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I’ve rounded up some delightful Christmas cake decorating ideas, from classic snow scenes to ultra-creative 3D Christmas cake designs. I’ve found some brilliant tutorials and video tutorials to help you create a spectacular and memorable cake that everyone will love this year.
I love a traditionally decorated cake, but I’ve also included ideas for Scandinavian-inspired decorations, rustic ideas, animal-themed, unusual and funny ideas.

32 CHRISTMAS CAKE DECORATION IDEAS WITH PICTURES
Choose from one of the wonderful decoration and design ideas in this roundup, which includes guides on decorating Christmas cakes using fondant, royal icing, and buttercream.
SIMPLE DECORATING IDEAS
Sometimes keeping things elegant and simple is the way to do it.
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.
Very Easy Christmas Cake Ideas that Anybody can Make at Home(Dummy Cake)
This incredibly detailed video tutorial shows you how to create a striking red star Christmas tree on a smooth fondant icing base.
FUN WAYS TO DECORATE YOUR CAKE
Here are some bright and fun ways to style your Christmas cake this year.
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.
Cake Art- How to Make a Multi-coloured Christmas Drip Cake
This step-by-step video tutorial guides you through how to make and decorate a Christmas drip cake, which is a great modern twist on a classic Christmas cake design.
Cute pink ugly sweater cake with Christmas lights
This cute pink ugly sweater cake draped in Christmas lights (made from gumballs!) will look perfect as the centrepiece to your ugly Christmas sweater party. Follow the tutorial to make this fun holiday cake with a basic 9x13 pan.
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.
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.
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.
3D Christmas Tree Cake Video Tutorial
I just love this! Watch the tutorial and then try and recreate this 3D Christmas tree cake that has candy cane-coloured icing running through it, like the rings of a tree trunk.
Christmas Snowman Cake Tutorial
This is the most amazingly detailed tutorial on how to create a snowman topper for an icicle-decorated Christmas cake.
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.
Christmas Tree Cake - Texanerin Baking
This Christmas tree cake is literally made in the shape of a Christmas tree. It is made using a 9″x13″ pan, doesn’t require any special tools, and has an airy orange (or vanilla or almond) cake base with cream cheese frosting. It can be made with all-purpose, white whole wheat or gluten-free flour.
Easy Christmas Robin Cake Topper Tutorial | Christmas Cake Decoration Tutorial
This really easy-to-follow video tutorial shows you how to create robin cake toppers fit for adorning a Christmas cake.
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.
Magical Peppermint Unicorn Cake
Christmas isn't Christmas without a unicorn!! So, here's a wonderfully easy-to-follow tutorial that guides you through making a peppermint unicorn Christmas cake.
FUN WAYS TO DECORATE A CAKE WITH CANDY CANES
Peppermint candy canes are such a fun festive stalwart, so it makes sense that they can help make a Christmas cake look extra festive.
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.
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!
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.
Candy Cane Cake
How about decorating a whole cake with candy canes and crushed candy canes? I'm sure this cake will have kids' eyes out on stalks.
RUSTIC DECORATING IDEAS
Here's a selection of Christmas cake design that have a wonderfully rustic feel to them, from bark to foliage and shabby chic effects.
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.
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.
White Chocolate Bailey's Cake
There are white chocolate sponge layers, hidden Baileys and chocolate ganache and a delicious Baileys and white chocolate frosting involved in this beautiful Christmas cake that can easily stand in as the main dessert. It's decorated with chocolates and pine needles.
Elegant berry wreath cake recipe
Take inspiration from this simple but effective Christmas cake design to make a Christmas day centrepiece 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
BEFORE YOU GO…
If you’re in the mood for making wonderful sweet treats for Christmas, you will love my roundup of the most delicious homemade Christmas chocolate recipes.

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Hello, I’m Luci, founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, I have combined my experience as a mum, journalist and shopping editor to create useful guides and 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