Christmas traybake cake is your go-to festive dessert when you want something stunning, simple, and crowd-pleasing. This recipe features a soft, rich chocolate sponge topped with fluffy American buttercream in classic holiday colors—red, green, and snowy white. Whether you’re decorating with stars, swirls, or snowflakes, it’s the perfect bake to get creative with piping and bring a bit of sparkle to your Christmas celebrations. No stacking, no fuss—just bake, decorate, slice, and serve!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🎄 Festive & fun – A joyful cake that looks as good as it tastes
- 🍫 Rich chocolate base – Light yet indulgent sponge made with cocoa and soft brown sugar
- 🎨 Custom decorating – Great for kids, parties, or showing off your piping skills
- 🧁 American buttercream – Sweet, smooth, and easy to color
- 🧊 Freezer-friendly – Bake ahead for stress-free holiday hosting
- 🍰 No stacking required – One tin, one bake, perfect slices
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 400g unsalted butter, softened
- 400g light brown soft sugar
- 325g self-raising flour
- 75g cocoa powder
- 7 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Buttercream
- 200g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 400g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Green food coloring
- Red food coloring
- White food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles or edible decorations (optional)
Instructions
Bake the Cake
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan). Line a 9×13-inch traybake tin with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3–5 mins).
- Add eggs, flour, cocoa, and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.
- Pour into the tin and level out the top.
- Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool completely in the tin before decorating.
Make the Buttercream
- Beat the butter alone for 3–5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add icing sugar and vanilla and beat again until smooth.
- Split into 3–4 bowls. Tint each with food coloring to make festive red, green, white, or any shades you like.
Decorate
- Use various piping tips (open star, closed star, leaf, etc.) to pipe small rosettes, stars, and swirls all over the cake in a random pattern.
- Finish with sprinkles, edible glitter, or small sugar decorations.
- Slice and serve—or refrigerate until ready to wow your guests!
Recipe Details
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Cooling & Decorating Time: ~3 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Servings: 15 generous slices
Nutrition Facts (Per Slice – Approximate)
- Calories: 480
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fat: 25g
- Sugar: 38g
- Protein: 5g
- Sodium: 140mg
Tips & Variations
- Switch to vanilla cake: Replace cocoa with 75g self-raising flour
- Scale it down: Halve the recipe for a 9-inch square tin
- Flavor the frosting: Add orange, peppermint, or almond extract to the buttercream
- Gluten-free version: Use a 1:1 GF flour blend
- Color creatively: Use gold, silver, or blue for a winter wonderland theme
- Use less food coloring: Tint one batch dark green and another light by adjusting the amount
Christmas Traybake Cake
Equipment
- – 9×13″ traybake tin
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- – Piping bags & tips
- Spatula
Ingredients
- #### For the Cake
- – 400g unsalted butter
- – 400g light brown soft sugar
- – 325g self-raising flour
- – 75g cocoa powder
- – 7 medium eggs
- – 1 tsp vanilla extract
- #### For the Buttercream
- – 200g unsalted butter room temp
- – 400g icing sugar
- – 1 tsp vanilla extract
- – Green red, and white food coloring
- – Sprinkles or festive decorations
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan). Line a 9×13″ tin with parchment.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, flour, cocoa, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour into tin and bake 45–50 mins. Cool completely.
- For buttercream, beat butter, add icing sugar and vanilla. Mix until fluffy.
- Divide into bowls and color with food gels.
- Pipe or spread frosting randomly across the cake.
- Decorate with sprinkles. Slice and serve.
Notes
– Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days
– Can be frozen before or after decorating
FAQs
Can I make this cake in advance?
Yes! You can bake and decorate up to 2 days ahead. Keep covered at room temp.
Can I freeze it?
Absolutely. Freeze un-decorated sponge or even slices of the finished cake. Just wrap tightly.
What if I don’t have piping tips?
Spread the frosting on top and use the back of a spoon to create texture. Add sprinkles for flair.
Can I make it without food coloring?
Of course! Stick to all-white buttercream or add natural colors (like matcha or beetroot powder).
Conclusion
This Christmas traybake cake is the ultimate festive centerpiece with none of the stress. It’s easy to bake, fun to decorate, and made to share. Whether you’re feeding a crowd or making edible gifts, this bake delivers joyful holiday vibes in every bite. With rich chocolate sponge and vibrant buttercream, it’s bound to become a yearly tradition.