German Eggnog Cake | Eierlikörkuchen

One bite of this delicious German eggnog cake will send you right into your Oma’s kitchen. With its beautiful deep yellow color and the full Eierlikör aroma, this stunning cake is always a winner, whether for Easter, for the holidays, or for your classic German afternoon coffee and cake. Actually, this cake is so easy to make that you don’t need a special occasion for it at all!

Eierlikörkuchen is a beloved staple in many German homes—simple, elegant, and full of that comforting, nostalgic flavor we all love. It’s the kind of recipe that gets passed down through generations, often scribbled on a handwritten note card and tucked into a family cookbook. So if you’re looking to add a touch of authentic German charm to your baking, this is the cake to try.

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Why You Will Love This Recipe

This cake checks all the boxes: it’s easy, elegant, and always a crowd-pleaser.

• Made only with simple pantry staples – and the liqueur
• Comes together in 20 minutes
• Freezes well and stays moist for days
• You can dress it up with a glaze or keep it rustic and simple

The ingredients

Here’s what you need:

• Egg liqueur (Eierlikör): You can easily make your own egg liqueur or buy a high-quality one, such as Dutch Avocaat.
• Eggs: This cake may be the perfect reason to use up extra eggs. They add richness and structure.
• Powdered sugar: Gives this cake its delicate texture.
• Butter: I just love the butter flavor and highly recommend a European butter such as Kerrygold
• Flour: I use regular AP flour.
• Corn starch: Lightens the texture and gives the crumb a delicate softness.
• Baking powder: Gives the cake more lightness and fluffiness.
• Salt: Not always in the original, but a pinch of salt helps enhance the flavor beautifully.

Useful tools and equipment

Given that our Omas already made this cake, you don’t need much but I find these helpful:

• Handheld mixer: While you can absolutely use your stand mixer, I find that a handheld electric mixer gives me much more control
• Mixing bowls: I recommend having two medium mixing bowls handy for this recipe
• Digital scale: I am giving you imperial measurements but I always recommend using a kitchen scale since that is so much more accurate
• Pretty Bundt pan: You can make this cake in a 9″x5″ loaf pan but it’s a lot prettier if you bake it in Bundt cake form
• Pastry brush: for greasing the cake pan
• Cooling rack: Your cake won’t get soggy if you let it cool on a wire rack

Substitutions and variations

This is always the fun part:

• Sugar: You can use regular sugar instead of the confectioners’ sugar but then make sure to mix the eggs and sugar for at least 5 minutes
• Butter: You can use a neutral oil such as sunflower oil or avocado oil in this eggnog cake recipe
• Cornstarch: Potato starch also works
• Other ingredients: Feel free to add some vanilla extract, chocolate chips, grated chocolate, or some nuts
• Glaze: I love serving this egg liqueur cake with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar but you can add your favorite glaze or eggnog frosting to it as well

How to serve

We love it simple and rustic, but you can also:

How long does it last?

This Eierlikörkuchen is great while still warm but tastes even better the next day when all the flavors have fully developed. You can keep your cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. If you’d like to keep it longer, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. 

Other great recipes you might like

Sourdough Carrot Cake

Eierlikör (homemade eggnog)

German Easter Bread

How to make this dish

This is just an overview of the recipe. Please check the recipe card for the full instructions.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Grease and flour the Bundt pan or loaf pan. Set aside.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!