Christmas Morning Breakfast: Eggnog Coffee Cake Recipe
Updated Jan 03, 2026, Published Dec 04, 2020
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Eggnog can be found everywhere this time of year. It is always great in a mug but I love to try other ways too. Baking with things like eggnog is great because of the added spices already in the mixture and I felt like a coffee cake was great place to start. Add this Eggnog Coffee Cake to your Christmas morning breakfast menu and you will certainly be glad that you did. Keep scrolling for all of the delicious details.
When my Taters and Tales were little I always made a big Christmas morning breakfast. They will still tell you that the brown sugar glazed black pepper bacon was their favorite!
As I have remarried and my sweet kids have gotten older, Christmas breakfast has changed. These days I am not getting woke up at 5 am to open gifts…so breakfast tends to start a whole lot later.
Making something a little lighter and that I can make ahead of time works great. So this Eggnog Coffee Cake is perfect but it would also be awesome as an addition to a big meal.
Thank you so much for stopping by! This eggnog coffee cake recipe contains affiliate links, I receive a small amount of compensation if you choose to purchase from my links (for example – as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). I only link to products that I know and love!
How to Make a Coffee Cake with Eggnog
The great thing about a coffee cake is that it is a quick bread which mean that it is leavened by baking powder or baking soda. So much easier than yeast bread!
This bread starts a little like a cookie. You start by creaming together butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. I used a hand held mixer but this can easily be done by hand if your butter is nicely softened.
Then you add the flour, salt and baking powder and mix to combine.
What is Eggnog Made Of?
Traditional eggnog is made from either milk or cream, sugar, raw eggs and spices {often vanilla or nutmeg and in some recipes, cloves}.
Because all of those ingredients are already in the eggnog itself, it eliminates having to add eggs, milk or extra spices to the batter. It is basically all of the wet ingredients in one which is so cool.
I did however add a bit of sour cream to help balance the sweetness.
Another thing to remember is to not over mix the batter but make sure that all of the ingredients get combined.
Pour the beautiful mixture into a 9×9 pan and spread it into an even layer.
How to make the Best Part of any Coffee Cake…The Crumb Topping!
Combine the butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or forks, cut the butter into the other ingredients.
Don’t over mix the ingredients or you will end up with a paste instead of a crumb.
Add the crumb topping to the batter in a thick layer.
Bake the coffee cake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool. While the cake is cooling combine the glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Drizzle over the top of the cake and serve.
I have to admit that we didn’t wait for the cake to cool completely. I almost immediately cut a slice and drizzled it with the eggnog glaze.
There is certainly something to be said for eating this cake warm.
My Darb then continued to eat it for breakfast the rest of the week and loved every single bite {and he can be a hard sell}.
The flavor screams Christmas and so what better way to start any morning during this season? Enjoy!
Do you love Crumb Cake? Try these recipes…
- Banana Crumb Cake
- Red Velvet Crumb Cake
- Apple Crumb Cake
- Zucchini Crumb Cake
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Crumb Cake
Eggnog Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup butter {softened}
- 1/2 cup brown sugar {packed}
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup egg nog
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup butter {softened}
- 3/4 cup brown sugar {packed}
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 4-5 tbsp egg nog
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with non stick spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Combine with a hand held mixer {stand mixer or by hand} until creamy.
- Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix to combine. The mixture might be a bit crumbly but that is alright.
- Add the egg nog and sour cream all at once and combine until you have a nice cake batter. Pour batter into the prepared 9x9 pan.
Crumb Topping
- To make the crumb topping, combine the butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the other ingredients until you have crumbs. Do not over mix or you will have a paste.
- Top cake batter with crumbs in an even and thick layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.
Glaze
- Combine glaze ingredients and whisk together. Drizzle over the top of cooled cake and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you make ahead and bake in the morning?
I have never tried this but I do like to bake it ahead and then reheat in the morning.
All of these sound great .
Thank you Donna! Enjoy & Happy Holidays. 🙂