33 Best Christmas Cake Recipes

No matter whether you celebrate it as a religious holiday or in a purely secular fashion, Christmas cake is a treat to be enjoyed by all when the holiday season rolls around. 

When you think of traditional Christmas cake, you are likely to think of dense fruit cakes chock-full of raisins, cherries, and currants.

Christmas fruit cakes are a classic for a reason, but there is so much that you can do when it comes to creating a unique take on a holiday cake. 

With this in mind, we are going to be looking at thirty-three different Christmas cake recipes that are sure to go down a treat if you choose to whip them up for the holidays! Let’s get started. 

1. White Cake With Cranberry Filling And Orange Buttercream

Cranberry and orange are two fruity flavors that are often associated with Christmas cake due to commonly being used in traditional Christmas cake recipes.

However, this recipe changes up the use of cranberry and orange by turning the cranberry into the major filling for the cake, whilst the orange is used for the rich buttercream. 

The combination of orange and cranberry with the sweet, white cake makes for a delicious choice of Christmas dessert. 

2. Christmas Tree Cake

If you want to get super creative and decorative with your Christmas cake this year, then this Christmas Tree cake is sure to be a perfect choice for you!

The tip with this recipe is to use cold cake layers, as they are a lot easier to handle. You can use any flavor of cake mix to make this recipe, but to get that Christmas tree look, you’ll need green icing as well as sprinkles to create decorations. 

3. Yule Log Cake

Yule logs are a popular dessert around Christmastime, so why not make it your Christmas cake of choice this year?

The Yule log cake is perfect for chocolate fanatics thanks to being made with a soft chocolate sponge and covered with heavenly, whipped chocolate ganache. 

The mascarpone whipped cream filling combines with the chocolatey nature of the dessert to create a truly decadent Christmas cake treat. 

4. Layered Peppermint Cheesecake

Peppermint is a flavor often associated with Christmas, and this layered peppermint cake- featuring hidden layers of deliciously creamy cheesecake- is the perfect opportunity to incorporate the festive flavor into your Christmas dessert. 

The crunchiness of the peppermint candy combined with the soft cheesecake layers and the white chocolate mousse frosting makes for a super tasty festive cake. 

5. Citrus Upside-Down Cake

Citrus is commonly used in Christmas cake, but if you are hankering for something that is a little more intense when it comes to that citrus flavor, then this citrus upside-down cake is the perfect alternative to a traditional Christmas cake. 

This cake uses a variety of citrus fruits, such as lemons, oranges, and grapefruits, though you can pick the citrus fruit that you like the best to make the recipe. 

6. Christmas Cookie Cake

Fans of chocolate chip cookies can easily incorporate them into a Christmas cake with this fun and festive Christmas cookie cake. 

The cake is designed to look like a wreath, with green icing around the outside of the cake and red icing balls decorating the green frosting to imitate holly berries. 

Finish off the cake by placing a red bow at the bottom of the cake to complete the wreath design, and you are sure to have a cake that will go down as a treat with friends and family!

7. Red Velvet Marble Bundt Cake

Bundt cake is another popular type of dessert eaten around the festive season, and if you are looking for a way to create a delicious and gorgeous cake this Christmas, then this red velvet marble bundt cake could be the dessert for you. 

The looping swirls inside the cake can be made by gently layering the batter of the cake around the bundt cake pan. The best way to do this is to use a small cookie scoop rather than a knife to create that perfect marble design. 

8. Fruitcake

We had to include at least one fruitcake in this list, and this recipe makes for a seriously tasty take on the traditional kind of Christmas fruitcake. 

Featuring warm spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon, dry fruits- including dried apricots, cranberries, and cherries- and crunchy nuts such as almonds, pistachios, and pecans, this recipe is the epitome of the perfect Christmas fruitcake. 

9. Holiday Peppermint Cake

Another recipe that incorporates that festive peppermint taste, this recipe includes peppermint flavoring syrup for the cake itself as well as pure peppermint extract for the frosting to make for a particularly strong peppermint taste that is sure to please fans of the flavor. 

Still not enough peppermint for you? Then considering topping off the cake with some crushed peppermint candy canes!

10. Chocolate Gingerbread Toffee Cake

Much like peppermint, gingerbread is also a flavor that is often associated with the festive season. If you are a fan of gingerbread, as well as toffee and chocolate, then this cake is sure to be one that you will enjoy. 

The combination of the taste of gingerbread men, milk chocolate, and buttery, sweet toffee candy along with luscious, ginger whipped cream makes for a decadent Christmas dessert. 

11. Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

Who said that you need to stick to traditional cakes when it comes to a Christmas cake? 

Christmas cheesecake is a tasty choice when it comes to a cake for Christmas, as this peppermint bark cheesecake perfectly demonstrates. 

This recipe combines cheesecake with peppermint bark to create a chocolate and mint taste sensation, which features chopped-up chocolate pieces and candy cane pieces studded throughout. 

