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This recipe for Chocolate Christmas Cake makes a festive treat with a hidden surprise. Fun for kids and so delicious!
Display this cake next to a big bowl of Christmas Punch for a beautiful table you won’t forget.
I wish I could say I came up with this amazing idea all by myself, but I’d be lying. I saw a similar cake being sold in a bakery when I lived in England and just knew I had to come up with a homemade version!
The topping is made of hollow chocolate so you can break it open to reveal hidden treats that will come tumbling out!
Beneath the fun topping is a moist, delicious chocolate cake that’s so easy to make, it will become your go-to Christmas recipe! I made my topping as a British Christmas Pudding, but you can do whatever you like. Check Out my decorating ideas below for inspiration!
Why This Recipe Works
- Using a super easy cake recipe cuts down on work so you can concentrate on decoration.
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting adds a delicious tang and cuts down on the sweetness.
- Using a balloon as a mold for the cake topper keeps things really easy while looking impressive.
Simpler Than It Looks
I know the cake looks like a lot of work, but it really isn’t as bad as it seems. My chocolate cake recipe is super simple to make. You literally just throw the ingredients into a food processor (or mixer) and whiz it together.
I also chose simple decorations on the frosting because the topping is a bit more involved. All I did was run a fork down the side to make ridges.
I made my own chocolate shavings, but you can buy them store-bought to save time. I recommend using dark chocolate as it’s not too sweet. You want the cake to look fantastic, but you also want it to taste good too.
Decorating Ideas
As I mentioned, I made my topper as a British Christmas Pudding, but you can make your’s look however you like. Here are some fun ideas:
- A Christmas tree ornament using colored chocolate & simple sprinkles.
- A snowman’s head with white chocolate and food coloring.
- A reindeer’s head like pictured above made with fondant.
- An igloo with festive animals or Santa hidden inside.
How To Make Chocolate Christmas Smash Cake
For The Cake
Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to another large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
Divide into two pans, bake, and allow to cool completely.
Creating the Topper
I used the balloon method to make my mold. You can see more info on this video on YouTube.
Blow up your balloon to fit into a 6-inch bowl with enough room to move it around. Set the balloon aside.
Melt the chocolate in the bowl and allow it to cool until warm to the touch (not hot. Hot chocolate will pop the balloon). Mixing as it cools helps to temper the chocolate and give a shinier finish. For more information on how to properly melt chocolate, see my guide on How to Melt Chocolate.
If necessary, clean the balloon and dip it to coat with the chocolate, to make it even thicker, place the balloon on a measuring cup and slowly pour more chocolate onto it, and spread with the back of a spoon until you get the thickness and shape you are looking for.
Place in the fridge to chill and harden.
While the chocolate sets, melt the white chocolate chips.
Remove the chocolate covered balloon from the fridge once it has cooled enough (you don’t want the white chocolate to melt your chocolate dome). Pour the white chocolate onto the dome slowly, then add the holly decoration.
Place back in the fridge to set. Once it’s set, take it out of the fridge and allow it to return to room temperature before attempting to remove the balloon.
For the Frosting & Decoration
Prepare the frosting and place a cooled cake layer on a cake plate and spread the top with a half cup of the frosting.
Place the second layer onto the first layer and cover with the remaining frosting and smooth over the cake.
Run a fork down the sides to create the ridges (wiping the fork clean after every pass).
Cover the top of the cake and bottom edge with chocolate shavings and some Christmas sprinkles.
Once you’re ready to use the topper, fill it with the candy of your choice (nothing too heavy – I used malted milk balls, but m&m’s work well too) and carefully place it on top of the cake.
Let the kids bash it open and enjoy!
Recipe
Chocolate Christmas Cake
Ingredients
For the topper:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- Holly for decoration
- chocolate candy of choice
For the cake:
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 4 oz butter ((1 stick or 8 tablespoons), melted)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp instant coffee
For the frosting:
- 6 oz butter ((¾ cup or 1½ sticks), softened)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- Chocolate shavings (for decoration)
- Christmas sprinkles (for decoration)
Instructions
For the topper:
- Blow up your balloon to fit into a 6-inch bowl the bowl with enough room to move it around. Set the balloon aside.
- Melt the chocolate in the 6-inch bowl over a double boiler or in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, mixing in between until fluid. Allow to cool until warm to the touch (not hot. Hot chocolate will pop the balloon). Mixing as it cools helps to temper the chocolate and give a shinier finish.
- If necessary, clean the balloon and dip it to coat with the chocolate, to make it even thicker, place the balloon on a measuring cup and slowly pour more chocolate onto it, and spread with the back of a spoon until you get the thickness and shape you are looking for. Place in the fridge to chill and harden.
- While the chocolate sets, melt the white chocolate chips.
- Remove the chocolate covered balloon from the fridge once it has cooled enough (you don’t want the white chocolate to melt your chocolate dome). Pour the white chocolate onto the dome slowly, then add the holly decoration.
- Place back in the fridge to set. Once it’s set, take it out of the fridge and allow it to return to room temperature before attempting to remove the balloon.
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease two 8 inch cake pans.
- In a large mixing bowl mix all the dry ingredients (except the coffee) until combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl mix all the wet ingredients until combined then mix in the coffee until disolved.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix the two together until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two greased 8-inch/20cm round pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Take the pans out and put them on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes, before turning the cakes out to cool compltetly.
For the frosting:
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a small pan on over a low heat stirring gently until melted. Once completely melted, remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, beat the chocolate mixture with the softened cream cheese. Add the vanilla extract and 1 cup of the powdered sugar, adding another cup of the sugar until smooth and desired consistency.
- Place one of the cooled cakes on a cake plate and spread the top with 1/2 cup of the frosting.
- Place the second layer onto the first layer and cover with the remaining frosting and smooth.
- Run a fork down the sides to create the ridges (wiping the fork clean after every pass).
- Cover the top of the cake and bottom edge with chocolate shavings and some Christmas sprinkles.
- Once you’re ready to place the topping, fill it with the chocolate of your choice (nothing too heavy – I used malted milk balls) and carefully place on top of the cake.
- Smash and enjoy!
Save to favoritesYour saved recipes will be right here waiting for you every time you visit, so you can easily find and make the meals you love.This recipe was orginally posted as Christmas Smash cake, but was repulblished with new photos and instructions in 12/2020.
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