12 Christmas Cakes So Stunning They Steal the Show at Holiday Dinner

There is a special moment at every holiday dinner when the cake comes out and the whole table goes quiet. These Christmas cakes are made for that moment. Each one comes with a simple decorating trick, so you can make something that looks like it came from a fancy bakery, even if you are not a pro..

Christmas Cakes With a Surprise: Peppermint Tree Layer Cake

From the outside it looks like a snowy forest. Cut a slice and you find dark chocolate layers with red and white peppermint frosting. That surprise is what makes guests reach for their phones. Decorating trick: pipe the trees with a small open star tip, starting wide at the bottom and zigzagging up to a point. Dot them with tiny white sprinkles for ornaments. Would your family gasp at the first slice?

You will need: 3 baked 8 inch chocolate cake layers, 4 cups vanilla buttercream, 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, red gel coloring, green gel coloring, 1 cup shredded coconut, white sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Divide the buttercream: one part plain, one small part green, one part with peppermint. 2. Swirl red gel into the peppermint frosting for stripes. 3. Stack the layers with peppermint frosting between them. 4. Cover the cake in plain buttercream. 5. Pipe green trees around the side. 6. Sprinkle coconut snow on top and chill 30 minutes.

Christmas Cakes for Snow Lovers: Coconut Layer Cake

This cake looks like fresh snow on a quiet Christmas morning. Soft vanilla layers are filled with coconut cream frosting and covered in fluffy shredded coconut. It is a Southern holiday classic for good reason. Decorating trick: press the coconut onto the sides with your palm while the frosting is still soft, then top with a few round coconut truffles. Quick poll: A) coconut, B) chocolate, C) red velvet, D) gingerbread. Which is your Christmas cake?

You will need: 3 baked 8 inch vanilla cake layers, 4 cups cream cheese frosting, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut, a few coconut truffles for the top.

How to make it: 1. Stir the coconut extract into the frosting. 2. Stack the layers with frosting between them. 3. Cover the whole cake in a smooth layer of frosting. 4. Press coconut onto the sides and sprinkle it over the top. 5. Add the truffles. 6. Chill 30 minutes to set.

Classic Christmas Cakes: Red Velvet

Red velvet belongs on every list of Christmas cakes. The deep red crumb and tangy cream cheese frosting look festive without any extra work. It is soft, a little chocolatey and very rich. Decorating trick: save a few cake crumbs, rub them between your fingers and sprinkle them around the top edge like a red ribbon. Did you know the red once came partly from cocoa reacting with buttermilk? Now most bakers use food coloring.

You will need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon red gel coloring, 4 cups cream cheese frosting.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F and grease two 9 inch pans. 2. Whisk the dry ingredients. 3. Whisk the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar and color. 4. Combine and pour into the pans. 5. Bake 28 to 32 minutes. 6. Cool, then fill and frost.

Gingerbread Cake With Cookie Toppers

This cake tastes like the smell of a cozy kitchen in December. Molasses, ginger and cinnamon give a dark, moist crumb that pairs perfectly with cream cheese frosting. Decorating trick: bake a small tray of gingerbread men cookies and stand them in the frosting on top so they look like they are walking across the snow. Kids love helping with this part. Who would you put in charge of the cookies?

You will need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup molasses, 2 eggs, 1 cup hot water, 3 cups cream cheese frosting, small gingerbread cookies.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Beat the butter and sugar, then add the molasses and eggs. 3. Mix in the dry ingredients, then the hot water. 4. Bake in two 8 inch pans 30 to 35 minutes. 5. Cool, fill and frost. 6. Stand the cookies on top.

Cranberry Wreath Bundt Cake

A bundt cake already has the shape of a wreath, so half the decorating is done for you. This moist lemon cake is studded with tart cranberries and finished with a thick white glaze. Decorating trick: drizzle the glaze, then press fresh cranberries and small mint or rosemary leaves on top in clusters, just like holly on a door wreath. It is perfect for Christmas brunch too.

You will need: 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, zest of 2 lemons, 2 cups fresh cranberries, 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan well. 2. Beat the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, sour cream and zest. 3. Fold in the flour, baking powder and cranberries. 4. Bake 55 to 65 minutes. 5. Cool 15 minutes, then turn out. 6. Whisk the glaze and drizzle.

Sugared Rosemary and Cranberry Naked Cake

Naked cakes show a little of the layers through a thin coat of frosting, which gives them a rustic farmhouse look. This one is vanilla with orange zest, and it looks like it belongs on a long wooden table with candles. Decorating trick: roll damp rosemary sprigs and cranberries in sugar, let them dry for an hour, and they sparkle like frost. It is one of the easiest Christmas cakes to make look expensive.

You will need: 3 baked 8 inch vanilla orange cake layers, 3 cups vanilla buttercream, 1 cup fresh cranberries, 6 rosemary sprigs, 1/2 cup sugar, a little water.

