1-Preheat and prepare pans: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F, which gives the cake that perfect rise without any surprises. Greasing, flouring, and lining three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper is key to avoiding sticking, so don’t skip that step.

2-Whisk dry ingredients: First, in a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to get everything evenly mixed. This helps distribute the spices and leavening agents just right.

3-Beat butter and sugars: In your stand mixer, beat the 3/4 cup unsalted butter until it’s smooth, then add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, mixing until it’s pale and fluffy that’s what creates a tender crumb.

4-Add eggs and vanilla: Next, add the 3 large eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before the next, then stir in the 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

5-Combine flour mixture and eggnog: Now, alternately add the flour mixture and 1 1/4 cups eggnog in three additions of flour and two of eggnog, starting and ending with flour, and mix just until combined to avoid overmixing.

6>Bake the cakes: Divide the batter into your prepared pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let the cakes cool completely on wire racks before moving on.

7-Make rum simple syrup: For the rum simple syrup, heat 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a saucepan until it simmers and the sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon rum. Let it cool slightly.

8-Prepare cream cheese frosting: The cream cheese frosting comes together by beating 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter and 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese until fluffy, then gradually adding 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg if you like, until it’s all smooth and creamy.

9-Make ganache: For the ganache, combine 3 ounces chopped white chocolate and 1 ounce heavy whipping cream or eggnog in a microwave-safe bowl, heating in short intervals and stirring until smooth, then cool it a bit.

10-Assemble the cake: To assemble, trim the tops of the cooled cakes, brush each with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the rum simple syrup, stack with frosting between layers, and coat the whole thing with a thin layer of frosting. Chill for 20 minutes, then add the ganache by dripping it along the edges and smoothing on top. Chill again and finish with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg or frosting rosettes if you’re feeling fancy.