Christmas Layer Cake

Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with this showstopping Christmas funfetti layer cake! Two layers of moist, fluffy, and flavorful cake sandwiched with the most amazing vanilla buttercream, and it’s all made from scratch. This cake truly is the best way to celebrate the holidays this year!

I always felt intimidated by beautiful layer cakes, and thought they were too complicated to make until I gave it a try! This cake is not at all difficult to make, as with clear instructions and a great recipe, you can easily make this impressive cake all by yourself.

This cake is not your standard cake, it’s made so moist, tender, and rich with the addition of sour cream and heavy cream whipped into the cake batter. This Christmas layer cake is spongy but also moist at the same time. Everyone is going to love it.

Need another dessert idea? Try my easy No Bake Cheesecake too!

Looking for a dessert recipe shaped like a Christmas tree? I have you covered with my pull-apart chocolate chip Christmas dessert!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Impressive Presentation. A layer cake is always impressive, especially if you’re not usually the cake baker in the family. Everyone will ooh and ahh over your baking skills when you bring this cake to the holiday party. Just don’t tell everyone how simple it really was!
2. Delicious Scratch Made Cake. This vanilla cake recipe is my new favorite for funfetti. It’s dense and moist from the added dairy ingredients, but also spongy and fluffy with the perfect crumb. The sprinkles for the funfetti are easily held up in this thick batter too. 
3. Step by Step Instructions. Even if you’ve never made and decorated a layer cake before, you will be able to make this recipe. I’m sharing each step, including photos and tips to help you do it the right way the first time. 

Key Ingredients

To make this Christmas Layer Cake, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Cake flour: If you don’t have cake flour, you can easily make it! For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, and replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
• Baking powder, baking soda, and salt: These ingredients are found in almost every cake recipe. They are added to the flour to make up our dry ingredient mixture.
• Egg whites: the secret behind a fluffy cake.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter for baking cakes. Salted butter can have varying amounts of salt in it, and I prefer to be able to control the amount in my baked goods.
• Granulated sugar: This is the sweetener for our cake batter.
• Sour cream and heavy cream: The two cake batter additions that make this the best funfetti cake you’ve ever had. If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute with Greek yogurt, it works well.
• Pure vanilla extract: I always buy the best one that I can afford, as it makes a huge difference.
• Buttercream: This recipe for Vanilla Buttercream is my go to.
• Holiday sprinkles: I used Wilton’s Christmas jimmies for the cake layers, and decorated the cake from the outside with just holiday sprinkles that I found at Walmart. You can use your favorites, but avoid using nonpareils as they bleed into the batter.

How to Make This Christmas Layer Cake

1. Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F/150°C. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. 
2. Whip Egg Whites: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites. Using the whisk attachment, beat until light and fluffy and medium peaks form. Transfer the whipped egg whites to another bowl and set aside. 
3. Cream Butter: Add the softened butter and granulated sugar to the mixer bowl (no need to clean it), and cream until light pale yellow and fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes with the paddle attachment. 
4. Mix Batter: Add the sour cream and vanilla to the butter mixture, and mix until combined. Next add the flour mixture and stir in until combined.Then add the heavy cream. Continue mixing, scraping the sides of the bowl until well combined. Gently fold in the egg whites. 

1. Add the Sprinkles: To finish the cake batter, fold in the sprinkles. 
2. Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans, smoothing out the tops. Bake for 26-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack.

How to Decorate a Christmas Layer Cake

1. Stack: Once the cakes are completely cooled, remove them from the pans. Place one cake on your serving platter or cake board. Add 1 cup of buttercream and smooth it out. Place the other cake on top of the frosting, upside down so that the bottom is the top of the cake. 
2. Crumb Coat: Coat the entire cake with a light layer of buttercream (called a crumb coat). Place the cake in the fridge for at least two hours so that the frosting sets. 
3. Frost: When ready to decorate, add a thick layer of buttercream around the sides and top of the cake. Make it as even as possible and smooth it out as best as you can. Don’t stress too much about making it perfect. 
4. Add Sprinkles: Gently press sprinkles all around the bottom of the cake, bringing them up the sides if you like. 
5. Decorate: Use a piping bag to decorate the top of the cake however you like and decorate with more sprinkles. 

Recipe Success Tips

Avoid Overmixing: An overmixed cake can become tough after baking. Mix ingredients until just combined.

Sift the Flour after Measuring: Measure the cake flour first by spooning it into a measuring cup and then leveling the top of the cup with the flat side of a butter knife. Then sift using a flour sifter or a mesh sieve.

The Best Pans: For beautiful layer cakes, straight-sided cake pans will give you the best results. I use these 9-inch nonstick pans and get amazing results every time.

For Neat Layering: To get a neat-looking cake, add a tiny bit of frosting to your cake stand or cake turntable, to stop the cake from moving as you frost. Then place the first layer of cake upside down. Add your icing, making it a bit thicker around the outside edge. Then place the second layer upside down, so that the flat part is the top of the cake. Doing it this way means that you won’t need to cut off any cake to get it flat. 

Love layer cakes? Try making this amazing (and gluten-free!) Carrot Cake, an Easy Banana Cake, Strawberry Layer Cake, this delicious Butterscotch Cake, or my Pumpkin Cake with cream cheese frosting.

Making Ahead and Storing Tips for Layer Cakes

Make ahead: You can bake the cake layers 1-2 days in advance, and store them at room temperature wrapped in parchment paper then in plastic wrap. The buttercream can also be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge. The frosted cake can be made 2-3 days in advance and again, stored in the fridge. 

Leftovers: Leftover cake can be kept in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can also freeze slices of cake in airtight containers for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.

How to cut clean, perfect cake slices

You’ve spent time making a beautiful Christmas cake, so you’ll want to be sure it’s beautiful when you slice it too! Try one of these methods to make flawless cake slices

1. Use Fishing Line. A strong, thin mono-filament string like a fishing line can be used to cut cakes, cheesecakes, or breads without smearing the frosting. Hold the line with two hands, spreading it out between them tightly, and wide enough to cut across the cake. Slice in a smooth, firm,  downward motion. When you reach the bottom of the cake, let go of one side of the line and pull it out with the other hand. Wipe the fishing line if needed and repeat. 
2. Using a Knife. The best knife for cutting a cake is a large serrated knife, like a bread knife. Warm the knife under hot running water, dry it off, and cut into the cake using slight sawing motion. Remove the knife, clean it, and repeat the process for the remaining slices needed. 

FAQs

I can’t wait to hear about how much everyone loved this beautiful Christmas layer cake! Serve it with a big bowl of Christmas Punch, and Happy Holidays!