter.

• With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter for 2 minutes until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs.
• Add the eggnog, sour cream and vanilla extract, and use a whisk to whisk everything together until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients, and whisk just until moistened.
• Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle with the crumb topping.

Bake the coffee cake.

• Bake the cake for about 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Drizzle with icing.

• As the cake is cooling, you can mix up the icing.
• In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and eggnog until smooth.
• Drizzle the icing over the cake. The icing will set in a few minutes.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of eggnog should I use?

When choosing a store bought eggnog, be sure to check the ingredients, and sample a few different brands to determine the best one. It should be rich and creamy, sweet but not too sweet, with a good balance of vanilla and spice. I get milk delivered each week from a local dairy farm, and they have their own brand of really delicious eggnog that I buy every Christmas.

• Worst. The worst options are going to include non-dairy eggnog, which won’t contain any milk or eggs. You’ll find the taste seriously lacking in authentic eggnog flavor. Don’t even consider any low-fat or “light” options, either. And avoid the pumpkin spice flavored eggnog, unless you want your eggnog coffee cake to taste like pumpkin spice.
• Best. The best options will be premium, name-brand eggnog by Meadow Gold, Turkey Hill, Trader Joe’s and Southern Comfort. These brands are also pretty easy to find at most major grocery stores.

Can I make the cake batter if I don’t have a mixer?

Beating the butter and sugar for a few minutes with an electric mixer makes the batter lighter and fluffier. However, if you don’t have a mixer, you can simply melt the butter and whisk together all of the liquid ingredients.

Can I substitute vegetable oil for the butter?

Yes, you can, although butter will give your coffee cake a better flavor.

Will this recipe work in an 8-inch pan?

No, there’s too much batter for an 8-inch pan, so you should use a 9 or 10 inch pan so that the cake doesn’t overflow as it bakes.

Can this recipe be doubled?

Yes, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 or slightly larger pan.

How long does this coffee cake stay fresh?

After the cake cools completely, you can cover it tightly with plastic wrap, or store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

What’s the best way to reheat coffee cake?

Rewarm pieces of cake in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at 50% power, for a soft, just-baked texture.

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