How to Make Santa Clause Cakes

Learning how to make a Santa Clause cake or (St. Nicholas cake) is always very popular for Christmas. This mythical character brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve. This short fat jolly old man is often pictured being stuck in the chimneys of homes as he quietly attempts to deliver toys to the good children late at night.


He is pictured with rosy pink plump cheeks with a snow white beard and wearing a bright red suit and matching hat; most of the time he is pictured wearing spectacles. The legend is that he flies across the night skies in a sleigh pulled by a team of eight reindeer and headed with one more, Rudolf the red nose reindeer.

This popular legend of Santa is what has learning how to make a Santa Clause cake so popular at Christmas, especially with the children. The legend has been traced back to the eighteenth hundreds with Santa living at the North Pole where he has many magical elves. These elves spend all year making toys for the delivery on Christmas Eve.

Many people believe that this whole story is truly “pagan” and that is up to you. Whether you choose to believe this or not, the brightness of the red and white colors enhance the Christmas spirit. This also applies to decorating the Santa Clause Cake with the bright colors; often greenery is added to them or even some bright red cranberries.

You can learn how to make Santa Clause Cakes with the following recipes. These can be made with some ordinary pans instead of molded pans. Any cake recipes can be used (even box cakes) but I am giving you the ones that I have used. I think of Christmas cake recipes like a Santa Clause Cake as having ingredients like fruits, nuts and various spices so I have tried to incorporate them in the recipes.

HOW TO MAKE SANTA CLAUSE CAKE
WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 

I used the following basic frosting for all of the cakes adding food coloring in some for special touches. Combine ingredients and beat until fluffy.

  • 1 Cup solid white shortening
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 7 to 8 teaspoons water (or more to achieve desired consistency)
  • 1 Pound powdered sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 Tablespoons Wilton’s meringue powder

SPICED GINGER CAKE RECIPE

I make the Santa Clause cake using miniature marshmallows for the beard and fur on hat with this spiced ginger cake recipe.

  • 1 ¾ Cups sugar
  • 1 ½ Cups vegetable oil
  • 4 Large eggs
  • 3 Large finely grated carrots
  • 1 Cup minced fresh ginger (about ½ pound)
  • 2 Cups flour
  • 2 Teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ Teaspoons baking soda
  • ¾ Teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ Tablespoons ground ginger
  • 2 ½ Teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ Teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 ½ Cups chopped nuts

Preheat oven at 350F degrees; grease 9 X 13 inch baking pan, line with wax paper, grease and flour pan.
NOTE: You can decorate this in the pan and serve from pan; for this you leave out lining with wax paper.
Beat sugar and oil on medium speed until smooth; add eggs beating well after each addition.
Beat in carrots and fresh ginger.
Combine flour with baking powder, soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves.
Gradually beat in flour mixture with the creamed sugar mixture on low speed until moistened.
Stir in the nuts; pour into prepared 9 X 13 inch baking pan.
Bake in preheated oven at 350F degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until pick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes and turn out onto a platter; remove wax paper and cool completely before decorating.

how to make santa clause cake with a spiced ginger cake recipeHow to Make a Santa Clause Cake

SPICED OATMEAL CAKE RECIPE

I use this recipe for the Santa Clause cake and simply decorated with frosting and adding a Santa Clause face to the top. Easy to do and this can be left in the pan for serving.

  • 1 Cup brown sugar
  • ½ Cup granulated sugar
  • ½ Cup softened shortening
  • 1 ½ Cups flour
  • 1 Cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 Cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons dark molasses
  • 1 ½ Teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ Teaspoon salt
  • ½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 Eggs

Preheat oven to 350F degrees; grease, line, grease again and flour 9 X 13 inch baking pan.
Combine and beat sugars and shortening in large bowl until blended.
Add all remaining ingredients and blend scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
Pour batter into prepared pan; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until pick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan, remove wax paper and cool completely before decorating.

Spiced Oatmeal Santa Claus CakeSpiced Oatmeal Santa Claus Cake

JAM CAKE RECIPE

santa clause cake made from a jam cake recipeJam Cake Santa Claus

This jam cake recipe I use to make Santa Clause cake by baking in 9 X 13 inch baking pan, then cutting and rearranging to shape cake.

  • 1 Cup softened butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ Cup brown sugar
  • 4 Large eggs
  • 1 Jar (10 ounces) red raspberry preserves
  • 3 ½ Cups flour
  • 1 Teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 Teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ Teaspoon salt
  • ¼ Teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 Cup buttermilk
  • 1 Cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F degrees; grease, line, grease again and flour 9 X 13 inch cake baking pan.
Beat butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until well blended.
Beat in eggs and preserves until well blended (mixture may look curdled)
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and cloves alternating with buttermilk.
Stir in pecans and pour into prepared pan; bake about 40 minutes or until pick comes out clean.

Cake Assembly shown below

Cut two corners off of the bottom (4 INCHES UP FROM BOTTOM) as pictured below. Move those pieces to the top of cake forming a point. (Now you should have a point at the bottom and the top) Cover with frosting and decorate.

santa clause cake
santa clause cake

APPLESAUCE SPICE CAKE RECIPE

I bake this applesauce spice cake recipe in one round cake pan to design the Santa Clause cake.

  • 2 ½ Cups flour
  • 2 Cups sugar
  • 1 ½ Teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • ¾ Teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ Teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ Teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ Teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ Cups applesauce
  • ½ Cup water
  • ½ Cup shortening
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Cup raisins
  • ½ Cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F degrees; grease, line, grease again and flour 10 inch round baking pan.
Combine and beat together all ingredients in a large bowl on low speed 30 seconds.
Increase speed to high and beat 3 minutes scraping bowl occasionally.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake about 55 minutes or until pick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove cake from pan, remove lining paper and cool completely before decoration.

Santa Clause Cake Made From an Applesauce Spice Cake RecipeSanta Clause Cake Made From an Applesauce Spice Cake Recipe