60+ Christmas Cakes to Celebrate the Season

Layered Peppermint Cheesecake Recipe

Enveloped in a white chocolate mousse frosting, this layered cheesecake wows with its childlike whimsy and peppermint candy crunch.

Poinsettia Cheesecake Recipe

Decorate a store-bought cheesecake with red petals made of candy melts for a quick and impressive holiday dessert.

Peppermint Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting Recipe

This gorgeous peppermint cake features a peppermint buttercream frosting sandwiched between two layers of vanilla cake.  Spread the Seven-Minute Frosting on the top and sides of the cake, then garnish with crushed peppermint candies and swirls of additional frosting.

Mrs. Billett's White Cake Recipe

Whether or not you're dreaming of a white Christmas, you'll want to dive into a slice of this snowy white cake. Complete with fondant snowflakes, it's truly reminiscent of a winter wonderland.

Easy Chocolate Christmas Cake from a Box Recipe

No one will ever have to know that this show-stopping Christmas cake started with a box of chocolate cake mix!

White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream Recipe

This melt-in-your-mouth cake features classic seasonal fruity flavors, like cranberry and orange, and will be the star of your holiday meal. Your guests will be begging for the recipe!

Milk Punch Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Bake this cake a day before serving so that it soaks up the creamy syrup. Make mini cakes with a round cutter, then top with whipped cream and a grating of nutmeg.

Caramel Cream Cake Recipe

This three-layer butter cake has a pecan-pie filling in between the cake layers, a rich cream cheese frosting, and a topping of sweet coconut and chopped pecans.  It's a great dessert for holiday entertaining.

Red Velvet Cheesecake-Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Can't decide between serving cake and cheesecake?  Now you don't have to.  For this beautiful cake-cheesecake hybrid, alternative layers of red velvet cheesecake with vanilla white cake, and frost with cream cheese frosting.  

New Classic Red Velvet Cake Recipe

This moist red velvet cake is filled with layer upon layer of cream cheese frosting and topped with sweet meringue icing. 

Smith Island Cake Recipe

Create a show-stopping holiday cake by icing each beautiful layer with decadent Chocolate Ganache icing.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Trifle Recipe

Top this rich trifle with a sprinkle of chocolate curls.

Gingerbread Cake with Buttermilk Frosting Recipe

Warm spices and molasses flavors blend beautifully with tangy buttermilk frosting.

Red Velvet Marble Bundt Cake Recipe

The trick to creating looping swirls is to gently layer the batter around the Bundt pan with a small cookie scoop. No need to swirl with a knife; it will marble as it bakes. A Snowy White Vanilla Glaze is just the icing on the cake.

Peppermint-Hot Chocolate Cake Recipe

We took every beloved flavor from the holidays and put them in a single cake. The results are heavenly!

Coconut Cake with Raspberry Filling Recipe

A little coconut flour (look for it with specialty flours) adds extra nutty essence. But don't get overzealous and use more than we specify; because this flour lacks the gluten of wheat-based cake flour, it would wreck the structure.

Red Velvet Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

This cake bakes best in four pans. If you need additional pans, use 8-inch aluminum foil disposable pans. Just be sure to place them on a baking sheet for stability.

Tiramisù Layer Cake Recipe

This tiramisù cake offers the best of both worlds: the beauty of a layer cake with the amazing flavor of tiramisù.

Chocolate-Gingerbread-Toffee Cake Recipe

Winner of the Southern Living 2011 White Cake Contest, this cake combines the wonderful flavors that come tumbling from a stocking: milk chocolate Santas, gingerbread men, and buttery toffee candy.

Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes Recipe

Make these mini chocolate cakes by starting with a devils' food cake mix and baking in muffin pans.  The festive holly garnish is simply red cinnamon candies and fresh bay leaves.

Ambrosia Coconut Cake Recipe

Made with orange segments and crushed pineapple,  luscious Ambrosia Filling oozes from between each layer of sweet coconut cake. This spin on a classic Southern dessert is perfect for any holiday gathering.

Buttermilk Bundt Cakes Recipe

Try one of the three garnishing options for these adorable cakes: dust with powdered sugar, pipe sweet bourbon glaze over the top, or dunk the cakes in an orange glaze for a heavier coating.

Eggnog Cheesecake Recipe

Although there's no actual eggnog in this velvety cake, the same flavor is achieved with the traditional eggnog ingredients: eggs, sugar, whipping cream, brandy, and nutmeg.

Crushed-Peppermint Cheesecake Recipe

Go for double peppermint flavor by stirring peppermint extract into the cheesecake batter and topping the cake with crushed peppermint candies.

Chocolate Velvet "Pound" Cake Recipe

This smooth and creamy chocolate velvet batter is not a traditional pound cake batter, but is the batter used for many popular Southern Living chocolate layer cakes. However, it works fine to use this batter for a cake baked in a tube pan. Top with powdered sugar or a chocolate ganache for an extra special holiday touch.

