Cheesecake Stuffed Eggnog Pound Cake

Holiday desserts deserve to be a little bit over-the-top, whether you’re talking about elaborately iced sugar cookies or a layer cake. The holidays usually mean that we all have a little bit of additional incentive to make our desserts impressive, whether we simply have time off of work and a few extra hours to play around in the kitchen or we have a house full of family visiting from out of town. This Cheesecake Stuffed Eggnog Pound Cake might not look all that different from your average pound cake when you set it out on a cake plate, but once you cut that first slice, everyone will know that it is something very special.

This pound cake is not only made with plenty of real eggnog, but it has a layer of eggnog-flavored cheesecake baked right into the center of it! The cheesecake ring runs all the way around the cake, ensuring you get a nice portion of it in each and every slice of cake. The cake itself is a moist, dense pound cake that is made with eggnog. I used storebought eggnog, which I regularly have on hand during the holidays, and recommend it as it will give you consistently good results in this type of cake. The cake and the filling are flavored with vanilla and nutmeg – commonly used eggnog flavoring ingredients – and you’ll taste the holidays in every single bite.

I used a tube pan to bake this pound cake. A tube pan has a removable bottom and allows you to pop out a cake very easily. Cakes baked in tube pans are a little bit plain looking, however, so it is worth noting that you can bake this same recipe in a bundt cake pan if you want your cake to have a more eye-catching design. Regardless of which pan you use, the baking time will be about the same. Since this cake is quite decadent on its own, it needs no frosting. If you do want to decorate it a bit, you can dust a little powdered sugar over the top and put it on a fancy cake plate before serving. The cake keeps very well and can be baked a day or two ahead of when you intend to serve it, as long as you store it in an airtight container in a cool place.

Cheesecake Stuffed Eggnog Pound Cake
Filling
8-oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 large egg

Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup eggnog

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 10-inch bundt (or tube) pan.
Make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat together all filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in the eggs one by one, waiting until each has been incorporated to add the next. Blend in the vanilla extract and vegetable oil.
Stir a third of the flour mixture into butter mixture, followed by half of the eggnog. Stir in another third of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the eggnog. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, mixing just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain and batter is smooth.
Pour about half of the batter into prepared pan, then carefully spoon the cream cheese filling into a ring in the center of the batter. Do not stir it in and make sure it does not touch the sides of the pan. Pour remaining batter on top, making sure that the cream cheese layer is completely covered.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving. (The cake can be cooled completely in the pan if using a tube pan)

Serves 12-16