These Old Fashioned Christmas Cake Recipes Will Take You Back to Your Childhood
From beautiful Bundts to traditional fruitcakes, these nostalgic recipes capture the flavours of Christmas past.
11 Old Fashioned Christmas Cake Recipes
Grandma’s Christmas Cake
“One bite of this old-fashioned spice cake will bring back memories. Loaded with raisins and nuts, it tastes extra special drizzled with the rich buttery sauce.” —Linda Stemen, Monroeville, Indiana
Get the recipe for Grandma’s Christmas Cake.
Best Red Velvet Cake
“It’s just not Christmas at our house until this festive cake appears. This is different from other red velvet cake recipes I’ve had; the icing is as light as snow.” —Kathryn Davison, Charlotte, North Carolina
Get the recipe for Best Red Velvet Cake.
Grandma’s Molasses Fruitcake
“This dense, dark, moist fruitcake was my grandmother’s recipe. The flavour just gets better and better as it sits in the fridge, so be sure to make it ahead!” —Debbie Harmon, Lavina, Montana
Get the recipe for Grandma’s Molasses Fruitcake.
Apple Gingerbread Skillet Cake
“This gingerbread recipe came from my grandmother, and we always ate it with warm applesauce. I adapted it into a one-pan dessert by layering the apples around the bottom of a cast-iron skillet and topping them with the gingerbread batter. The skillet creates a wonderfully thick crust on the gingerbread.” —Mary M. Leverette, Columbia, South Carolina
Get the recipe for Apple Gingerbread Skillet Cake.
Oma’s Apfelkuchen (Grandma’s Apple Cake)
“My husband’s German family calls this Oma’s apfelkuchen, which translates to ‘Grandma’s apple cake.’ They’ve been sharing the recipe for more than 150 years. I use Granny Smith apples, but any variety works.” —Amy Kirchen, Loveland, Ohio
Get the recipe for Oma’s Apfelkuchen (Grandma’s Apple Cake).
Holiday Ambrosia Cake
“This is from an old recipe that came to me as a typical fruitcake. I added pineapple, coconut and pineapple juice, which made it really moist and gave it a bit of a tropical taste.” – Dotty Stodulski, North Port, Florida
Get the recipe for Holiday Ambrosia Cake.
Italian Cream Cheese Cake
“Buttermilk makes every bite of this awesome Italian cream cheese cake recipe moist and flavourful. I rely on this recipe year-round.” —Joyce Lutz, Centerview, Missouri
Get the recipe for Italian Cream Cheese Cake.
Incredible Coconut Cake
“I found this coconut cake recipe in a newspaper many years ago and modified it to suit my taste. This is my all-time favourite cake, and my family and friends absolutely love it.” —Lynne Bassler, Indiana, Pennsylvania
Get the recipe for Incredible Coconut Cake.
Mint Swirl Fudge Cake
“Mint pairs with a silky, mild chocolate flavour for this colourful, beautiful cake that will be the talk of the holiday buffet.” —Heidi Kelly, Norwood, Missouri
Get the recipe for Mint Swirl Fudge Cake.
Gingerbread with Fig-Walnut Sauce
“I experimented with aniseed this past holiday season and fell in love with the licorice flavour. It really enhances the gingerbread spices and fig sauce in this extraordinary cake.” —Shelly Bevington-Fisher, Hermiston, Oregon
Get the recipe for Gingerbread with Fig-Walnut Sauce.
Upside-Down Fruitcake
“I get tired of people bad-mouthing holiday fruitcakes. It’s one of my favourite holiday flavours and I look forward to it every year. This year, I decided to combine it with everyone’s favourite, upside-down cake. Try to say no to this fruitcake; I dare you!” —James Schend, Taste of Home Deputy Editor
Get the recipe for Upside-Down Fruitcake.
After you’ve added these old fashioned Christmas cake recipes to your repertoire, check out our all-time favourite Christmas cookie recipes.
