Santa Cake

image of a cute santa cake that's been decorated with buttercream

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4.80 from 5 ratings

Learn how to make this adorable Santa cake with buttercream! It's the perfect holiday cake and is so fun to make.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Additional Time20

Total Time1 10

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24

Calories: 550kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

White Almond Cake Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour 375g
3 cups granulated sugar 600g
2 1/2 tsp baking powder 10g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
1 cup carton egg whites or 7 large egg whites, room temperature 235g
1 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream, room temperature 380g
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil 28g
2 tsp almond extract 8g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
Red and green gel food coloring

Almond Buttercream Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 452g
2 tsp almond extract 8g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
7 cups powdered sugar 904g or a 2 lb. bag
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 80g
Red, ivory, and black gel food coloring, if desired

Recommend Tools and Equipment

Serrated Knife
Spinning cake stand
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
8- inch greaseproof cake board
Small offset spatula
Thick bubble tea straw or wooden dowel
2 Large piping bags
3 Small piping bags
1 Open star piping tip like a Wilton 1M
2 Large round piping tips like a Wilton 1A
2 Small round piping tips like a Wilton 10

Instructions

White Almond Cake Layers:

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and grease and line three, 8-inch or four 7-inch pans with parchment rounds.
Mix 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until fully combined.
Mix in 1 cup of room temperature, unsalted butter slowly into the dry ingredients on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks like moist sand.
Pour in 1 cup of egg whites and mix on a medium speed until combined.
Add in 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, 2 tsp of almond extract, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract on a low speed. Mix until fully incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat on a medium-high speed for about a minute to make sure everything is properly mixed together. This also helps the cake layers bake up with a lighter texture.
Divide the batter evenly between two bowls. Use gel food coloring to color one red, and one green. If you want to create a marbled look like I did above, only partially mix the food coloring into the batter.
Then pour the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. I like to use a digital kitchen scale to weigh my pans, to make sure my layers will be the same height.
Bake for 33-36 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let the pans cool for 10 minutes, then run a small offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
Place cake layers into the freezer for 30 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans, and remove the layers.
Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers right before you plan to assemble your cake, or you can wrap and freeze them if you're making them in advance.
If you make these cake layers in advance and freeze them, let them thaw for about 20 minutes before making your cake. The cake layers should still be slightly cold to the touch, which will make it easier to assemble your cake.

Almond Buttercream Frosting:

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the almond buttercream frosting.
Beat 2 cups of butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
Mix in 2 tsp almond extract, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp of salt on a low speed until combined.
Gradually mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar and 1/3 cup heavy cream on a low speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is properly mixed together.
If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional heavy cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time). If you're not sure what consistency the frosting should be, check out my buttercream consistency guide.
Wait to add in the gel food coloring until the cake is crumb coated. Cover the frosting flush with plastic wrap and set aside.

Assembling This Santa Cake:

Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof cake board or flat plate using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
Add an even layer of buttercream on top of each cake layer, then spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake to fully cover the cake layers.
Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (10 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.

Color the Buttercream:

While the cake chills, prep the buttercream to decorate this cake. Scoop 1 cup of uncolored buttercream into a piping bag fit with a large open star tip (like a Wilton 1M).
Place 1/2 cup of frosting in a separate bowl and add gel food coloring to create a flesh-toned color. Place into a piping bag fit with a large, round tip like a Wilton 1A. Set aside.
Add 1/3 cup of frosting into the same bowl and color yellow with gel food coloring. Place into a piping bag fit with a coupler and a medium-sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 10).
Scoop 2/3 cup of frosting into the same bowl and color black with gel food coloring. Place into a piping bag fit with a coupler and a medium-sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 10).
Color the remaining frosting red with a generous squirt of red gel food coloring, plus the smallest drop of black (it helps deepen the shade). If you're having trouble getting a super red buttercream, try making the frosting a day in advance. The color will deepen overnight and as the cake sits.

Decorating This Santa Cake:

Spread a layer of red frosting around the sides of the cake smooth using a bench scraper. Don't worry about completely covering the top of the cake, we'll take care of that a bit later.
Next, pipe a line about halfway up the side of the cake using the black buttercream to be Santa's belt.
Use the yellow buttercream to pipe a square over the belt to look like a belt buckle.
Next, add two black semi circles at the bottom of the cake under the belt buckle to look like Santa's feet.
Place the remaining red buttercream in a piping bag fit with a large round tip like a Wilton 1A. Pipe on Santa's arms by making two diagonal lines from the top of the cake towards the belt buckle like in the picture above. Pipe two circles of skin-tone frosting at the bottom of the arms to look like hands.
Then cover the top of the cake with skin-tone frosting. Make a line about 3/4 of the way up the cake and pipe red buttercream in the top 1/4 of the cake to create Santa's hat. Make sure you keep in mind where Santa's belt buckle is as you pipe on his hat, so that everything is properly aligned.
Pipe an elongated triangle on top of the hat, to look like it's hanging down towards his face.
Use the white buttercream to pipe small swirls along the base of the hat to look like fur. If desired, you can also add some white sanding sugar onto the base of Santa's hat.
Then use the black buttercream to pipe on Santa's eyes and mouth. Pipe white buttercream swirls around the mouth to look like Santa's beard and mustache. The last step is to pipe Santa's nose above his mustache.

Video

Notes

Recipe Variations

This recipe can also be used to make a sheet cake! One batch will make 2, 9 x 13-inch cake layers that are about 1-inch tall. Bake for 35-40 mins at 350 F / 175 C. I recommend using heating cores if you have them to help large cake layers like this bake more evenly and quickly.

You can make one 9 x 13-inch cake layer that's about 2 inches tall, but bake time will be 45-55 minutes at 350 F/ 175 C.

One batch of cake batter makes about 1800 grams. If you plan to use four circular cake pans, add 450 grams of batter into each pan.

Tips for Making the Best Santa Cake

Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. It will make your cake layers bake to the same height and bake more evenly.
Bang your cake pans on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any big air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
Level your room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes it so much easier to stack and frost them!

Making This Santa Cake in Advance & Storage Tips

Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.

You can also make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.

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