Boozy Eggnog Loaf Cake

We finally had some decent snow last night and today. They are calling for quite a bit again tomorrow. I love this time of year when you are so happy to see the snow that you don't mind going out to shovel it. I like that it gives me something to do while the dogs are busy playing in the yard. It is so fun to watch them run and tumble in the fresh snow. They all come in with their frosty white faces waiting for their treats.
Speaking of treats, I had not planned to hit the eggnog so hard this week, but you know I'm unemployed so why not spend my days drinking baking. I've decided to make it official and just call this eggnog week, I have one more recipe to share with you later this week and then I promise I'll move on to fruitcake or something!
There are a few food bloggers that I have been following for a really long time, whether they post once a week or once a month it doesn't matter. I keep them in my blogroll because I know that everything they post is going to be delicious. One look at this eggnog loaf cake and I knew it was going to be perfect, well perfect after I made a few small changes! Instead of commercial eggnog I used actual whipped cream with booze and fresh nutmeg. I wanted this loaf to be as light and soft as possible. I actually thought about using cake flour, but then changed my mind at the last minute. I'm glad I did as this loaf turned out just as I had hoped. The icing adds one last boozy kick. If you wanted to make this exceptionally boozy you could poke a few small holes in the top of the loaf (a chopstick works well for this) and then pour an extra tablespoon (or two) of rum, brandy, and/or bourbon over the top. Give it a little time to soak in before you add the icing and serve. You could make it without any booze at all if that is your preference, but of coarse it would then just be an Eggnog Loaf Cake.

Boozy Eggnog Loaf Cake
adapted from A Sweet Spoonful

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons rum, brandy, and/or bourbon ( I used 1 tsp. rum and 1 tsp. brandy)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk

Icing
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons rum, brandy, and/or bourbon
freshly grated nutmeg for the top

Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit. Line an 8x5 loaf ban with parchment so that the extra hangs over the sides. Coat the parchment and pan with nonstick cooking spray, or butter and flour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the heavy whipping cream, rum (brandy, or bourbon),vanilla extract and nutmeg. Whisk at high speed until it doubles in volume. Keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until it become creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the sugar until the mixture is looks fluffy and light-colored, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until the ingredients come together into a dough. It's ok if there is still a little flour visible on the dough and the sides of the bowl.
Using a spatula, gently mix 1/3 of the whipped cream into the batter. Pour the rest of the cream into the bowl and gently fold it into the batter. Keep gently folding and stirring, and eventually it will form a smooth, glossy, pourable batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Place in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The loaf is done when the top is golden-brown, and when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it by the parchment paper and transfer to a cooling rack. Remove the parchment. When the loaf has cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar with the rum, brandy, and/or bourbon in a small glass measuring cup with a spout. Pour icing over the loaf, and sprinkle with fresh nutmeg. Let the icing set, then slice and serve.