A delicious collection of showstopping Christmas cakes for your holiday spread! From easy cupcakes and single-layer cakes to spectacular layer cakes and roll cakes, this collection features classic flavors, festive twists, and lots of tips!
I know Christmas cookies are what everyone’s thinking as the holiday draws near. I make cookie boxes to gift every year, myself.
But it’s also just the most perfect time to bake something truly special.
Whether you’re planning a simple, cozy family dinner for Christmas, or hosting a holiday party, or just want a little sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of tea or mug of creamy hot chocolate , nothing sets the mood quite like a beautiful homemade cake.
Here, I’m sharing a curated list of 30 Christmas cakes and cupcakes to give you lots of sweet inspiration for the festive season. Plus, tips for baking cakes, decorating and presenting them for the holidays, and how to store them for the best flavor and freshness.
- Multi-layer cakes
- Cupcakes and single-layer cakes
- Swiss roll cakes
- Pound cakes and bundt cakes
- Other Christmas showstoppers
- Frostings and fillings
- My best tips for cake success
- Make-ahead and storage tips
Multi-layer cakes
A multi-layer cake is always a celebratory choice, especially if you’re looking to bake something special for guests, friends, and family during the holiday season.
From traditional Christmas cakes to showstoppers with festive flavors, I know you’ll love baking, sharing, and enjoying these layered cakes.
1. Red velvet cake
2. Cheesecake stuffed gingerbread cake
3. Classic white cake
4. White coconut cake (winter cake)
5. Classic vanilla cake
6. Classic chocolate cake
7. Butter pecan cake with maple frosting
8. Mulled wine cake (sponge cake with wine frosting)
9. Ginger cardamom cake
10. Carrot cake
11. Devil’s food chocolate cake
Cupcakes and single-layer cakes
These easy single-layer cakes and cupcakes are perfect for more intimate celebrations or family dinners or for some last minute baking with festive flavors.
12. Gingerbread cupcakes with eggnog filling
13. Santa cupcakes
14. Vanilla cupcakes
15. Chocolate cupcakes
16. Butter cake
17. Ribbon cake (swirled pastel cake)
18. Fudgy one bowl chocolate sheet cake
19. Flourless chocolate torte
Swiss roll cakes
Roll cakes are probably my favorite holiday cakes to bake.
Incredibly soft, light, moist sponge cakes with delicious fillings, or go all out for a true showstopper like a yule log cake (Bûche De Noël), these are such a fantastic addition to your holiday spread.
20. Chocolate roll
21. Yule log cake
22. Vanilla roll
23. Pumpkin roll
Pound cakes and bundt cakes
These always make for classic, easy Christmas cakes, they are beautiful to serve and perfect for crowd.
Rich, moist, textures and delicious glazes and toppings, these are so versatile for holiday gatherings and celebrations.
24. Classic pound cake
25. Eggnog pound cake
26. Glazed chocolate bundt cake
27. Breudher cake
Other Christmas showstoppers
28. Pavlova
29. Chocolate crepe cake
30. No bake chocolate cookie cake
Frostings and fillings
Frostings and fillings are the finishing touches that bring these Christmas cakes and cupcakes to life.
Whether you’re swirling a silky buttercream on top of a gingerbread cupcake or adding a tangy cream cheese frosting to a spiced holiday cake or drizzling a shiny glaze over a festive bundt, the right topping adds a bit of je ne sais quoi to each of these Christmas desserts!
Frostings
- Easy American vanilla buttercream frosting
- Easy American chocolate buttercream frosting
- Vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream
- Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream
- Easy vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream (cheat’s recipe)
- Easy chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream (cheat’s recipe)
- Cream cheese frosting
- Brown butter cream cheese frosting
- Swiss meringue
- Coffee buttercream frosting
Fillings
- Praline paste
- Pistachio paste
- Creme mousseline
- Chocolate cremeux
- Chiboust cream
- Vanilla pastry cream
- Chocolate pastry cream
- Vanilla diplomat cream
- Salted caramel sauce
- Dulce de leche
- Salted caramel diplomat cream
- Chocolate hot fudge sauce
Check out my creamy frosting recipes archive for more options.
My best tips for cake success
General recipe and ingredient tips
- Always read the recipe fully before starting, and follow the recipe exactly.
- Do not make significant substitutions . If you must, it’s best to test the recipe WITH the substitution you want as a test run well in advance to see if it works, OR find a different recipe.
- Measure all the ingredients by weight for consistent, accurate results.
- If a cake calls for butter, softened butter (at room temperature) is preferable . The butter will cream better at this temperature.
- All ingredients should be at room temperature , unless the recipe states otherwise. This ensures that all ingredients mix together homogeneously.
Cake batter tips
- Follow signs and indications for each step of the recipe if provided. For example, creaming butter and sugar together. In colder environments, this could take longer than in warm environments. So instead of going strictly by baking time, look for signs of the butter mixture being light, fluffy, and pale in color after whipping.
- Do not substitute baking powder and baking soda with one another . They do not behave the same way in a recipe, as explained in this article on baking powder vs baking soda .
- Sift or whisk dry ingredients . Sifting will remove lumps and help evenly distribute leaveners such as baking powder or baking soda in the flour, and eventually in the cake batter.
- A cake batter should NEVER be over-mixed when mixing in flour. If you’re too heavy handed when incorporating the flour into the cake batter, this will result in a gluey, heavy cake that will have uneven tunnel-like holes in the cake (because of too much gluten). Fold in the flour by hand to prevent overmixing.
Cake pan tips
- Do not substitute a metal pan with a glass pan . Glass conducts heat differently and will not yield the same results.
- If changing cake pan sizes, the cake height will change and the bake times will also change. See my cake pan conversion chart for more helpful tips.
- Prepare the cake pans as per the recipe . I prefer to line the bottom with parchment paper and grease and dust the sides for a quick and easy release.
- When baking cake layers, divide the cake batter evenly by weight into separate cake pans. Alternatively, use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly between cake pans.
Baking tips
- Preheat the oven . Ideally, preheat the oven for at least 10 – 15 minutes before placing cakes inside to bake. Do not put your cakes inside a cold oven or partially preheated oven.
- Most cakes are done when the surface of the cake springs back when gently pressed, or when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes with just a few dry crumbs attached (ideally), or comes out clean. Fudgy cakes are the exception for this.
- Some cakes will pull away slightly from the sides of the cake pan.
After baking tips
- Once baked, let the cake layers cool just enough to be able to flip the cake out of the pan while still warm.
- Let the cake cool fully on a wire rack . If the cake cools down in the cake pan, condensation can make the cake soggy on the surface.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, you can wrap and store them for later.
- TIP – If you overbaked your cake and it seems dry, wrap the cake with plastic wrap while it’s warm. The condensation can reintroduce some moisture into the cake.
Make-ahead and storage tips
- Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped with plastic wrap (really well) and frozen for about 2 months. I also prefer to wrap these layers individually. Keeping the cake layers in a freezer bag, or wrapping with foil can prevent freezer burn.
- Buttercream can be stored in the freezer as well. However, once the frosting is thawed, it needs to be re-whipped to get the same consistency.
- A cake that is completely covered by frosting or ganache (i.e. not a naked cake or unfrosted cake), will not dry out too quickly. A frosted cake can be left out at room temperature overnight, or in the fridge for longer (up to about 3 days) if needed.
