Eggnog Icebox Cake

Eggnog icebox cake, made with layers of cinnamon graham crackers, homemade eggnog pudding, and fluffy whipped cream. This soft and creamy cake is easy to make the day before a party, and is full of eggnog flavor for the holidays.

You might also love these soft frosted eggnog cookies, cardamom eggnog cake, and no churn bourbon eggnog ice cream.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Make Ahead. Eggnog icebox cake is a wonderful dessert to make a day or two in advance. Before serving, all you need to do is make the whipped cream to frost the cake.

Lots of Eggnog Flavor. There’s 3 cups of eggnog in today’s recipe, giving it plenty of delicious eggnog flavor.

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. Today’s recipe will work at any altitude, though, with no adjustments needed.

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

Ingredients

• Sugar. Since eggnog is already sweetened, you don’t need to add too much extra sugar, just a few tablespoons.
• Corn Starch. Thickens and sets the pudding.
• Egg Yolks. Adds richness and body to the pudding.
• Eggnog. Use a good quality, good tasting eggnog that you enjoy drinking. For store-bought eggnog, I prefer the Meadow Gold brand.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Nutmeg + Vanilla. Enhances the flavor of the eggnog.
• Butter. Adds richness and flavor.
• Graham Crackers. I prefer the flavor of cinnamon graham crackers for today’s recipe.
• Cream. You need the high fat content of heavy whipping cream to make the whipped cream for covering the cake.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and stabilizes the whipped cream.

Instructions

Eggnog Pudding

• In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, corn starch and egg yolks, until smooth. Whisk in the eggnog, salt and nutmeg.
• Cook the pudding over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the pudding starts to bubble and thicken, then cook for 1 more minute. This step may take about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, and whisk in the vanilla and butter, until melted and smooth.
• Cover the pudding with plastic wrap resting against the surface of the pudding, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Assembly

• Line your loaf pan with plastic wrap, so that it comes all the way up all for sides, with plastic hanging over the edges.
• Arrange a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of the pan, breaking or cutting them to fit as tightly as possible.
• Spread 1/2 cup of the pudding evenly over the graham crackers. If you like more pudding and less graham crackers, use 3/4 – 1 cup of pudding for the pudding layers.
• Continue to alternate layers of graham crackers and pudding, until you’ve used up all the pudding. Finish with a final layer of graham crackers on top.
• Fold the plastic wrap over the top of the cake so it’s tightly sealed. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours until the graham crackers are soft (or up to 2 days in advance).

Whipped Cream

• When ready to serve your cake, use an electric mixer to whip the cream and vanilla on medium speed until it starts to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and whip the cream until thick, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
• Pull the plastic wrap back from the top of the cake, turn the cake over onto a serving plate, then remove the plastic.
• Frost the cake all over with the whipped cream, and serve immediately.

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

Why is it called an icebox cake?

An icebox cake is a retro no-bake dessert that was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s, as the refrigerator (or the icebox) became a standard household appliance. It’s made of layers of whipped cream and pudding with wafers, cookies or graham crackers, often assembled in a loaf pan. As the cake is chilled in the refrigerator, the moisture from the pudding or cream soaks into the crackers, softening them until they can be sliced like a cake. This dessert is also sometimes called a refrigerator cake, whipped cream cake or cookie cake.

Can I make the cake in advance?

You can assemble the pudding and graham crackers in the loaf pan up to 2 days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until you’re ready to make the whipped cream and serve the cake.

How should I store leftover cake?

Refrigerate the leftover cake in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

What brand of eggnog did you use?

With so much eggnog in the pudding, you need to use a good quality eggnog that you like the taste of. Your eggnog icebox cake will only taste as good as the eggnog you use in it. I love the eggnog my local milk delivery (Royal Crest Dairy) carries, but for a store brand, I prefer the flavor of Meadow Gold eggnog.

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