Eggnog Breakfast Crumble Crunch Cake.

November 28, 2011

Eggnog is a funky thing.

Wanna know how I really feel about it? Exactly how Clark feels about it when cousin Eddie tells him he’ll be taking his beloved RV with them when they leave next month. I’ll gladly guzzle spiked eggnog in a situation like that too… and that’s about it.

But let’s be honest… the best part of that scene is the dickie that Eddie is wearing. Seriously.

So… the nog.

I like it… but I only want a few sips out of each glass.

As a kid who grew up hating milk, it’s a miracle that I enjoyed eggnog at all given the creamy, thick texture. I’m pretty sure it was a tradition type sort of thingamajig… for years on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, my dad would haul up the Christmas decorations after we had tortured him for four days, but only in time for us to have a little glass of eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg and pull apart all of those annoying branches on the artificial tree before going to bed. Uhh, come to think of it, my parents had a point there. I hate separating those stupid things now and the idea of a child just got much more desirable.

I’d then slurp my eggnog while suffering from extreme sleep anxiety and lay on the couch while my mom began to string the first of her nearly 3000 lights on a 6 1/2-foot tree.

Oh. Yes. This is a real thing. I wish I was exaggerating. You can see the tree from space. I’ll show you a picture this year. Swear.

But anyhoooo.

Best of both worlds here today!

1. Cake for breakfast. Always.

2. A lil’ eggnog spice for your holiday season.

Plus a bit of crunch and crumbly junk going on.

FYI: I tried to take a pretty picture by my tree.

Actually, I tried to take like 4,500 pretty pictures by my tree.

I failed.

We don’t have too strong of an eggnog flavor here, but just enough of a hint to make you wish to be a Griswold. In other words, people who claim to hate eggnog (like my husband) won’t even KNOW there is eggnog in this when they take a bite.

Especially if you, uh… don’t tell them. Like I did.

One of the best marriage saver secrets I can offer here, people. Soak it up.

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Eggnog Breakfast Crumble Crunch Cake

Yield: makes one 9x13 cake

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + an extra 1/4 teaspoon
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar + and extra 1/3 cup
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup eggnog

crumble topping
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

eggnog glaze
1/3 cup eggnog
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. In another small bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon, then whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, add butter and sugars and whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs one a time, mixing until completely combined, then stir in vanilla extract. Stir in dry ingredients, mixing until a batter forms, then whisk in eggnog until smooth. Pour half of the batter in the baking dish, then sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over top. Cover with remaining batter, gently using a spatula to spread over sugar if needed. Don’t worry if some of the sugar peeks through. Top with the crumble.

To make the crumble: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over cake, then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cake is set in the middle. While cake is baking, make glaze below. After removing cake from oven, immediately poke holes all throughout the cake with a toothpick, then drizzle glaze over top.

To make glaze: Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat, and allow to come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit until cake is finished.

Note: You can use dairy or non-dairy eggnog. In the last month I’ve made this with cow’s milk eggnog and coconut milk eggnog – great result each time!