Christmas cake recipes

Transform black forest gateau into an easily shareable traybake. Made with chocolate ganache and kirsch cream, it's ideal to take to a Christmas party

Impress your family with Mary Cadogan’s lighter alternative to the traditional Christmas cake

You can make this Christmas cake right at the last minute. The decorating makes a fun holiday project for the kids

Get the kids to help create this winter wonderland - just make sure you have enough Smarties to nibble on!

Icing and decorating a Christmas cake may take time but this sweet snowy scene will be a hit with kids

Turn a plain cake into a stunning centre piece. You need a steady hand so save the sherry for after the tricky balancing act!

Treat guests during the festive season to these gorgeous Christmas tree cupcakes. Decorate with sugar balls, sprinkles or chocolate beans to make baubles

For a stunning Christmas centrepiece, this cake is perfect. Get the kids to help out making the stars and celebrate in style

A super-simple yet effective Christmas cake decoration, especially if you want a modern looking cake

This traditional Christmas cake is the perfect combination of fruit, nuts and spices

Packed with
almonds, both ground and whole, and fed with raisiny PX sherry, this is
intensely fruity - but not overly rich

Has all the flavours of Christmas without being too heavy and can be made at the last minute too

A good glug of ginger wine makes this cake a little different from the norm. It's also lighter than its predecessors, so you can have two pieces!

An 'intergalactically special' Christmas cake enriched with the honey-vanilla-whisky flavours of bourbon - it'll improve with keeping so bake it early

Create this cute and clever igloo-themed cake, complete with a penguin family. It's the perfect Christmas treat to decorate with the kids

Leave the tinsel and bling for the Christmas tree and keep it simple with this tasteful finishing touch to your homemade cake

It's worth having a go at making your own marzipan to cover your Christmas cake - and you can experiment with adding different flavours

Homemade marzipan out does shop-bought every time, if orange isn't your thing try ginger or cinnamon - it's simple too

Decorating a simple iced cake with herbs, spices, nuts and fruit works to great effect and is especially easy for beginners to try

A long-life Christmas cake that's bursting with flavours of spices and vanilla

These beautiful and classy little fruitcakes make lovely gifts, and kids will enjoy decorating them too.