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Home » Recipes » Cake

Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas

September 23, 2020 by Lynn Hill 2 Comments

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Discover amazing Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas for the home baker. Edible fondant toppers, Royal Icing or Glacé Fruits and Nuts are all fair game. Check out these amazing Christmas cookie and cake decoration tips from readers just like you.

bundt style cake topped with white icing and fondant holly leaves, berries and stars

Image: John Holland 'Baker on Board'

Around September or October, many home bakers are thinking about what kind of Rich Fruit Christmas Cake to make for the festive season. I make my Christmas Cake in October. I feed it regularly with Brandy and leave it for several weeks before eating it. Rarely, if ever, do I decorate mine, rather preferring to eat a slice with a good chunk of crumbly cheese, such as Wensleydale.

For many bakers, a traditional Christmas Cake decoration may contain marzipan and a full festive scene of a snowy white Christmas. Some are decorated with holly or intricately made fondant cake toppers. Others opt for the simple, yet no less spectacular, decoration of glacé fruits and nuts.

Don't forget: If you're planning on having a party during the festive season, you're going to need some snacks and other cakes.

Christmas Cake Decorating Tips

Here you'll find a handful of Christmas cake decorating ideas. Ranging from simple nuts and fruits to starry Christmas Trees to cute little figures that the children can get involved with, the options are endless!  All these ideas and images were contributed by members of my Community Facebook group, which you are very welcome to join.

  • Chocolate cake with Peppermint buttercream and white chocolate peppermint squares
    Barb Kiebel - Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Buttercream
  • Festive Chocolate cake with white icing and sugared cranberries
    Barb Kiebel - Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Sugared Cranberries

Not everyone likes fruit cakes. These two recipes from  Barb Kiebel's are a great example of how you can adapt any cake to suit the seasons.

Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
Christmas is the perfect time for this Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting. It’s seasonal and beautiful and a wonderful addition to holiday festivities.
Check out this recipe
Chocolate cake with Peppermint buttercream and white chocolate peppermint squares
Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Sugared Cranberries
This Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Sugared Cranberries is a spectacular cake. The combination of chocolate cake with a mascarpone and buttercream frosting all topped with sugared cranberries is simply divine. Extend it to any season by garnishing the cake with fresh Strawberries or Raspberries.
Check out this recipe
Festive Chocolate cake with white icing and sugared cranberries

Holly and Berries

Circles of holly and snow-covered trees are very popular themes for Christmas cake, cookie or cupcake decor. Using either a cookie cutter with fondant or piping bag & icing, you can create the perfect landscape or holly wreath.

  • Christmas tree cupcakes
  • Decorated Christmas cake with white fondant and a wreath of fondant holly
  • Christmas tree shaped cake in the 4 stages of decorating
  • Decorated Christmas cake with white fondant, red ribbon around the base, and fondant holly wreath
  • White fondant covered cake decorated with geometric holly leaves, red stars and a white snowflake in the middle

Stars and sparkling Christmas Trees are some of the most popular and easy ways to decorate a cake.

  • Fondant covered cake with winter forest scene
  • Fondant covered cake with wreath of red and green stars and a Christmas tree made out of fondant stars
  • Fondant covered cake with blue base and white fondant stars creating a Christmas tree
  • Fondant covered cake with fondant Christams tree
  • White cake with buttercream edging and upright red white and green fondant leaves spelling merry xmas

Here's a selection of Robins, Christmas tree baubles, Santa Claus, and gingerbread men. Christmas Cake and Cookie Decorating is especially fun when you get the kids involved.

  • Fondant covered cake with two christmas birds on a branch
  • Fondant covered cake with three christmas bobbles
  • Fondant covered cake with an owl on a branch holding christmas stockings
  • Fondant covered cake with fondant gingerbread man and candy cane striping
  • Fondant covered cake with snowman and snowflakes
  • Santa Claus decorated cupcakes

Christmas Cake Toppers

If you love to sculpt or craft, you can use fondant to create intricate figures for cake toppers. These are so cute.

  • Cakes with Fondant cake toppers
  • Cake with Fondant cake toppers in the shape of a snowman, Santa, and a christmas tree with presents
  • Cake with Fondant cake toppers in the shape of birds wearing santa hats
  • Cake with Fondant cake toppers shaped like penguins wearing santa hats and a christmas tree
  • Cake with Fondant cake toppers shaped like penguins and polar bears wearing santa hats
  • Cake with Fondant cake toppers shaped like penguins and an igloo

With fondant, you can create candy canes, ribbons, or snowflakes. The ideas are endless.

  • Fondant covered cake made to look like a wrapped christmas present
  • Fondant covered cakes with 6 pointed stars and glitter
  • Fondant covered cake with candy canes and gingerbread men
  • Fondant covered cake with blue and white snowflakes

Not everyone likes marzipan and fondant, so why not use Nuts and Glacé fruits?

  • Cake decorated with Nuts
  • Cake decorated with white icing, Glace Fruits and Nuts
  • fruit Cake loaf decorated with Glace Fruits and Nuts

More Christmas Cake decorating tips

Decorated christmas cakes with white fondant icing

Want to learn how to cover cakes with marzipan or fondant? Read my post, Simple Festive Cake Decoration to get the basics!

So what are you waiting for? Pour yourself a glass of mulled wine and have the most wonderful time getting in the Christmas spirit. 

Note:

These images are copyright of the home bakers who very kindly contributed to this post. These images cannot be used without their permission. Credit has been given to each contributor.

This post was first published in December 2017 and has since been updated with new images and information.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barb | Creative Culinary

    October 27, 2019 at 1:53 pm

    Thanks for including my holiday cakes Lynn.

    Even more, what a great list, something for everyone!

    Reply
  2. Becky Chester

    December 10, 2017 at 3:32 pm

    Lots of lovely ideas - thank you for including mine

    Reply

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