Eggnog Coffee Cake: A Perfect Christmas Morning Treat

Eggnog coffee cake is the perfect treat for Christmas morning. 🎄 Its warm spices, crumbly top, and sweet glaze make every bite a holiday delight. Mix it up the night before so you can relax with coffee while the kids open presents. Your home will smell amazing, and the cake is soft, moist, and ready to enjoy. Keep reading for the step-by-step recipe!

Close-up of eggnog coffee cake with a cinnamon crumble and glaze, showing its deliciously spiced, moist texture.

Christmas morning… the long-awaited dash to the tree, the ripping open of presents, and the scent of eggnog coffee cake waiting to be enjoyed. At least those of you with small children know what I’m talking about. I caution my kids not to wake me until the sun comes up, but I don’t think that has happened yet. You can bet at the first crack of light, they’re tapping my back, begging me to get out of bed. I guess I can’t blame them; I did it to my poor, tired parents, too.

By the time the gift frenzy is over and you’re still picking up wrapping paper scraps, and those pesky sticker tags, breakfast is long gone. But what if you could savor a delicious piece of eggnog coffee cake while the presents were opened? In the time it takes you to pour a fresh cup of coffee, you can have this eggnog coffee cake for breakfast, too.

Why Eggnog Coffee Cake Is Perfect for Christmas

The key to breakfast success on Christmas morning, short of having a personal chef, is to make this eggnog coffee cake ahead of time. It can be made up to three days in advance and kept on the counter (covered, of course). You’ll need to pull out a springform pan and grease it lightly while you heat the oven to 350 degrees.

An empty springform pan, ready to be filled with eggnog coffee cake batter before baking to make removing the cake easier.

Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and nutmeg. You’ll also need a 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Bowl with flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder, the dry ingredients for eggnog coffee cake’s warm flavor.

Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar

In a separate large bowl, cream together 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter and a cup of sugar. It works best if the butter is at room temperature and the mixer is on medium speed.

Creaming unsalted butter and sugar until light and fluffy creates the moist texture in eggnog coffee cake’s batter.

Step 3: Add Eggs, Vanilla, and Sour Cream

Beat in 2 eggs plus another egg yolk and a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. Then mix in 1 cup of sour cream. Beat the mixture for about 3 minutes or until it is light and fluffy. When the wet ingredients are combined, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients a little at a time. Increase the mixer speed to high and mix each batch for 30 seconds.

Egg yolk, vanilla, and sour cream blended into the eggnog coffee cake batter to add moisture and subtle holiday flavor.

Step 4: Prepare the Batter

Pour the eggnog coffee cake batter into the springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Eggnog coffee cake batter poured into the pan, smoothed with a spatula to create a level surface for the crumble topping.

Step 5: Make the Crumble Topping

Now for my favorite part: the crumble top! Mix together 3/4 cup of flour, 2/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Toss in a pinch of salt.

Mixing the crumble topping ingredients—flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg—for the perfect eggnog coffee cake finish.

Use a pastry cutter to cut in 5 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter. You want the mixture to resemble small pea-sized crumbs so that you can get that nice crunch on top of the eggnog coffee cake.

Pastry cutter blending cold butter into flour mixture until crumbly, a key step in eggnog coffee cake’s topping.

Step 6: Add the Crumble and Bake

Spread the crumble topping over the eggnog coffee cake batter and bake it at 350 degrees for an hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Sprinkling the crumb topping evenly over the eggnog coffee cake batter before baking to add a sweet, spiced crunch.

Step 7: Add the Glaze

When the eggnog coffee cake has completely cooled, and you’ve removed it from the springform pan, cover it with a simple glaze. You can do this by combining 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 3-4 tablespoons of eggnog. Lightly drizzle it on top.

A simple eggnog glaze drizzled over eggnog coffee cake for a sweet finishing touch perfect for holiday breakfasts.

A Treat to Share with Loved Ones

I initially made this eggnog coffee cake for my Sunday School class. I liked that I could make it the night before and have it ready to go first thing in the morning. Then it hit me! This would be a perfect way to save time on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day when things can get a bit crazy. It also travels nicely in a covered cake transporter.

Freshly baked eggnog coffee cake with golden brown crumb topping and glaze, ready to slice and serve on Christmas morning.

The inside is nice and fluffy, but the top has just the right amount of crunch. The eggnog flavor is subtle enough to work for breakfast, but it’s sweet enough to be a dessert. Really, eggnog coffee cake is the best of both worlds.

Looking for Other Christmas Morning Treats?

If eggnog isn’t your thing, but you still want to bake something special for Christmas morning, how about trying a bright and flavorful cranberry orange bread or some mini blueberry peach scones? Both are so pretty and delicate; they make the perfect Christmas treat. For more baking ideas, follow me on Pinterest. Happy cooking, y’all!

Sliced eggnog coffee cake topped with a sweet glaze and crumb topping, perfect for Christmas morning treats or holiday brunch.
Heidi Davison

Head Baker & Owner

Hi, I'm Heidi, Head Baker and Owner of Heidi's Bakery in Knoxville, TN.

What began as a blog to share family recipes has become a thriving bakery, thanks to community support.
Many recipes here are from my family’s cookbook. Give them a try and leave a comment below!

Heidi Davison the Owner of Heidis Bakery

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