Christmas / 8 December, 2025 / Annabel Karmel

Annabel Karmel’s Chocolate Christmas Cake

A super simple Christmas party crowd-pleaser from Annabel Karmel, this recipe is ideal to get your mini chefs involved. Serve as a whole cake or send guests home with individual slices as a festive family treat.

MAKES: 6 SLICES

Ingredients

Cake

• 100g baking margarine
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g self-raising flour
• 2 large eggs
• 20g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp milk

Icing

• 150g butter, softened
• 250g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• Green food colouring

Decoration

• Sprinkles
• Red M&Ms
• Edible eyes
• Small pretzels

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C Fan. Line a 20cm round cake tin with non stick baking paper.

Measure the cake ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.  Spoon into the cake tin and level the surface.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until well risen and firm in the centre.  Leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, put the butter, half of the icing sugar and milk into a mixing bowl.

Whisk together until smooth. Add the remaining sugar and whisk until light and fluffy.

Divide the frosting into three bowls. Beat cocoa powder to the first bowl and green food colouring to the second bowl. Mix well.

Spoon the three frostings into three piping bags fitted with fluted nozzles. Divide the cake into 6 wedges.

Pipe green frosting over two wedges to make a Christmas tree. Sprinkle with sprinkles.

Pipe the chocolate frosting over two wedges. Add a red M&M to make a reindeer’s nose. Add eyes and pretzels for the antlers.

Pipe the final two wedges with white frosting. Add to edible eyes and two marshmallows to make the polar bear’s ears.

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