Coconut Layer Cake Recipe

Costing just $0.91 per serving, this festive white layer cake is a coconut lover's dream, featuring a triple dose of coconut flavor from sweetened flaked coconut, coconut water, and coconut extract.

Pineapple Upside-Down Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Round out your holiday meal with a slice of this gingerbread cake topped with a sweet and gooey brown sugar-pineapple topping. Make sure to use a cast iron or heavy oven-proof skillet when preparing this dessert.

Cheesecake Christmas Trees Recipe

Start with a frozen cheesecake and a bottle of chocolate fudge shell coating to make these cute 5-ingredient cakes.

Chocolate Chunk Candy Cane Cheesecake Recipe

We can't think of a better use for candy canes than lining them up all around the sides of a chocolate-and-peppermint flavored cheesecake. This easy garnishing idea results in one very impressive cake.

Chocolate-Citrus Cake With Candied Oranges Recipe

A rich whipped chocolate ganache filling is the happy surprise when you slice into this decadent chocolate layer cake. Frost with 7-Minute Frosting and decorate with festive candied orange slices, citrus leaves and cranberries.

Cranberry Obsession Snow Cake Recipe

This stunning white cake features a brilliantly-colored cranberry filling and a rich buttercream frosting. The crowning glory, and the feature that will generate "oohs" and "ahhs," is the topping of white chocolate curls.

Spice Cake with Citrus Filling Recipe

Fill your kitchen with the aromas of cinnamon, allspice and cloves as the spice cake bakes, then top the cake layers with a tangy filling made with lemon curd, coconut and orange juice.

Red Velvet-White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

This gorgeous, festive cake marries two favorite holiday cake flavors: red velvet and cheesecake. The cake features layers of white chocolate cheesecake alternated with red velvet cake layers, topped with white chocolate frosting and candy "leaves".

Ginger Cake with Maple Frosting Recipe

A creamy frosting made with maple syrup is the perfect partner for this richly spiced holiday cake. Decorate the top and sides of the cake with homemade or store-bought gingerbread cookies and candy canes for a cake that can double as the centerpiece.

Peppermint Ice-Cream Cake Recipe

With peppermint ice cream sandwiched between chiffon cake layers, this towering cake is a peppermint-lover's dream.

White Christmas Cupcakes Recipe

Make these crowd-pleasing cupcakes to create your own little wonderland of snow. The peppermint-Cream Cheese Frosting gives a luscious, chilly bite and sparkling scent to this bright, frosty cupcake.

Candy Cane Cake Recipe

For a simple yet stunning holiday dessert, top angel food cake with whipped cream and crushed peppermint candies. For a shortcut, start with a store-bought angel food cake instead of making one from scratch.

Chocolate-Vanilla Holiday Torte Recipe

Add a touch of elegance to your holiday table with this chocolate cake coated with a white chocolate ganache and topped with a festive white chocolate ribbon and bow.

Spiced Eggnog Cake Recipe

Eggnog not's just for sipping: Use it to add extra richness and flavor to a holiday bundt cake.

Peppermint Ice Cream Cake Recipe

Add holiday flair to chocolate cake layers with a filling of peppermint ice cream and a frosting of frozen whipped topping. Top the cake with crushed peppermint candies to make it colorful and give it double mint flavor.

Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake Recipe

This Italian cream cake recipe is enhanced with a pecan and cream cheese frosting and sweet, tangy orange curd between the cake layers. Garnish with glazed pecans and a boxwood garland to make it special for the holidays.

Christmas Fruitcake Recipe

This nutty, rum-soaked cake will defy all the jokes made about fruitcake during the holiday season. It's tender, filled with sweet raisins, currants, apricots and figs, and gets a little crunch from chopped pistachios.

Holiday Gift Cakes Recipe

Make your friends really happy by baking them a small loaf of cream cheese coffee cake drizzled with a sugary glaze and topped with maraschino cherries and pecans.

Hazel's Fresh Coconut Cake Recipe

Southerner Hazel Burwell has been making this stately fresh coconut cake for her family for over 40 years. She brushes the layers with a coconut syrup to keep the cake moist, and adds marshmallows to the frosting to keep it soft.

Ambrosia Cheesecake Recipe

Turn the traditional holiday fruit side dish into a cheesecake featuring orange curd and sweetened coconut.

Cream Cheese-Coconut-Pecan Pound Cake Recipe

As if a cream cheese pound cake were not rich enough, this one goes over the top with the addition of shredded coconut and chopped pecans. And don't forget the sugar glaze that's drizzled over the top. For a special holiday occasion, garnish the cake plate with sugared rosemary sprigs and sugared cranberries.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake Recipe

Shiny glazed cranberries give a tangy new holiday twist to this classic homestyle dessert.

