This simple spiced chocolate Christmas cake is moist and packed with flavour. It’s super easy to make and just a bit different from the usual fruit Christmas cake, and of course there is chocolate!
The inspiration
My daughter hates traditional Christmas cake, well all fruit cakes in fact. Here in the UK Christmas cake is always a fruit cake. The only cake she likes at Christmas is my Bouche de Noel (yule log cake).
Actually, I’ve made my last-minute Christmas cake and my super easy Christmas cake on this blog.
However, this time I thought I’d make something Idgy would like, my chocolate Christmas cake. It has all the spices of traditional Christmas cake but all wrapped up in a chocolate cake. Her favourite, what could be better?
Ingredients for Chocolate Christmas Cake
This simple Christmas chocolate cake has the usual suspects in the ingredients; eggs, self-raising flour, butter, caster sugar, baking powder, cocoa and a bit of Greek yogurt to make it extra moist.
I added some spices for the Christmas element; cinnamon and ginger.
You might spot that there is also red powder in my photo of the ingredients, this is beetroot powder for colouring as I’d thought this could be a red velvet cake. Well the colour didn’t make much difference so it is a spiced chocolate Christmas cake instead.
Feel free to add red colouring and makes yours a red velvet Christmas cake instead.
How to make this Christmas cake
This is a super easy bake. Simply beat together your sugar and butter till nice and fluffy then add in the other ingredients.
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Cake tin sizes
As usual, I have used my 15cm/6″ round baking tins. I love this size of baking tin as it gives a cake that will give 6 big servings or 8 more modest slices.
Once the cake has cooled it’s time to fill and decorate your chocolate Christmas cake. I have made a simple cream cheese frosting which I have used in a thick layer on the base of the cake.
Then I’ve spread a layer of my cranberry & pomegranate jam on top. You could use any cranberry related jam (see my jam making section for ideas) or a cherry jam. Actually any jam you fancy really.
Decorating the cake
Your spiced chocolate Christmas cake must be made to look suitably festive and Christmassy.
I’ve used some sprigs of rosemary and fresh cranberries to decorate my cake. I’ve also added some of those little silver cake decorating balls filled with chocolate.
Festive frosting
To make the rosemary and cranberries extra special I have frosted them with granulated sugar.
This is super easy to do. Simply damped the rosemary sprigs with water then roll them around in granulated sugar.
For the cranberries I have sweetened them up by soaking them in honey for 30 minutes then rolling them in the sugar.
Shake off the excess sugar and set them aside to dry above a radiator to dry.
Cream cheese frosting
Beat together all your frosting ingredients.
Cover the whole chocolate Christmas cake in a thick layer of your cream cheese frosting.
Now simply place them around the top of the frosted cake like a festive wreath.
How many does this serve?
I can get 6 big slices from this chocolate Christmas cake or you could just as easily get 8 slightly smaller slices.
How long does this keep
Your chocolate cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight tin. You can freeze the sponges before decorating for up to 3 months.
Merry Christmas!
Looking for more festive baking ideas? Then check out these recipes before you go;
Kourabiethes (Greek Christmas Cookies)
Homemade Mince Pies (with different fillings)
3 Ingredient Christmas Palmiers Cookies
Easy Bouche de Noel (Christmas Yule Log Cake)
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Spiced Chocolate Christmas Cake
Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 115 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs medium eggs
- 115 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp plain yogurt or sour cream
Filling and frosting
- 3 tbsp jam cranberry or cherry, or anything you like
- 100 g butter
- 100 g cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 300 g icing sugar
Decorating
- 5 sprigs rosemary
- 10 cranberries
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C and line 2 x 15cm/6" round baking tins
- Beat the sugar and butter till light and frothy
- Add all other ingredients and beat well to combine
- Spoon into baking tins and bake approx 20 mins or till a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake
Filling and Frosting
- Beat together all frosting ingredients and spread a thick layer on base of cake then top this with the jam and place other sponge on top and cover with remaining frosting
Decorating the cake
- Spread granulated sugar on a tray and damped the rosemary and roll in the sugar then set aside to dry in a warm place, like above a radiator
- Soak the cranberries in honey for 30 mins then roll them in the sugar and dry with the rosemary
- place the rosemary around the top of the cake like a wreath and intersperse with the frosted cranberries
Could you enlighten me with the approximate amounts of the ingredients for the spiced Christmas cake please! I just joined & obviously don’t know where to look for them, sorry. My bad?
Hi Peggy
Just before the cake moments at bottom of the post you have a printable recipe card with full ingredients and instructions. Hope you make the cake
K