A New Classic: Egg Nog Cake with Vintage Bourbon Cream Frosting

Egg Nog Cake

Firstie was wanting an Egg Nog cake for his special December day.  Not finding a recipe for “egg nog cake” anywhere on the web, I did the only thing that a girl can do in that situation:  I panicked.

Then my creative brain kicked in and reminded me that cake making was pretty straight forward in its formula; just give it the appropriate seasonal flair and it should work.  I was completely unprepared for how well it would work.  I served it with our homemade Vanilla & Ginger Snap ice cream for a very memorable day, and a definite new family favorite.

I hope that you get a chance to try it, and that you love it as much as we do.  Cheers!

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C = Cup and tsp = teaspoon

EGG NOG CAKE
1 1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C extra-fine granulated sugar
4 egg whites
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground clove
1 little splash of bourbon
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 C Egg Nog, plus a bit more to reach consistency*
Vintage Bourbon Cream Frosting (below)

* When I first made this recipe, the consistency was close to dough-like, so I kept adding a bit more egg nog to get more of a batter. Still not quite what I was expecting, but the end result was fabulous.

Directions:
350* oven
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until creamy.
2. Beat in egg whites one at a time.
3. Beat in vanilla and spices.
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg nog, beating just until combined.  Don’t overmix.
5. Spread evenly into two greased and floured 9-in round baking pans.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
7. To cool, put your cakes directly into the freezer from the oven for 45 minutes, then remove to the counter for decorating.*  PLEASE only do this with metal pans; the extreme temperature change could cause any sort of ceramic or glass pan to shatter.
8. Ice with Vintage Bourbon Cream Frosting.
9. Top with crushed ginger snap cookie and chill for one hour.
10. Cut into 16 slices and serve with Vanilla & Ginger Snap ice cream.  Deo Gratias for simple joys!

Notes:
– For goodness sake, please do NOT use margarine; you will absolutely break my heart. And besides, nothing says love like butter.
– My vanilla doesn’t have alcohol, so my amounts may be greater than those with alcohol-based vanilla; you may want to adjust your vanilla accordingly.
– I really do recommend the freezer right after baking; I have had consistently moist cakes, despite the fact that I don’t really know what I’m doing. Just make sure to use metal pans if you go right to freezer from the oven. You will love it!
– Oh, and always double the vanilla (the doubled amount is already in this recipe).
– For the egg nog, I used Hub’s homemade twist, “loosely based” on Sal’s Easiest Egg Nog (Hub’s changes were to substitute half & half for the low-fat milk, and to use more eggs).

HUB’S LOOSEY GOOSEY EGG NOG
1 Qt half & half*
9 whole eggs
A couple of handfuls of sugar
A bunch of vanilla
And probably some cinnamon and nutmeg

Directions:
Mix it all up in a bowl and chill it in the fridge.
Makes enough for the cake.  Hopefully.
* Hub says, “I only used half & half because the store was out of heavy cream.”  Lord, how I love this man.

Vintage Bourbon Cream Frosting

VINTAGE BOURBON CREAM FROSTING
2 blocks cream cheese
1/2 C softened butter
1 1/4 – 16 oz boxes powdered sugar (a bit more or less to taste)
8 tsp vanilla
2+ tsp Kentucky bourbon (or more according to taste)

Directions:
1. Cream the cream cheese and butter.
2. Cream in the powdered sugar.
3. Cream in the vanilla and bourbon.
4. Chill 30 minutes or until cakes are out of the freezer.

Notes:
I use an alcohol-free vanilla, and tend to use more than in alcohol-based vanilla; you may want to adjust your vanilla accordingly….The picture is a half-iced cake, to give an idea of consistency and texture of the frosting.  I was running a little late, so didn’t chill it but 15 minutes and it was still wonderful.

VANILLA & GINGER SNAP ICE CREAM
For Homemade Ice Cream:
2 C milk
1 C extra fine sugar
3 C heavy whipping cream
6 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon, ground or freshly grated
1+ C Ginger Snap cookie pieces, about the size of a sweet pea, give or take.

Directions
1. Using a hand mixer, dissolve sugar into milk.
2. Add heavy whipping cream, vanilla and cinnamon and beat on medium for one minute.
3. Place mixture into ice cream machine.  Follow manufacturer’s instructions for making ice cream.
4. Five minutes before the ice cream is done mixing, add the Ginger Snap cookie pieces, a bit at a time.
5. When ice cream is done mixing in the machine, remove to a freezer-safe bowl and chill for an hour.

For Store-bought Ice Cream:
1 package vanilla ice cream
3 tsp vanilla (no such thing as too much vanilla)
2 tsp cinnamon, ground or freshly grated
1+ C Ginger Snap cookie pieces, about the size of a sweet pea, give or take.

Directions:
1. Soften the ice cream (I like to leave mine on the counter for a bit).
2. Stir as soon as it’s “stirrable”.  (Oh, yes, you’ll learn all sorts of new words here.)
3. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.
4. Add cookie pieces, mixing in thoroughly.
5. Leave out for a bit, so that the ice cream softens the ginger snaps just a bit.
6. Place in freezer to set, about an hour or so.

This is a really wonderful softer ice cream, especially when served with the Egg Nog cake.  After it’s set in the freezer, you can leave it out for 20 minutes before serving, or cut back on your freezer time.  Whatever works for you.

Yep. We thought so, too. 🙂

Happy Birthday, Pip!

What a wonderful day he’s had already!

The Pippinator woke to horribly off-key tone-deaf people serenading his bedside with a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday”.  Most definitely, a rude awakening.  O; )

Here are pictures so far; I’ll post more as the day marches on.

I love the wonderment, contemplating what wonderful treasure awaits inside.

His favorite: Candy! See how he was overjoyed into blinking? : )

I missed the moment of rejoicing: "My favorite Antroz!"

A breakfast feast: Melty Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Middlin was in charge of making the whipped cream. He's very good at his job! There's Pip's fork, swiping a snitch. LOL

I’ll post the recipe for the pancakes later on over at The Latent Foodie.  For now, it’s time to get ready for birthday Mass. : )

Ode to Joy…and Chocolate : )

Having yummy hot chocolate last night, after the boys’ first recital. Too much fun.

Pip, me, Firstie & Middlin

Firstie, Middlin, Pip & Hub

Middlin's recital, Ode to Joy

Firstie at recital, Ode to Joy

sorry about the tilted pictures.  My photo editor is on the other computer and I am feeling decidedly L-A-Z-Y.  O: )

(and yes, they were very joyful!  : )

Thank a Hero!

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Our freedom is a precious gift, and for that, we thank our Lord, our leaders and our servicemembers.  It’s so easy to take for granted because life as we know it keeps on going in the good ol’ U.S. of A.  Only in mindful appreciation, though, do we have a chance of keeping that freedom and understanding the true meaning of the word.

We thank our own veterans today: Hub, his dad, his brothers and sister; my granpa, my dad, and my brother.  Without their service, and the service of millions before them, we wouldn’t be who we are or the help of other nations who dream of freedom.

So thank a Veteran today!  Tell them how much you love and appreciate their sacrifice, and pray for time to take soften the memories of the horrors of their eyes and for Christ to truly be in all of us.  If you want to do something more, head on over to Heifer.org and buy a cow, a goat or a duck in honor of your Veteran (we gave Hub a trio of rabbits–what fun!).  There’s no greater thanks than to help others realize their own self-reliance.

God bless you and may God bless America!