Eggnog Sheet Cake
Indulge in this Eggnog Sheet Cake that is both festive and delicious! Moist and fluffy eggnog cake is topped with eggnog frosting and decorated with buttercream Christmas trees for a festive holiday cake that is sure to impress!
If you want more holiday cake recipes, be sure to check out some of my favorites like Christmas Eve Cake, Festive Gingerbread Snack Cake Without Frosting, or Whimsical North Pole Cupcakes.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Eggnog Sheet Cake
- Ready In: 1 hour
- Makes: 12 servings
- Main Ingredients: cane sugar, canola oil, eggnog, pastry flour
- Flavor Profile: creamy and nostalgic eggnog in every bite!
- Dietary Info: gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Medium
- Why You’ll Love It: easy decorated Christmas cake with eggnog!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Holiday Cake: This is the epitome of holiday cake as far as flavor and design go! This Eggnog Sheet Cake is warm and cozy and it’s decorated with tiny trees for the perfect amount of holiday cheer.
- Moist and Fluffy: This easy sheet cake is no fuss and turns out a moist and fluffy cake that is fool proof.
- Festive Flavor: I use organic eggnog in both the cake and in the icing for a holiday cake that will have everyone wanting seconds.
- Easy and Festive: If you want to make a Christmas tree cake, but don’t want to spend a ton of time then this is the perfect recipe! This cake is easy, yet festive, with the perfect balance of decoration and ease. I also have a video that shows you exactly how to pipe the trees!
This Eggnog Sheet Cake is my version of a Christmas tree cake. I don’t like to spend a ton of time decorating, because you’re just going to eat the cake! So, this holiday cake strikes the perfect balance of being festive fun without spending tons of time.
I use this same technique on my Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Tree Cupcakes, and they turned out so cute. And I put a vote up on Instagram if you guys wanted me to decorate this cake with tiny trees or one large one, and it was overwhelmingly tiny trees! So, we’re making this festive cake simple and easy.
Make sure to follow along on Instagram so you can vote on upcoming recipes. And, check out some of my other favorite no fuss holiday desserts like Christmas Lights Snack Cake, Peppermint Bark Snack Cake, Healthy Gingerbread Hot Cocoa with Bone Broth, Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies, Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Bars, or Eggless Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies, Easy Christmas Present Brownies.
Ingredients
- Canola Oil: I use organic canola oil for this cake, making it a super easy one bowl cake recipe. If you are avoiding seed oils, just use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil in its place.
- Eggnog: I use Organic Valley Eggnog for eggnog flavor in the cake and frosting.
- Pastry Flour: I use organic pastry flour, but cake flour also works.
- Vanilla Bean: Organic ground vanilla bean makes a big difference in this recipe as it provides such a rich vanilla flavor that pairs so well with the eggnog. But you can use vanilla extract instead if you want.
- Nutmeg: I use organic ground nutmeg to bring out the egging flavor.
- Baking Powder: Make sure to use baking powder. Check out my article the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for more info on leavening agents.
- Vegetable Shortening: I use organic vegetable shortening for the frosting. This is my trick when I want really white frosting as it’s whiter than butter. But, to if you prefer you can also use butter in its place .
- Food Dye: I use organic matcha powder for the trees.
- Cocoa Powder: I use a little bit of organic Dutch cocoa powder for the tree trunks.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker’s Tips
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- This is an easy one bowl cake recipe so you can use a hand mixer, stand mixer or even just a bowl with a whisk!
- I use organic shortening for the frosting. This is my trick for organic white frosting! You can substitute butter if you prefer as well, it won’t be as white.
- The trees are totally optional, feel free to skip them if you want!
- Make sure to store extra cake in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Gluten Free — Replace the cake flour with 425 grams (heaping 2 ⅔ cups) Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend. Which is what I used for testing.
- High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
How to Make an Eggnog Sheet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. To make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, add the canola oil, eggnog, cane sugar, and eggs.
- Mix using a hand mixer (or stand mixer or whisk) until the eggs are combined.
- Add the pastry flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla bean and mix until combined.
- Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the cake pan.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), add the vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, and eggnog. Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Transfer 1/4 cup of frosting to a small bowl and add in the matcha. Mix to combine completely, add more matcha if you want a darker color. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a coupler. I use a coupler because I’m using 4 different tips for the trees. Add 2 tablespoons of frosting to another small bowl and add the cocoa powder and mix to combine completely. Transfer to a piping bag with tip #12.
- Spread the remaining white frosting onto the cake evenly.
- Using the green frosting, start with Ateco tip #21 first, pipe a zigzag triangle of frosting for a tree. Add a small line with the brown frosting did the trunk.
- Continue to do this all over the cake, anywhere you want trees. This can be totally freeform, have fun with it! I did one tree per slice, so 12 trees on the cake (3 across and 4 down). Next, I used Ateco tip #21, #6, #101, and #15 for zigzag triangles. I also used Ateco tip #21 and piped dollops in the shape of a triangle. And last, I used Ateco tip #21 to pipe rosettes in the shape of a triangle for 6 different types of trees. You can use all these methods, or even just one of them! (See the video for exactly how I pipe them).
Decorating Tips for Buttercream Christmas Trees
Eggnog Sheet Cake FAQ’s
Yes, you can use avocado oil or olive oil in the cake too.
No, this part is optional, and you can skip it if you prefer. You'll have a delicious eggnog cake, even if it doesn't have trees.
Yes, this is a great cake to make the day before if you need to. If you’re baking the day before, you can leave the cake in the pan overnight, so it doesn’t dry out and either frost the cake in the pan or frost the cake the day of.
Yes! Just replace the cake flour with 425 grams (heaping 2 ⅔ cups) Namaste Organic Perfect Flour Blend. Which is what I used for testing. If you're using another kind of gluten free flour blend, be sure to weigh it for the best results.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
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Eggnog Sheet Cake
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer (or hand mixer)
- Mixing Bowl (if using a hand mixer)
- 9×13-inch Baking Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Piping Bags
- Ateco Tip #6
- Ateco Tip #12
- Ateco Tip #15
- Ateco Tip #21
- Ateco Tip #101
- Coupler (if you want to switch out the tips for the green)
Ingredients
Batter
- ¾ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup eggnog
- 326 grams cane sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 425 grams pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground vanilla bean
Frosting
- 226 grams vegetable shortening
- 454 grams powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons eggnog
- ½ teaspoon matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon Dutch cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, add the canola oil, eggnog, cane sugar, and eggs. Mix using a hand mixer (or stand mixer or whisk) until the eggs are combined.
- Add the pastry flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla bean and mix until combined into a smooth cake batter.
- Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the cake pan.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), add the vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, and eggnog. Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Transfer 1/4 cup of frosting to a small bowl and add in the matcha. Mix to combine completely, add more matcha if you want a darker color. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a coupler. I use a coupler because I’m using 4 different tips for the trees.
- Add 2 tablespoons of frosting to another small bowl and add the cocoa powder and mix to combine completely. Transfer to a piping bag with tip #12.
- Spread the remaining white frosting onto the cake evenly.
- Using the green frosting, start with Ateco tip #21 first, pipe a zigzag triangle of frosting for a tree. Add a small line with the brown frosting did the trunk.
- Continue to do this all over the cake, anywhere you want trees. This can be totally freeform, have fun with it! I did one tree per slice, so 12 trees on the cake (3 across and 4 down). I used Ateco tip #21, #6, #101, and #15 for zigzag triangles. I also used Ateco tip #21 and piped dollops in the shape of a triangle. And last, I used Ateco tip #21 to pipe rosettes in the shape of a triangle for 5 different types of trees. You can use all these methods, or even just one of them! (See the video for exactly how I pipe them).
- Store extra cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- This is an easy one bowl cake recipe so you can use a hand mixer, stand mixer or even just a bowl with a whisk!
- I use organic shortening for the frosting. This is my trick for organic white frosting! You can substitute butter if you prefer as well, it won’t be as white.
- The trees are totally optional, feel free to skip them if you want!
- Make sure to store extra cake in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Gluten Free — Replace the cake flour with 425 grams (heaping 2 ⅔ cups) gluten free flour blend.
- High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
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This is so festive and perfect for the holidays!