This Is Our Most Popular Recipe for the Holidays—and Here's Why

Our Test Kitchen has created so many incredible holiday cakes (try this famous white cake) over the years that it's tough to pick a favorite. And yet, one that our readers go crazy for is the Eggnog Spice Cake with Bourbon Custard Filling and Eggnog Buttercream. Doesn't the title alone make your mouth water?

This four-layer cake is truly a showstopper with lightly sweetened bourbon pastry cream, tender eggnog-flavored cake layers, and a rich and creamy buttercream frosting. Like all layered cakes, this one requires several components, but luckily it's not hard to pull off. Here are the steps to creating this incredible cake, perfect for any holiday.

Prepare the Cake

We recommend preparing each part of the cake in stages, ahead of time. To get a jump start on your holiday preparations, you can even bake the cake layers up to one month ahead of time. Wrap each cooled layer tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and store in the freezer. When you're ready to assemble the cake, defrost the layers in the refrigerator one day in advance.

Prepare the Bourbon Filing and Frosting

Make the bourbon filling up to three days in advance. After mixing, store it covered in the refrigerator. Finally, make the buttercream frosting up to one day before, then cover and store it in the refrigerator.

Fresh nutmeg makes a big difference in this cake. We recommend using a Microplane to grate fresh nutmeg, but if you'd rather use pre-ground nutmeg, give it a sniff before you use it to ensure it is still aromatic and fresh.

Add Final Touches

The zigzag piped frosting gives the cake a lovely ruffled look, but you can also use a small offset spatula to cover the cake with a smooth layer of frosting. Either way, this cake is guaranteed to impress!