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This is a roundup of some of the very best Christmas cake decorating ideas. There are some wonderful design ideas, inspiration and tutorials for using fondant, royal icing, buttercream and more.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS CAKE DECORATING IDEAS 2022

Who doesn’t love a beautifully decorated Christmas cake?!
Looking for inspiration for this year’s cake?
You’ve come to the right place.
I’ve put together a bumper roundup of easy Christmas cake decorating ideas.
The list includes various kinds of icing, there’s fondant, royal icing, butter icing and sifted icing sugar.
I love a traditionally decorated cake, but I’ve also included ideas for Scandinavian inspired decorations, rustic ideas, animal themed, unusual and funny ideas and more.
CHRISTMAS CAKE DECORATING IDEAS WITH PICTURES
How To Make A Winter Birch Tree Cake
This beautiful Christmas cake design is inspired by the bark of a silver birch tree and uses a clever - but easy - technique to create the bark effect. What I love about the cake design is how beautifully it brings nature into Christmas.
Christmas snowflake cake
This simple but stunning Christmas cake design incorporates snowflakes strewn with silver sugar pearls to make an eye-catching design that makes this cake the perfect centrepiece for Christmas day.
How to Make a Traditional Bow Christmas Cake
Fancy decorating your Christmas cake to look like a big Christmas gift? Follow this tutorial on how to create a traditional Christmas bow for your Christmas cake.
Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake
Love an Ugly Christmas sweater? Why not create a Christmas cake design inspired by one? Follow this step-by-step tutorial to create your own version of this brilliant Ugly Christmas sweater Christmas cake.
Candy Cane Crunch Cake
This is a thoroughly modern Christmas cake design on a non-traditional Christmas cake that incorporates my favourite flavour combination of peppermint and chocolate. The recipe uses swiss meringue buttercream and is topped with a peppermint glaze.
Best Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
Take inspiration from this alternative Christmas cake colour scheme of blue and white made with candied pretzels to come up with your own design.
How to Make Chocolate Pine Cones
Fancy covering your Christmas cake in beautiful chocolate pinecones? Learn how in this easy to follow tutorial that will help you bring a nature inspired Christmas cake design to life.
Festive Drip Cake
This is quite possibly one of my favourite Christmas cake designs ever. It incorpates candy canes and gingerbread men amongst other items to decorate a victoria sponge Christmas cake.
Elegant berry wreath cake recipe
Take inspiration from this simple but effective Christmas cake design to make a Christmas day centrepiece cake.
How to make a polar bear Christmas cake
This wonderful polar bear design uses desiccated coconut and icing to create a truly standout Christmas cake that will have kids and adults alike utterly delighted.
Gingerbread Cake with Cinnamon Frosting
This tutorial shows you how to use cream cheese frosting and shaped cookies to decorate a Christmas cake. It's great for those of us who aren't particularly blessed with cake decorating skills to create enable us to create something really beautiful.
How to Make a Reindeer Cake | Hobbycraft
What child wouldn't love this gorgeous reindeer Christmas cake? This is another idea for a chocolate Christmas cake, perfect for those who don't like traditional Christmas cake.
Soft gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries
Gingerbread is very much a Scandinavian Christmas flavour and this beautiful cake incorporates soft gingerbread cake decorated with cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries to give a truly Scandi flavour.
Gingered Christmas Fruitcake With Rustic Decorations
This cake is a clever twist on a traditional Christmas cake recipe, it's a gingered Christmas fruitcake given a rustic look using marzipan, icing and assorted natural decorations.
Christmas Poinsettia Cake Tutorials
Want to create a standout Christmas cake design when you're not overly gifted in the cake decorating department?! Use this simple and easy to follow tutorial to create a stunning poinsettia covered cake.
Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake
Now this traditional Italian Pandoro Christmas Tree cake is an absolute stunner, but apparently it is very quick to put together. The cake is made with pistachios and white chocolate, it is such a minimalist Christmas cake and yet it and makes the most stunning centrepiece.
This Easy Christmas Tree Cake is Made of Your Favorite Cupcakes!
This Christmas Tree cake is made up of individual cupcakes, it's such a clever alternative idea to creating a traditional Christmas cake. You could even give the kids the opportunity to decorate the cupcakes.
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake Recipe
Simplicity of design is the true beauty of this cake, that and the fact it is a gluten-free recipe, so perfect for those steering clear of gluten at Christmas. Use cream cheese frosting, candied cranberries and sugared rosemary to decorate.
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Why not use buttercream icing and homemade gingerbread men to create a snowy Christmas scene on top of a cake like this divine vegan gingerbread cake.
Gingerbread Cake
Using a gingerbread house to create a design on top of a Christmas cake simply iced in cream cheese or buttercream frosting is a great way to make your Christmas cake look stunning without having to be super skilled at cake decorating.
Eggnog Cake
This recipe is for an eggnog cake decorated in cream cheese frosting and white ganache to create a minimalist cake design that looks mouthwatering.
Red Velvet Christmas Wreath Cake For The Holidays
How about creating a Christmas cake to look like a Christmas wreath? Here's all you need to know to transform a red velvet cake into a Christmas decoration!
Well I hope this roundup has given you some great inspiration for decorating your Christmas cake this year.
Don’t forget I’ve got a great recipe for a rich and fruity Christmas cake.
There’s also plenty more Christmas inspiration and useful tips in the Christmas section and if you want to get your homemade Christmas on… then check out the Homemade Christmas section.
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Luci is the founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, she has used her experience as a mum to create useful guides to organising family life. During that time, she has found the most joy in creating lists of ideas and inspiration to make it easier for busy parents to plan and host kids’ parties and find great gifts. Read more.
Leanne Rain
Tuesday 24th of December 2013
oh my WOW.... Those are beautiful, I really like the one with the little houses on. Not sure I could tuck into those cakes though, there too beautiful :) x
Cynthia Landrie
Saturday 21st of December 2013
This is a great group of ideas! The fudge ice cream cake looks especially delicious. Thank you for linking to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you next time.
cooking with curls
Tuesday 17th of December 2013
Wow, those are all so gorgeous!! I guess I should up my game and concentrate more on decorating! ;)
Christine Graves
Tuesday 17th of December 2013
OMG I almost licked the screen....I'm so gad I saw this just in time for the holidays...
Victoria Welton
Saturday 14th of December 2013
How wonderful - I want to go and make cakes now too! I love them all - I thought the tree in the ruffles was a really clever idea :) Thank you for linking to PoCoLo x