12. No-Bake Eggnog Cheesecake

The milk punch or egg milk punch drink that is eggnog is a beverage that is particularly popular around the Christmas season and if you want to incorporate it into your Christmas cake this year, then consider this tasty no-bake eggnog cheesecake. 

As well as a rich, sweet and creamy dessert, this is also a recipe that only needs a few ingredients, those being graham crackers, cream cheese, butter, sugar, eggnog, heavy whipping cream, and a few spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can also add in some rum extract for a bit of an alcoholic kick. 

13. Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake

Another Christmas cake that is a must-try for chocolate enthusiasts, this chocolate velvet pound cake is easily able to make for a tasty festive treat. 

The simplicity of this chocolate pound cake allows it to be paired with all sorts of other treats, such as warm chocolate ganache or ice cream.

You can also pair it with a range of other festive desserts, such as gingerbread cream or peppermint candy. 

14. Eggnog Spice Cake

Another eggnog treat that takes its recipe from that classic holiday beverage, eggnog spice cake can make for a delicious and decadent festive treat. 

This layered cake is made up of vanilla, eggnog, and bourbon-flavored pudding filling as well as an eggnog frosting to create a cake that has a kick to it. Just make sure that you save this one for the adult Christmas party!

15. Ugly Sweater Cake

We all know that Christmas is the time of the year when the ugly sweaters come out, so why not bring some of that fun ugliness into your Christmas cake this year?

This is a great cake to serve up at Christmas parties, particularly if you are having an ugly sweater-themed party. It can also be a super fun cake to make with your kids or friends thanks to the silly cuteness of it. 

The cake and frosting are pretty standard, but when it comes to the toppings needed to create the sweater-like decorations, you can have your pick of anything that you so choose, though this recipe uses chocolate chips, green fondant, and holiday candies. 

16. Coconut Cake With Raspberry Filling

Coconut might not be the first flavor to come to mind when you think of a Christmas cake, but this coconut and raspberry cake is definitely a great choice for a sweet festive dessert for those looking for something a little different. 

The coconut flour in this cake creates an extra dash of nuttiness, along with the toasted and unsweetened coconut flakes. Make sure you don’t add in too much coconut flour, though, as it could destroy the cake’s structure. 

The raspberry filling combines effortlessly with the coconut flavors and sweet frosting to make for a cake that is sure to please your friends and family this Christmas. 

17. Hot Cocoa Poke Cake

Poke cakes are another kind of cake that isn’t often associated with the festive season, but there is no reason not to give it a try. 

A particularly excellent poke cake to enjoy during Christmas is this hot cocoa poke cake, which brings together the comforting and homely nature of hot cocoa with the softness of the poke style of cake in general. 

You only need a few ingredients to make this cake too, including marshmallow bits, marshmallow crème, water, chocolate shavings, a box of chocolate cake mix, and two packets of hot cocoa mix. 

18. Butter Pecan Cake

Chock-full of beautiful, buttery pecan goodness, this cake is a crowd-pleaser for those who enjoy a nutty taste with their cakes. 

The cake is paired with a soft cream cheese frosting, adding an extra layer of deliciousness to the dessert. 

19. Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes

Why make just one cake this Christmas when you can make multiple mini cakes? 

With these snowy chocolate baby cakes, you will bake several mini chocolate cakes and then decorate them to look like traditional Christmas puddings. 

To make these mini cakes, you’ll need sour cream, melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, and devil’s food cake mix.

The decoration to get that Christmas pudding look comes from white cake icing along with some red cinnamon candies and some fresh bay leaves (just remember to take the bay leaves off before you eat the cakes!). 

20. Marshmallow Cake

When the weather gets colder around the holiday season, toasted marshmallows are the ultimate kind of comfort food, so why not incorporate them into your Christmas cake?

This marshmallow cake combines Italian meringue with classic buttercream to create a unique and delicious take on the traditional Christmas cake, with the meringue making for a marshmallow-style frosting. 

21. Pomegranate Christmas Cake

Pomegranates are another kind of fruit that is sometimes associated with Christmas, with a red, jeweled appearance that makes it a particularly attractive choice of fruit. 

If you want to try and use some pomegranate in your Christmas cake this year, then why not consider this Pomegranate Christmas cake recipe?

For your cake, you will need vanilla, sugar, all-purpose flour, and eggs whilst the pomegranate topping requires a large pomegranate with pomegranate juice, sugar, unflavored gelatin, and vanilla. 

You can also create a delectable pomegranate syrup that will be drizzled on the top of the cake as well as some pomegranate frosting.

22. Gift Box Cake

Similar to the Christmas tree cake and the ugly sweater cake that we talked about earlier in the list, this gift box cake is all about creating a dessert that is as fun to make as it is to eat during the festive period. 

This cake features three tiers and is a white cake with a fine crumb texture. It is topped off with sparkling fruit rolls that decorate the cake to look like a ribbon tied around a gift. 

