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Eggnog Bread is a tender, spiced quick bread that bakes a full cup of the holiday carton right into the crumb, warmed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum extract, then draped in a sweet eggnog glaze. I baked a loaf on a *quiet December evening* and by morning the glaze end pieces had mysteriously vanished, Maddie blames Lizzie. It is the quick bread sibling of my layer style eggnog cake.
A soft spiced loaf with real eggnog in the batter and the glaze, no yeast and no mixer marathon.
Eggnog Bread Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 55 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 275kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet vanilla nutmeg with a hint of rum and a creamy glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with my cream cheese banana bread
Quick Answer
Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in one bowl. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl, mix in an egg, rum extract, and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients followed by a full cup of eggnog, mixing until smooth. Bake in a greased 9×5 loaf pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 to 55 minutes, cool, then pour over a glaze whisked from powdered sugar and eggnog.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Eggnog replaces the milk and half the spice rack. The carton brings cream, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla in one pour, so a full cup flavors the whole loaf from the inside.
- Rum extract fakes the bar cart. A teaspoon delivers that classic spiked eggnog warmth while keeping the loaf completely family friendly.
- The creaming method builds a tender crumb. Beating the butter and sugar first aerates the batter, giving a quick bread that eats like a soft pound cake.
- Baking soda plus powder handles the heavy batter. The pair gives enough lift to dome the loaf even with all that rich eggnog weighing it down.
- The foil tent prevents a dark top. Covering the loaf halfway through stops the sugary crust from over browning during the long bake.
- Glazing on a rack makes the pretty drip. Pouring the eggnog glaze over a rack lets the excess fall away, leaving an even coat that sets into a sweet shell.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like a glass of spiked eggnog in sliceable form, spice, vanilla, and a hint of rum.
- No yeast, no mixer marathon, just one bowl of batter and a 55 minute bake.
- The creaming method gives it the same tender crumb as my banana bundt cake.
Key Ingredients
One holiday carton powers the batter and the glaze.
- Eggnog: The star. A full cup in the batter plus three tablespoons in the glaze doubles down on holiday flavor.
- Rum extract: The spike. It brings the classic spiked eggnog taste with zero alcohol.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: The spice. They echo the flavors already in the carton.
- Unsalted butter: The richness. Creamed with sugar for a tender, cakey crumb.
- All purpose flour: The structure. Two cups hold all that rich liquid in a sliceable loaf.
- Powdered sugar: The glaze. Whisked with eggnog into a thick, pourable finish.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One loaf, plenty of holiday directions.
- Fold in a half cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch.
- Add a handful of dried cranberries for little tart pops in the sweet crumb.
- Swap the rum extract for bourbon vanilla for a different warm note.
- If you love baking with the holiday carton, my eggnog french toast uses it at breakfast too.
- Bake the batter in mini loaf pans for giftable loaves, checking for doneness around 30 minutes.
How to Make Eggnog Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9×5 loaf pan with baking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes, then add the egg and mix it in completely.
- Mix in the rum extract and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined, then pour in the eggnog and mix until the batter is smooth with no lumps.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, tenting with foil halfway through if the top browns too fast. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and eggnog into a thick but pourable glaze. Set the cooled loaf on a rack over parchment, pour the glaze over the top, and let it drip down the sides. Rest 15 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use full fat eggnog. The rich carton makes a noticeably more tender, flavorful loaf than light versions.
- Mix just until smooth. Overworking the batter after the flour goes in makes quick breads tough.
- Tent with foil at the half hour mark. The sugary crust darkens quickly, and the foil keeps it golden instead of burnt.
- Cool before glazing. A warm loaf drinks the glaze in, a cool one wears it like a glossy coat.
- Make the glaze thick but pourable. It should ribbon off the whisk, add eggnog a teaspoon at a time if it seizes.
- Let the glaze set before slicing. Fifteen minutes turns it from sticky to that bakery style shell.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve slices with mugs of my eggnog latte for a double eggnog moment.
My eggnog christmas punch keeps the party glass full while the bread disappears.
For the banana lovers at the table, my Oreo banana bread is the year round quick bread.
And my eggnog cake takes the same flavor to birthday cake territory.
Eggnog Bread FAQs
Eggnog bread tastes like the holiday drink baked into a soft, pound cake style loaf, sweet vanilla and warm nutmeg with a gentle rum note from the extract. The eggnog glaze on top concentrates that flavor into a sweet shell. If you like eggnog in a glass, the bread version is the same cozy flavor with more structure.
No, this eggnog bread is completely alcohol free. The spiked flavor comes from rum extract, which delivers the warm, classic taste without any actual rum, and standard grocery store eggnog contains no alcohol either. If you want a true boozy note, swap a tablespoon of the glaze eggnog for dark rum or bourbon.
Store glazed eggnog bread wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, since both the batter and glaze contain fresh eggnog. Let slices come to room temperature before serving so the crumb softens. The loaf also freezes well for up to 3 months, glaze it after thawing for the freshest finish.
Quick breads turn dense when the batter is overmixed or the leavening is stale. Stir just until the flour disappears and the eggnog is incorporated, and check that your baking soda and powder are fresh. Underbaking also reads as dense, so trust the toothpick test over the clock, the center needs the full 50 plus minutes.
Yes, this eggnog bread batter makes about 12 to 14 muffins. Line a muffin tin, fill each cup about three quarters full, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Drizzle the eggnog glaze over the cooled muffins, they make a great holiday breakfast grab.
Eggnog season, roughly November through New Year’s, is prime time since the carton is everywhere. The loaf is a natural for Christmas morning, holiday gifting, and cookie tray duty. If you freeze a carton of eggnog, you can bake this eggnog bread any month of the year and bring the holidays back early.
Made this eggnog bread? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me if the glaze end piece survived the night!
My cozy apple walnut bread makes two loaves, one to keep and one to gift.
My eggnog cupcakes hide a real eggnog pudding center under cinnamon whipped cream.
Eggnog Bread with Eggnog Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup eggnog
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons eggnog
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with baking spray, or line it with parchment paper and spray with baking spray, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined, set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes until combined.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg and mix it in.1 large egg
- Mix in the rum extract and vanilla.1 teaspoon rum extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it in until just combined.
- Add the eggnog and fully mix it in until there are no lumps.1 cup eggnog
- Add the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the bread looks like it is browning too soon, tent it with foil about halfway through.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Take the bread out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack.
- While the bread cools, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and eggnog in a medium-sized bowl until smooth. The glaze should be thick yet pourable.1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons eggnog
- Place the bread on a wire rack over a piece of parchment paper.
- Pour the glaze over the bread and let it drip down the sides.
- Let the bread cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For the best results, make sure your butter, egg, and eggnog are at room temperature. This helps everything mix together smoothly.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can lead to a denser loaf.
- Tent with Aluminum Foil: If your loaf is browning too quickly, tent it with foil halfway through the baking time.
- Test for Doneness: Check the bread by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your bread is ready!
- Let It Cool Before Glazing: Allow the bread to cool for at least 10 minutes before adding the glaze so it doesn’t melt and soak into the loaf.
- Make It Mini: This recipe makes great mini loaves if you want to give them as gifts. Just reduce the baking time slightly.
Nutrition
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