52 Christmas Cakes That Will Make You Forget All About Cookies

Nine layers of breathtaking beauty! This Christmas tree cake is perfect for when you really want to show off this holiday season. We recommend using a homemade cake recipe, like our chocolate or yellow cakes, but boxed cake mix will work too.

Get the Christmas Tree Cake recipe.

Bake off your favorite cupcakes, pipe a tall swirling mound of red frosting on top, then add a little white around the edges and top. You'll have the cutest Christmas dessert in no time, and everyone will be obsessed.

Get the Santa Hat Cupcakes recipe.

Traditionally a date-studded sponge cake topped with a rich toffee sauce, this the perfect dessert for holiday meals or special occasions. It’s truly a dessert like any other and is best served still slightly warm out of the pan with extra toffee sauce drizzled on top.

Get the Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe.

Bûche de Noël cakes are a French Christmas tradition dating back to the 19th century. Rolling up a warm cake in a towel might seem crazy, but it's the best way to ensure the cake won't crack when you frost it. You could decorate it like a log, as is traditional, or try any other variety of frosting and topping combos—it's all about that gorgeous swirl, so anything else you manage is a bonus.

Get the Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake) recipe.

Everyone should have a good red velvet cake recipe in their back pocket—and this is it. It has a decadent chocolate flavor and the creamiest cream cheese frosting. The combo of vinegar and buttermilk makes a red velvet cake extra tender, light, and fluffy. The striking red color makes it unforgettable (and perfect for the holidays!).

Get the Red Velvet Cake recipe.

With an Oreo crust and ganache topping, this is our favorite cheesecake to make for Christmas. It's like peppermint bark in cheesecake form, and we can't get enough.

Get the Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake recipe.

We used slices from navel, blood orange, Cara Cara oranges, grapefruit, and lemons, but really any of your favorite wintery citrus can be used for this stunner of an upside-down cake.

Get the Citrus Upside Down Cake recipe.

This cranberry pound cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The cranberries will burst and release all of their juices while baking, making each bite extra exciting. The sugar topping adds a subtle crunch too, and the sour cream keeps this cake moist for days.

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Fruitcake is an iconic holiday dessert that doesn't get the love it deserves. This is the one you should take the risk on though. Freshly baked, fruitcake is delicious and studded with dry fruit and pecans and warmly spiced. The glaze is optional but is a helpful, sweet addition.

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These cupcakes look so impressive but are actually so easy to make. You could have these done before your aunt can finish decorating her first sugar cookie.

Get the Christmas Light Cupcakes recipe.

We use sweetened condensed, evaporated, and whole milk for this Latin American sponge cake. Some recipes use heavy cream in place of whole milk, but we feel the mixture is already so decadent and that milk helps balance it. Plus, we use heavy cream for the topping so it still makes it way in there. 😉

Get the Tres Leches Cake recipe.

Andes chocolate lovers, meet your new favorite layer cake. The layers of chocolate and mint buttercream will have you falling in love.

Get the Andes Chocolate Cake recipe.

This perfect pound cake is sliced, then stuffed with delicious cookie dough for the most epic of combos. We are dreaming up excuses to make it over and over again this Christmas (we might leave some out for Santa in lieu of regular cookies!).

Get the Cookie Dough Pound Cake recipe.

Eggnog is one of the best ways we know how to celebrate the holidays so, naturally, we had to turn some into mini cheesecakes. Using a gingersnap for the crust makes these extra easy and makes them taste even more seasonal. Feel free to use store-bought or homemade cookies and nog; these will turn out great either way.

Get the Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes recipe.

Popular in the Caribbean, rum cake is a vanilla Bundt cake that has rum in the batter. Traditionally, dried fruit is soaked in rum for months and then added to the cake batter too, but we've made a more accessible homemade version here.

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You could use any type of cake for this recipe, but truthfully, we actually prefer starting with boxed mix. With the homemade buttercream, chocolate coating, and festive sprinkles, no one will notice or care.

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Nothing screams Christmas dessert like red velvet cake, and we made it even crazier by layering two cakes between a thick layer of plain cheesecake. You're welcome.

Get the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake recipe.

A classic chocolate cake is always a good idea, but if you want to switch things up a bit, give this white chocolate cake a try. It's soft and layered with a white chocolate mousse and then frosted with a simple cream cheese frosting. We recommend using good-quality bars of white chocolate with this cake, as it will really make a difference.

Get the White Chocolate Cake recipe.

It doesn’t get more festive than everyone’s favorite holiday menu special from The Cheesecake Factory. Peppermint bark meets cheesecake in this minty, chocolate-y epic dessert. Studded with chopped chocolate and candy canes, it tastes just like the real thing.

Get the Peppermint Bark Cheesecake recipe.

If you’re looking for a showstopping, mouthwatering dessert to impress dinner guests, look no further than this lemon meringue cheesecake recipe. The layers of graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake, bright yellow lemon curd, and a big swoop of toasted meringue will get everyone in a frenzy even before their first bite.

Get the Lemon Meringue Cheesecake recipe.