Easy Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas

A simple dessert around the holidays makes a delicious ending to a Christmas dinner. These decorated cakes look great but are deceptively simple to create.

Reindeer in the Stars Cake

Make Rudolph the star of his own cake. Cover a two-layer round cake in white fondant. Place a decorated reindeer cookie in the center of the cake. (Be sure it has a clear outline and a red cinnamon candy nose.) Surround the cake with additional white fondant stars (use a small cookie cutter) and large silver dragees. Be sure to add dragees and stars along the cake sides, too.

Christmas Cake Stencils
Christmas Cupcakes Decorating Ideas
Easy Buttercream Frosting

Go with a minimally decorated cookie for a simple, modern design. If Rudolph is fully decorated, you may want to use yellow stars or some edible luster dust to add some pop to the stars.

Chocolate Peppermint Tree Cake

Start with a filled red velvet cake. Pour chocolate ganache over the top, stopping before the sides are covered. The bright red color of the un-iced sides is part of this cake's appeal.

Take bright green royal icing or thinned buttercream in a pastry bag with a round tip. Place the tip in the center top of the cake and make fluid zig-zag motions in the shape of a Christmas tree. It doesn't matter if this is perfect; being somewhat abstract is part of the design.

Finally, crush some candy canes. Place larger pieces around the sides of the tree and dust the powdery pieces across the entire cake top.

Loveable Snowman Cake

Smooth white buttercream over a two-layer white cake. Cover the sides of the cake in red and green confetti sprinkles. Use a ruffle tip with the buttercream to outline the top of the cake and cover any stray sprinkles.

Cut green fondant into a wide rainbow shape and place across the top of the cake with red fondant hearts as the muffs of the earmuffs (cookie cutters make hearts easy). Roll leftover red fondant into a small nose and black fondant into eyes and a mouth.

If you don't have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, consider using star shaped cutters or traditional round cutters for a classic look to the snowman's earmuffs.

Rustic Berry Cake

Frost a round cake with white buttercream frosting. Then add silver sprinkles to the side, overlapping the top just slightly (approximately 1/4"). Add rosemary sprigs in the shape of a wreath about an inch or two in from the edges. From there, place cranberries and blueberries to create a rustic berry wreath on top of the cake.

For a sparkling option, consider using candied or crystallized fruits instead of washed fruits. This effect creates an icy look.

Holly and Flower Cake

Cover a two-layer round cake with chocolate frosting. Thin the frosting and make diagonal lines across one side of the cake, approximately 1" apart. Then make diagonal lines going the opposite way across the cake so they criss-cross each other and create the background diamond shapes.

Roll out red and green fondant. Use a cookie cutter to make the holly leaves and a small knife to create veins. Roll red fondant into berries and place in the center of the cake. Then cut flower petals from the red fondant and place around the edges. Add candied maraschino cherries to serve as the Christmas flowers' centers.

If desired, you can cover the sides with red and green confetti sprinkles.

Simple Holiday Desserts

A decorated cake doesn't have to take you all day. Recreate one of these Christmas cake designs that don't need a lot of skill to pull off. The small amount of effort will be worth the "oohs" and "ahhs" you'll receive before slicing!