How to make it: 1. Stack the layers with buttercream between them. 2. Spread a thin coat around the outside and scrape most of it away. 3. Dip the rosemary and cranberries in water, then roll in sugar. 4. Dry them for 1 hour. 5. Arrange them on top in a crescent. 6. Chill until serving.

Hot Cocoa Cake With Mini Marshmallows

Everything you love about a mug of hot chocolate, in cake form. A rich, dark chocolate cake gets a fudgy frosting and a pile of mini marshmallows on top. Decorating trick: toast the marshmallows lightly with a kitchen torch, or under the broiler for a few seconds, so they look like a cozy campfire treat. Poll time: A) marshmallows, B) whipped cream, C) crushed candy canes, D) all of the above?

You will need: 1 3/4 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup hot coffee or hot water, 3 cups chocolate frosting, 2 cups mini marshmallows.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Whisk the dry ingredients. 3. Add the eggs, buttermilk and oil, then the hot liquid. 4. Bake in a 9×13 pan 35 to 40 minutes. 5. Cool and frost. 6. Top with marshmallows and toast lightly.

Eggnog Spice Cake (Alcohol Free)

If eggnog is your favorite holiday drink, this cake will make you smile. Store bought eggnog (the alcohol free kind) goes right into the batter with nutmeg and cinnamon, so every bite tastes like the season. Decorating trick: lay a few whole star anise on top just before serving for a pretty, natural look. Just remind guests they are for decoration, not for eating. For a full holiday menu, see our Christmas dinner main dishes.

You will need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3 eggs, 1 1/4 cups eggnog (alcohol free), 3 cups vanilla buttercream, star anise for decoration.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. 3. Add the eggs one at a time. 4. Mix in the dry ingredients and eggnog in turns. 5. Bake in two 8 inch pans 28 to 32 minutes. 6. Cool, fill and frost.

Christmas Cakes for Kids: Santa Hat Strawberry Cream Cake

This one makes kids laugh every time. A light sponge is filled with whipped cream and topped with whole strawberries. Decorating trick: turn each strawberry tip up and add a tiny dot of whipped cream on the point and a ring around the base, and suddenly you have a crown of little Santa hats. It is light and fresh after a heavy holiday dinner. Who in your house would eat the hats first?

You will need: 2 baked 8 inch vanilla sponge layers, 2 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 pound strawberries.

How to make it: 1. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. 2. Slice a few strawberries for the filling. 3. Spread cream and sliced berries on the first layer. 4. Add the second layer and spread cream on top. 5. Cut the tops off the whole berries and stand them tip up. 6. Pipe the cream dots.

Vanilla Cream Cake With Holiday Toppers

Sometimes the easiest Christmas cakes are the most fun. Start with a simple vanilla cake and cover it in whipped cream rosettes, then let your imagination go. Decorating trick: buy a few small food safe holiday figurines or make tiny trees from upside down ice cream cones covered in green frosting. Place them on top like a little winter village. It is a great project for a family baking day.

You will need: 3 baked 8 inch vanilla cake layers, 4 cups stabilized whipped cream or vanilla buttercream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, sugar cones, green frosting, festive sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Stack the layers with cream between them. 2. Cover the cake in a smooth coat. 3. Pipe rosettes around the top edge with a large star tip. 4. Cover the sugar cones in green frosting to make trees. 5. Arrange the trees and toppers on top. 6. Finish with sprinkles.

Candied Orange and Cranberry Holiday Cake

This cake brings the colors of a Christmas market to your table. A tender orange cake with cranberries is topped with shiny candied orange slices and sprigs of rosemary. Decorating trick: simmer thin orange slices in sugar syrup for 20 minutes and let them dry on a rack. They turn glossy and look like stained glass. Your kitchen will smell wonderful the whole afternoon.

You will need: 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 2 eggs, zest of 2 oranges, 3/4 cup orange juice, 1 cup cranberries, 1 orange (thinly sliced), 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water for syrup, 2 cups cream cheese frosting.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Beat the butter, sugar and zest, then add the eggs. 3. Mix in the flour, baking powder and juice, then the cranberries. 4. Bake in a 9 inch pan 35 to 40 minutes. 5. Simmer the orange slices in syrup and dry. 6. Frost and decorate.

Maple Brown Sugar Layer Cake

We end with a cake that bridges Thanksgiving and Christmas. Brown sugar layers with real maple syrup are stacked tall with maple cream between them. Decorating trick: leave the sides semi naked and drizzle warm maple glaze over the top so it drips down the edges. A few toasted pecans make it look finished. Which of these Christmas cakes will be the star of your table this year?

You will need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 3/4 cup milk, 3 cups vanilla buttercream with 1/4 cup maple syrup mixed in, toasted pecans.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. 3. Add the eggs and maple syrup. 4. Mix in the dry ingredients and milk in turns. 5. Bake in three 8 inch pans 22 to 26 minutes. 6. Stack with maple cream, drizzle and top with pecans.