Chocolate-Bourbon-Pecan Cake Recipe

Fill and frost a velvety, three-layer chocolate cake with a rich buttercream frosting accented with bourbon, and top the cake with toasted pecans and chopped chocolate. The combination of chocolate, pecans and bourbon is the trifecta of flavor.

Chocolate-Mint Cake Recipe

It's hard to beat the flavor pairing of chocolate and mint that's showcased in this cake, featuring velvet chocolate cake layers, a peppermint buttercream filling, and a luscious chocolate ganache.

White Chocolate-Almond Cake Recipe

Offer your holiday guests a present in the form of cake. This recipe features classic chocolate cake layers, a vanilla buttercream frosting, and white chocolate-almond candy that's chopped and sprinkled over the top of the cake.

Chocolate Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese-Butter Pecan Frosting Recipe

Top the rich chocolate cake layers with a luscious cream cheese frosting accented with toasted pecans. Make the cake special for the holidays with festive garnishes such as sugared ivy leaves, toffee candy and shelled pecans.

Bûche de Noël Recipe

Bûche de Noël is a traditional French Christmas cake shaped and decorated to look like a tree log. It's filled and frosted with silky chocolate buttercream. Crunchy meringue mushrooms are the perfect contrast. Chopped pistachios scattered around resemble moss growing on the (chocolate) log.

Holiday Lane Cake Recipe

Adorn your table with a show-stopping cake that starts with a cake mix and store-bought icing, then adds rich homemade flavor in the fruit-and-nut filling and the festive garnishes.

Cranberry-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe

Dress up coffee cake for the holidays by adding cranberry sauce, pecans and a sugary citrus glaze.

Cheesecake-Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe

Start with a package of devil's food cake mix for this decadent cake that's filled with chopped frozen cheesecake bites and chocolate candy bars. The over-the-top cream cheese frosting is drenched with dulce de leche caramel sauce and topped with chocolate cookies.

Mile-High White Chocolate Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Hummingbird Cake remains the most-requested Southern Living recipe of all time. The origin of the name is unknown, but its signature ingredients—mashed banana, pineapple, coconut and pecans—assure its continued popularity. Eight layers and a spoon-licking white chocolate-cream cheese frosting make this updated version more spectacular than the original. But it's easy as can be because of convenience products such as cake mix, instant pudding mix, and canned pineapple.

Brown Sugar Cake with Peanut Buttercream and Brittle Topping Recipe

This gorgeous cake is pretty enough to be a holiday centerpiece, and it's as delicious as it is eye-catching.

Gingerbread Baked Alaska Recipe

The mixing bowl from a heavy-duty stand mixer makes a perfect mold for assembling the cake and ice cream. Be sure your plastic wrap extends well beyond your bowl to completely cover your cake and ice cream mixture.

Coconut-Lemon Cake Recipe

This is a classic Christmas white cake in every way, with three golden yellow layers and fluffy white frosting. The homemade lemon filling is a quick and easy stovetop stir-together that can also be used to fill tart shells.

Gift Box Cake Recipe

This is a fun cake for the whole family—perfect not only for the holidays, but for year-round celebrations. It's an impressively moist three-layered white cake with a fine crumb texture.

Christmas Tree Cake Wedges Recipe

Instead of making a Christmas tree cake in a tree-shaped pan, just create Christmas trees from individual cake wedges.

Sugar-and-Spice Cake Recipe

Make a classic white cake for Christmas or Easter this year. This cake starts with boxed mix, then adds a few key ingredients to make the end result light, fluffy, and totally delicious.

Peppermint-Mousse Cake Recipe

Start with a frozen pound cake loaf for this easy cake filled with a sweetened mascarpone cheese filling and topped with melted chocolate and chopped peppermint candies.

Chocolate Truffle Angel Cake Recipe

You can freeze the cake layers and cookies weeks ahead, then assemble the cake (except adding the angel cookies) a day or two before your party. Add the cookies and ribbon up to 6 hours before serving.

Rum Cake with Key Lime Buttercream Recipe

Take a mental vacation to the islands this holiday season with this citrusy take on rum cake.  Classic rum cake is layered with our homemade key lime buttercream, making it the ultimate tropical flavors escape.  Top with Sugared Key Limes and Cranberries.

Maple-Glazed Pumpkin-Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe

This moist, pretty cake features your favorite fall flavors--warm spices, tangy cranberries, and sweet maple syrup.

Plum Upside-Down Pudding Cake Recipe

Juicy plum and vanilla flavors combine to create this delicious upside-down cake. Pudding adds texture to this cake, not icing, so the plum flavor can shine through the subtle sweetness. The natural color of the plums pops in the gorgeous top. Use either red or black plums, according to preference.