Frosting, Spice, and Everything Nice: Christmas Cakes Worth Celebrating
It’s that time of year again: Christmas when we all let our guard down and enjoy treats without guilt! Christmas gatherings just wouldn’t be the same without a good cake, and in that spirit, I’ve put together a roundup of my very favourite tried-and-true Christmas cakes recipes that I know you and your guests will love. Whether you want something for a casual holiday coffee date with friends, a work potluck event, or a very formal family Christmas dinner, you’re sure to find it here. After all, Christmas cookies have their place but sometimes you just need a good cake, right? So, grab your stand mixer, wooden spoon, and large bowl, and let’s get baking!
All. The. Bundt. Cakes.
If you have been following me for even a little while, you will know that I am a HUGE fan of bundt cakes! I love the pretty pans and the cheerful shapes. Fortunately, they are as easy to make as they are beautiful, especially if you follow these easy rules of bundt-cake making:
- Use the right size pan: I use a 10-12 cup size Bundt pan for my recipes. Too big and the cake will over bake and dry out.
- Use a prepared tin: a light spray of Pam does the trick.
- Don’t be scared by a really thick batter: that’s the way it’s supposed to be! A thick batter means a dense cake, which is exactly what we want.
- Let your cake cool: don’t be in a rush to take your cake out of the pan! Make sure it is at room temperature before you pop it out to ensure it doesn’t stick.
- Take it out the right way: put your serving plate upside down on top of your take, turn your cake upside down on top of it, and then gently remove the pan.
- Serve your cake the same day you bake it (or the next day at the very latest) to ensure it is moist and fresh.
Now that we have the basics covered, let’s get to the Christmas cakes recipes!
A Traditional flavour in cake form
Eggnog Bundt Cake with Eggnog Sugar Glaze
This warm and spicy Eggnog Bundt Cake has all the festive deliciousness of eggnog in a tender vanilla cake. It’s perfect for your Christmas dessert table or for a morning coffee date or afternoon tea in December. Ground cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and eggnog are all beautiful holiday flavours! And the eggnog icing sugar glaze adds an extra shot of eggnog yumminess.
A Perfect Last-Minute Cake
Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
This Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake is simple to make and I bet you have all the ingredients in your house right now! The result is a moist, delicious cinnamon-y treat…I think cinnamon is a perfect holiday flavour! And the swirl is so easy to achieve: just make your cake batter, put it into your cake tin, and use a fork to swirl the cinnamon sugar into the mix. Voila! A perfectly beautiful and delicious dessert.
simple + holiday perfect
Chocolate Orange Cake with Orange Whipped Cream
Perfect for Christmas dinner, this cake tastes just like Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, and it doesn’t get much more Christmas-y than that! Add orange-flavoured whipped cream and orange zest garnish, and you have a truly luxurious sweet treat. Can be made in a bundt pan or a 9×13 pan. This Chocolate Orange Cake is what Christmas dessert dreams are made of!
vanilla + orange = delicious
Orange Lemon Bundt Cake
If you’re looking for a bright and citrusy cake recipe for the holidays, this Orange Bundt Cake is fantastic! This warm vanilla cake is the perfect base for the fresh orange flavour that comes from orange zest, one whole blended large orange, and an orange sugar glaze. Seriously, so so good. Great for Christmas brunch or served for dessert with an orange whipped cream. Yum.
Delicious and Flavourful
Lemon Bundt Cake
I LOVE bundt cakes. The pretty shape of these cake pans instantly elevates an ordinary cake into something holiday worthy, and I love that. The star of this Lemon Cake recipe is the addition of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, and you want to make sure you are generous with the amounts! Lemon juice in the cake AND in the glaze makes for a delicious burst of flavour that will impress your guests every time!
A Perfect Holiday DEssert
Sticky Date Pudding Bundt Cake with Toffee Sauce
This is a perfect holiday dessert, and my personal take on the traditional sticky toffee Christmas pudding. The cake is tender, rich, and so flavourful (from simmered dates), and tastes amazing with the homemade toffee sauce drizzled on top of the cake with a dollop of whipping cream. This Sticky Date Pudding Bundt Cake (and the toffee sauce) can be made a day ahead. The best way to serve this is to warm both the cake and the toffee sauce (if you aren’t serving it straight out of the oven).
