60 Christmas Cakes That Will Make You Forget All About Cookies

We're still espresso martini obsessed, and we'll take it in any format we can get—especially if it's a showstopping dessert. Our espresso martini icebox cake has layers of chocolate graham crackers, coffee chocolate ganache, and espresso whipped cream stacked in a loaf pan and chilled until set and sliceable. The top is decorated with cocoa powder and chocolate-covered espresso beans for an added crunch and a hint about the flavors hiding inside.

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Don't be intimidated. These pull-apart cupcakes are wayyyy easier to make than you'd think. (Just watch the video a couple times 😉) If you're not willing to put in the work on decorating with frosting, make our Grinch Kranky Treats instead.

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If you love the thrill of uncovering surprises and the festive spirit of the holidays, then these Santa’s list-cakes are just what you need. Inspired by the excitement of discovering whether you made the naughty or nice list, each cupcake is filled with a hidden surprise of either joyful colored sprinkles or mischievous black sugar sprinkles. Topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting, these cupcakes not only taste heavenly, but are also a fun, interactive treat for holiday gatherings.

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This stunning layered Christmas trifle features buttery pound cake, cranberry compote, and homemade whipped cream for a centerpiece-worthy holiday dessert. Not only does it look amazing, it’s incredibly easy to make thanks to using store-bought pound cake.

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Want your kitchen to smell like Christmas? Make gingerbread cake! Enjoy it warm or cold, for breakfast or after dinner, plain or topped with whipped cream, from a plate with a fork or straight out of your hand. No judgment here!

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Biscoff, the unique Belgium biscuit that's commonly served as a snack on airplanes, has such a deep caramelized flavor that just pairs perfectly with the cozy holiday season. So we thought, Why not make one of our favorite types of cakes with it? Tres leches (“three milks” in Spanish) cake is such an iconic Mexican dessert. This cake requires a little love and patience, but the result is so worth it. The longer it sits in the fridge, the more it can absorb the cookie butter-milk mixture, making the cake better and better.

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Inspired by Starbucks' popular cranberry bliss bars, these cupcakes feature a tender vanilla cake with orange zest, tart cranberries, and a rich white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Want to add a little holiday cheer? Garnish with a few homemade sugared cranberries (they’re easy to make, we promise!).

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With the not-too-sweet creamy filling inside a crispy shell, cannoli are a nearly perfect dessert. Making your own is a fun little project but a little time consuming, so this easy cake is a great alternative. The filling is similar: sweetened ricotta and orange zest combine with whipped cream to make the cake even lighter. Our favorite cannoli toppings are pistachios and chocolate chips, so we folded some into the mixture and topped the icebox cake with it to really get the full cannoli experience.

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Baklava is already one of our not-too-sweet dessert faves, so turning it into a cheesecake felt like an obvious way to take things to the next level. To carry the nutty-honey of baklava flavor through the entire dessert, the creamy cheesecake center is blended with pistachio paste, honey, and orange zest, then topped with more nuts, and honey-butter brushed phyllo dough roses. Once it’s all baked and cooled, the whole thing is drizzled with honey syrup to create a sticky-sweet, creamy sensation.

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Holly jolly and extremely delicious, these pull-apart cupcakes are the holiday showstopper that you’ve been looking for. To make this recipe as simple as possible, we used boxed cake mix so that you can focus on the decoration. Feel free to let your creative juices flow on this recipe! Turns out these pull-apart cupcakes are just as easy to put together into one Santa cake. Bring them to your next holiday party or festive dinner, and you’re sure to impress any crowd.

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This cheesecake is no fussier than a classic cheesecake and makes such a fun addition to a holiday spread. There is no better pairing than coffee and chocolate, so we went with a simple Oreo crust to complete this decadent dessert. We can think of nothing better than sipping on a martini with a slice of this particular cheesecake in hand.

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You may be most familiar with these cookies as a beloved Delta in-flight snack. In fact, Biscoff’s partnership with the airline is what first introduced American consumers to the cookie in the 1980s. We love eating them all year long, but especially around Christmastime. So we decided to celebrate speculoos with this show-stopping holiday trifle.

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Bûche de Noël cakes are a French Christmas tradition dating back to the 19th century. Decorate it like a log, as is traditional, or try any other variety of frosting and topping combos—it's all about that gorgeous swirl, so anything else is a bonus.

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Usually, icebox cakes are built as one large treat, like this blueberry cheesecake icebox cake, that is built in a loaf pan, or this milk and cookies-icebox cake, which is layered freeform on a platter. For this recipe, everything is scaled down to create individually sized icebox cakes using thin gingersnaps full of warm spices, cool cream, and adorable charm.

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For this fall version of a classic icebox cake, we use crunchy gingersnap cookies to hold layers of caramel whipped cream and cinnamon apples together. The tartness of the apples really shines, but isn't overwhelming, thanks to the spicy-sweet nature of the cookies.

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Calling all chocolate dessert lovers—this fudgy Bundt cake is really something special. We’re partial to covering it in a rich ganache and serving it after a nice dinner, but keep it plain and it can be the perfect indulgent Christmas brunch or midday pick-me-up.

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Unlike our ugly sweater cookies, which involve some pretty serious piping skills, all you need to do for this cake is pipe a few thick lines on a store-bought (or homemade cake) to make it look like somewhat like a sweater, then go crazy with the décor!

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Want to turn Santa's milk and cookies into a dessert you can serve a crowd? This no-bake icebox showstopper is for you—did we mention it only has 4 ingredients?

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Love cinnamon rolls? Us too! While we’ve got a couple different hacks and recipes to get our fix (cinnamon roll cookies, anyone?), this is by far the most impressive. We took the decadent breakfast treat and turned it into a cinnamon sugar-filled cheesecake that’s sure to elicit wows.

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Fruitcake is an iconic holiday dessert that doesn't get the love it deserves. This is the one you should take the risk on though. Freshly baked, fruitcake is delicious and studded with dry fruit and pecans and warmly spiced. The glaze is optional but is a helpful, sweet addition.

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