Eggnog Poke Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg (Optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup spiced rum

Eggnog Sauce:

4 egg yolks
⅓ cup white sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup eggnog

Eggnog Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup eggnog
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste (Optional)

Instructions:

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.

-Whisk flour, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

-Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour in 1/2 of the cream and 1/2 of the spiced rum and mix until just combined. Continue alternating adding the flour mixture, cream, and spiced rum until combined. Do not overmix. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

-Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing to a serving platter.

-While cake is baking, make the eggnog sauce. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a small bowl. Mix in flour, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and salt; mixture will be very thick.

-Combine milk and eggnog in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until just barely simmering. Slowly pour 1/2 of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the milk and eggnog; whisk to combine. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

-Pour sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a heat-safe bowl. Let cool slightly, then place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.

-While cake is still very warm, poke holes all over using the handle of a wooden spoon. Slowly pour eggnog sauce over cake and let soak in, spreading sauce over the cake with a spatula if necessary. Allow to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

-Make eggnog whipped cream just before serving. Beat cream, eggnog, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together on high speed in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form.

-Place several dollops of whipped cream on the completely cooled cake. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.