Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

More Christmas Cake decorating tips

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.