Adorable gingerbread men adorn the sides of the cake, whilst whipped cream piping along the bottom makes for a delicious additional decoration. 

23. Milk And Cookies Cake

Thinking of leaving some milk and cookies out for Santa this year? Well, why not go one step further and leave out an entire milk and cookies cake?! 

The dessert features chocolate chips scattered throughout the inside of the cake, combined with a sweet, milk frosting to create the ultimate milk and cookies dessert creation. 

Pipe on some dollops of frosting to finish off the cake, or sprinkle on some cookie crumbs. You can also add some whole chocolate chip cookies to the top of the cake if you so choose. 

24. Cranberry Christmas Cake

We mentioned cranberries already as a popular fruit to use in Christmas cake, but if you would rather your cake only have cranberries, then this cranberry Christmas cake is a recipe that you will definitely want to try. 

One of the unique elements of this cake is the garnish, which is powdered sugar rather than the typical frosting. This makes it a great choice for those who want something a little lighter when it comes to their Christmas desserts. 

25. Sugar And Spice Cake

Christmas food is all about a combination of sweet, sugary tastes with warm, winter spices, and this cake brings it all together into one delicious dessert. 

Though the base of this cake is a classic white cake mix, it has a few extra ingredients- such as apple pie spice and sour cream- that makes it unique and blends sugar with spice. 

Add in a dash of almond extract for a burst of nuttiness and finish the cake off with some fun garnishes such as clear, edible glitter, sparkling sugar, and rosemary sprigs. 

26. Gingerbread Cheesecake

Bringing together the best of both gingerbread and cheesecake to create a Christmas dessert that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, this gingerbread cheesecake is a must for those who are obsessed with gingerbread (and why wouldn’t you be, especially the during Christmas season?).

The filling of this cheesecake is a spiced gingerbread dream, featuring ginger, ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and molasses to name a few ingredients. 

The crust is also made from finely crushed gingerbread crumbs along with kosher salt, granulated sugar, and melted butter. 

27. White Christmas Cake

If you are dreaming of a white Christmas, but aren’t quite sure that you will get one, then you might just have to settle for a white Christmas cake instead!

This three-layered cake is made up of pecans, coconut, and white chocolate, making for a sweet and nutty taste. 

Finish off the cake with some red sprinkles or candies as well as some white chocolate baking chips or melted white candy coating to create a cake that is as pretty as it is delicious. 

28. Rum Cake With Key Lime Buttercream

For something a little more alcohol focused, this rum cake is a perfect choice. 

The combination of the rum in this cake with the key lime buttercream makes for a strong and tangy taste that is sure to be a winner for your family and friends, particularly those who enjoy a citrus taste (and for those who are particularly fond of rum!). 

29. Santa Hat Cupcakes

Cupcakes are always a good choice for Christmas too, particularly if you are planning on holding a Christmas party. 

These Santa hat cupcakes evoke the spirit of the Christmas season in a delicious fashion, featuring red frosting piping with cream embellishments to create the perfect little festive hats. 

30. No-Bake Christmas Jelly Cake

A fun and colorful treat to enjoy during the holiday season, this no-bake Christmas jelly cake is easy to make as well as delicious. 

There are five layers to this dessert, with each one needing to be set before you add the next one. 

As well as green and red jelly crystals, you’ll also need gelatine powder, butter, crushed biscuits, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice to make this jelly cake. 

31. Christmas Chocolate Toffee Cake

Chocoholics are sure to love this toffee and chocolate cake, which is made of soft chocolate cake with bits of toffee and a rich, chocolate ganache filling. 

The cake is topped off with white chocolate curls and caramel whipped cream to make for a gorgeously decadent cake that is sure to be devoured at Christmastime. 

32. Christmas Jello Poke Cake

Utilizing a mixture of red and green jello to create a festive look, this poke cake is the perfect choice for a lighter option this Christmas. 

The cake is finished off with a whipped topping, making for a sweet and super tasty festive treat. 

33. Gingerbread Cake

Last but not least, we had to include another gingerbread-themed cake due to just how much we love a bit of gingerbread around Christmastime!

This warm cake can be topped off with whipped cream, vanilla cream sauce, and bananas to create the epitome of the perfect, spiced festive dessert cake that is sure to please everyone this Christmas season. 

Can I Use One of the Birthday Cake Alternatives for a Christmas Cake?

When it comes to Christmas cakes, you may consider exploring birthday cake alternatives. Instead of the traditional fruitcake, try a whimsical gingerbread house cake or a luxurious red velvet cake with festive decorations. These creative choices can add a fun twist to your holiday celebrations while keeping the spirit of indulgence alive.

Frequently Asked Question

Final Thoughts

So there you have thirty-three different recipes and ideas for a unique and tasty Christmas cake to make this holiday season!

No matter what your personal preferences are in terms of tastes and cake styles, you are sure to find something to suit you and your family and friends from our extensive list of Christmas cake options.