353 holiday cake recipes

Russian tea cakes (also called Mexican wedding cookies): buttery nut-studded shortbread balls rolled twice in powdered sugar. A classic holiday cookie tin staple in 30 minutes.

Soft, cake-style pumpkin spice cookies built on egg whites and pumpkin puree with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, baked tender for a lighter holiday cookie tin.

Blarney stones are tender cake bars coated in powdered sugar icing and rolled in chopped peanuts or pecans. A classic Irish-American holiday treat with a crunchy, nutty shell.

Gingerbread drop cookies are soft, cake-like spice cookies sweetened with molasses and brown sugar, studded with raisins. A wholesome wheat germ-boosted twist on classic holiday cookies.

Chocolate nut torte: a four-layer sponge cake filled with silky cooked chocolate-buttercream frosting and topped with chopped nuts. An old-world holiday torte for special occasions.

Old-fashioned Pennsylvania Christmas drop cakes loaded with currants and lemon. Thin, buttery, crispy-edged holiday cookies made the way they were a hundred years ago. A vintage gem.

Chocolate eggnog bundt cake made with pudding mix for extra moisture, warm nutmeg, and a creamy eggnog buttercream frosting. A holiday dessert that puts leftover eggnog to good use.

Pull-apart Christmas tree coffee cake made with bread machine dough, shaped from soft buttermilk rolls, topped with sweet icing and cinnamon heart candies. A festive holiday brunch centerpiece.

White chocolate cream filling stabilized with gelatin for cakes, pastries, and holiday desserts. Grated white chocolate baking bar melted into whipped cream with vanilla for a rich, pipeable filling.

Golden fruitcake with dried apricots, raisins, candied cherries, orange peel, citron, and shaved almonds in a light cake flour batter. Baked low and slow for 4 gorgeous holiday loaves.

Christmas gift-box cake decorated with homemade red ribbon and holly leaves made from melted vanilla chips and corn syrup, dusted with edible glitter. A centerpiece-worthy holiday showstopper.

Soft, moist cornbread baked low and slow for a tender, cake-like crumb that never dries out. A big 9x13 batch made for potlucks, chili nights, and holiday spreads.

Rum butter sauce simmers a glossy syrup of sugar, lemon juice, butter, brandy, and both light and dark rum into a holiday dessert sauce. Pour warm over mince pie, pound cake, or steamed pudding.

Streusel and cream pear kuchen with a yeasted hot-roll base, sweet cream cheese filling, cinnamon-pecan streusel, and fanned poached pears on top. A German-style coffee cake worthy of a holiday brunch table.

Buche de Noel: the iconic French Christmas yule log cake. Light sponge rolled around fruit jam, frosted with chocolate buttercream, and decorated to look like a snowy birch log. The classic holiday showstopper.

A homestyle Christmas cake packed with dates, cherries, walnuts, and chocolate chips in a simple egg batter. Bakes into a dense, fruity loaf that wraps up beautifully for holiday gifting.