Description
A tender, festive quick bread spiced with nutmeg and finished with a crisp cinnamon streusel.
Ingredients
Scale
For the loaf batter
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups prepared eggnog
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
For the crumb topping
- 1/4 cup salted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare four mini loaf pans by greasing or lining them.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and smooth. Add the dry vanilla pudding mix and blend until incorporated.
- Beat in the eggnog, eggs, vanilla extract, and rum extract until the wet mixture looks uniform.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients in two additions, stirring just until the batter comes together. Bold tip: stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears — overworking the batter makes the loaf tough.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared mini loaf pans and level the tops with a spatula.
- Make the streusel: combine the cold cubed butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter until you have coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Bold tip: keep the butter cold so the topping bakes into crunchy clusters instead of melting into the batter.
- Sprinkle the streusel generously over each loaf, pressing lightly so it adheres.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes (for mini loaves) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Bold tip: check a few minutes early—overbaking dries out the bread.
- Let the loaves rest in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Storage: Wrap cooled loaves tightly and keep at room temperature for up to three days, refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze slices individually for up to three months.