Christmas Cake Recipes

This sweet potato pound cake started out as a way to use up leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner, but quickly became its own reason to make sweet potatoes. The cake gets better as it sits, so it's a great make-ahead candidate for any occasion.

This low-calorie cake gets its festive flavor from molasses, cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves. Serve it for dessert at the holidays.

A rich, flavorful syrup infuses this Mediterranean-inspired walnut coffee cake with the bright aroma of oranges and cloves. Heart-healthy olive oil and whole-grain barley flour add subtle complexity and texture to this nutty treat.

Inspired by the old-school, ultra-rich, mousselike chocolate cake that usually called for a whole pound of chocolate, half a dozen eggs and lots of butter, this enlightened rendition has deep bittersweet chocolate flavor and dense melt-in-your-mouth texture. No one will guess it's healthier. The secret is excellent natural cocoa powder and good-quality bittersweet chocolate, preferably with 70% cacao. Although the cake can be eaten once it's completely cool, it comes out of the pan much easier and even tastes better if it has been chilled at least overnight.

Here we take all the warm, delicious flavors of cinnamon buns and roll them into a cake smothered with a sweet cream cheese frosting. It's best enjoyed fresh out of the oven.

Pumpkin swirl cheesecake is a delicious dessert that everyone will love, especially during the holiday season.

A great dessert option for your next holiday party, these sweet cheesecake bars have an oat crust and a cranberry-orange sauce that's swirled on top and baked right in.

This diabetes-friendly take on a classic black forest cake boasts a thick cream-cheese filling mixed with antioxidant-rich cherries and is drizzled in decadent hot fudge topping.

Ah, the maligned fruitcake. Many store-bought varieties, stuffed with unrecognizable candied bits, deserve their bad reputation--but not these wonderful cakes, made with a generous serving of dried fruit and candied orange peel in a light batter. There's only one trick: buy the best-quality, moist dried and candied fruit you can afford.

Nonfat plain yogurt stands in for sour cream to add moisture and tenderness to this lightened-up pineapple coffee cake. Best of all, you can mix the batter and have this wholesome breakfast treat in the oven in under 15 minutes--that's healthy in a hurry.

These cranberry-orange shortcakes are essentially a cross between a biscuit and a scone. They make a light base for a rich cranberry compote and a brown-sugar-laced crème fraîche topping. These are designed to be on the small side, since there are usually many desserts on offer on Thanksgiving, but you can make them any size you like, just adjust the baking time accordingly.

This pretty pumpkin-cranberry Bundt cake is a delicious alternative to holiday pumpkin pie.