A Christmas Classic
Classic Butter Rum Cake with Butter Rum Caramel Sauce
This cake is just like Grandma used to make! This Butter Rum Cake is made up of 3 layers: the butter rum cake, the chopped pecan topping, and the butter rum caramel sauce. All the essentials of the most delicious holiday cake ever! While my version is mostly homemade, I did use two shortcuts: golden cake mix and instant vanilla pudding mix. These mixes make a moist, flavourful, and super delicious cake that I know your family and friends will enjoy. You can even add a tablespoon of rum to it to make a boozy Christmas cake option, if you like!
aN All-Time favourite!
The Most Chocolatey German Chocolate Cake
This German Chocolate Cake has to be one of my most favourite cakes of all time. I have such nice memories of when my mom made this cake. That delicious coconut pecan caramel frosting with chocolate cake…it’s stuck with me forever. This is a real showstopper dessert that is fancy-looking enough for any occasion, including Christmas dinner! Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you are all set.
Sheet Cake Recipes + More
If a Christmas bundt cake is just not for you, there are other options! You can make the following recipes on a sheet pan or in a 9×13 pan. If you decide to play with the size of the pan, just make sure you adjust the baking time, and maybe make it for the first time for yourself as a test! Then, mark it on your recipe card which size pan worked best for you.
Rich and Chocolatey
The BEST Chocolate Cake
This rich chocolate cake is topped with a creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s SO chocolatey, rich, moist and delicious. Other than the taste, the best part is how easy it is to serve. A 9×13 pan might not be as pretty as a bundt pan, but it IS convenient. Especially when you’re feeding a large crowd! There’s no messing around with a piping bag and fiddly decorating techniques. Just spread the buttercream frosting, add sprinkles, and you’re done! Perfect for all occasions, even Christmas dinner.
The perfect holiday dessert, with very little work
Easy Eggnog Sheet Cake with Eggnog Frosting
I repeat, you do not have to make everything for the holidays from scratch! There are perfectly delicious recipe shortcuts we can use that take away a lot of the stress we put on ourselves. This Eggnog Cake recipe uses a boxed cake mix and pre-made frosting, with extra delicious flavours added in…creamy eggnog, rum, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I also added a little rum and a bit of nutmeg to the icing mix to give it that much more eggnog flavour.
Perfect Holiday Season Treat
Cranberry Orange Breakfast Cake
One of my favourite flavour combinations for the holiday season is cranberry and orange. The sweetness of orange paired with the tartness of the cranberries makes them such a perfect pair. And when these flavours are mixed into a delightful vanilla buttermilk cake, you end up with SUCH a delicious treat. This festive Cranberry Orange Cake tastes like Christmas but is light enough for breakfast or brunch on Christmas morning. Perfect!
easy + tasty
Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes
I know this isn’t cake but I’m throwing it into the mix just for fun! If there’s one dessert that reminds me of Christmas as a kid, it’s the time-tested recipe for these Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes. Creamy smooth cheesecake on a vanilla wafer crust topped with delicious cherry pie filling makes for some festive-looking mini Christmas cakes that everyone is sure to love. This is also a great make-ahead recipe, they’re actually better the day after you make them!
Loaf Cakes
Are they loaves? Are they cakes? They’re both! These loaf cakes have a moist vanilla cake base, with additional flavours, baked in a loaf pan. I like the ease of baking cakes/loaves in a loaf pan, and they slice and serve nicely. I do think ‘loaf cakes’ are more moist than you would expect a loaf to be. They’re perfect for holiday brunches or treat plates.
A shortcut fruitcake recipe
Fruitcake Loaf Cake
Is there anything more classic for Christmas than fruitcake? And is there any cake more polarizing than a fruitcake during the holidays?! It seems people either love them or hate them! If you love fruitcake but don’t have the time (or inclination) for the process of making traditional fruitcake, then this Fruitcake Loaf recipe is for you! All the flavours of fruitcake in a simple and delicious quick bread that you can have made and ready to enjoy in less than 2 hours.
A shortcut fruitcake recipe
Cinnamon Swirl Eggnog Loaf Cake
If you love eggnog and are looking for a perfect cake for the holiday season, this Cinnamon Swirl Eggnog Loaf Cake is DELICIOUS! The cake has a soft vanilla eggnog cake base with a cinnamon sugar swirl throughout the centre. This cake is great served at brunch or breakfast with eggs, bacon and a fresh fruit salad. Or serve it for dessert with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. A perfect holiday cake.
There you are, a list of Christmas cakes recipes that are sure to liven up your dessert time this year! Whether you pick a traditional Christmas cake recipe like the classic butter rum cake or go outside the box with my cherry cheesecake cupcakes or anything else in this roundup, I know your guests will enjoy your homemade baked goods, made with love.
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I hope you find something delicious to make from my box of Christmas Cakes Recipes! Happy baking and Merry Christmas!
