Nothing sweetens the jolly season like passing around holiday treats made with love.

Sometimes, the best holiday gifts are the ones that warm our stomachs and celebrate tradition. When reuniting with friends and relatives this month, toast the season with a tried-and-true holiday classic: Eggnog.

Central to holiday reunions for centuries, eggnog has enhanced countless celebrations. The creamy, spiced beverage is believed to have originated from an early medieval “posset,” which was a mixture of eggs, milk and ale or wine.

American colonists enjoyed the drink of the Old World in the new, incorporating readily available rum and bourbon into their recipes. Many braved the winter weather to visit loved ones during the holidays and warmed up to a cup of rejuvenating eggnog after their journeys, according to the Virginia Egg Council.

Today, almost 110 billion eggs are produced in the U.S. annually. About 743 million are laid by Virginia hens, ranking the state No. 24 in national egg production, per the Virginia Egg Board’s 2022 Annual Report.

Reap eggs’ long-praised nutritional value in an old-fashioned eggnog, or start a new holiday tradition by whipping up this award-winning Festive Italian Cream Cake.

Old Fashioned Eggnog

6 eggs
¼ cup sugar
1 quart whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
nutmeg
cinnamon

In the top of a double boiler, blend eggs and sugar. Add 2 cups of milk, heat and stir until the mixture heavily coats a metal spoon, but do not boil.

Blend in the remaining milk, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Alternately, blend eggs, sugar and half of the milk in a large mixing bowl; heat in a microwave on half power in 30-second increments until thick. Add the rest of the milk and flavorings, and chill.

—Recipe courtesy of the Virginia Egg Council

Festive Italian Cream Cake

14-ounce package sweetened flaked coconut
1½ cups pecan pieces
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup softened salted butter
1½ cups sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 eggs, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup whole buttermilk

Frosting:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
8 cups powdered sugar
remaining coconut and pecans

Heat oven to 350°.

Lay the flaked coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes. Repeat with the pecans. Blend the toasted coconut and pecans, then divide in half.

Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment, and butter the sides of the pans. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars for five minutes. Beat in oil.

Add eggs one at a time, beating one minute after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Blend in flavorings. On low speed, blend in 1/3 cup of the flour mixture and ½ cup of buttermilk. Repeat and end with 1/3 cup flour.

Fold in half of the coconut/pecan mixture, and pour into the baking pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or just until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cool in pans on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove cakes to a rack to cool. Once mostly cool, place in plastic bags until frosted.

To make the frosting, in a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, extracts, salt and powdered sugar on low speed until well combined. Turn the speed on high for 4-5 minutes, and whip until smooth, light and creamy. Reserve 1½ cups to decorate the cake.

Reserve a small amount of the coconut/pecan mixture for decorating and blend the rest into the frosting.

Layer thick coats of frosting between the first two layers, top with a third cake layer and do a skim coat over the sides and top. Chill, then frost generously with the remaining frosting.

Use the set-aside frosting to decorate the top of the cake, and pat the remaining coconut/pecan mixture onto the bottom of the cake. Refrigerate the cake, and remove 30 minutes before serving.

—Recipe courtesy of Lucy Moore, Chesterfield County Fair finalist, 1st place winner of the 2025 Meant to be Broken, Egg-specially During the Holidays Egg Recipe Contest sponsored by the Virginia Egg Council.