Hungry Happenings

  • RECIPES
    • All Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Decorated Cookies
    • Decorated Cakes
    • Cheesecake Recipes
    • Everyday Desserts
    • Homemade Candy
    • Everyday Meals
    • Readers’ Gallery
  • HOW TO
    • Chocolate Making Tips
    • Chocolate Making Course (video lessons)
    • Make Modeling Chocolate
      • Modeling Chocolate Recipe and Tutorial
      • How to Color Modeling Chocolate
      • How to Store and Work with Modeling Chocolate
      • How to Fix Greasy Modeling Chocolate
      • How to Fix Dry Modeling Chocolate
      • Use Colored Candy Melts to Make Candy Clay
    • Candy Clay Creations
    • How To Color White Chocolate and Candy Melts and Paint Candy Molds
    • How to Use Food Coloring Markers
  • HOLIDAYS
    • ALL HOLIDAY RECIPES
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Easter
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
      • Hungry Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • New Year's Eve
    • MORE HOLIDAYS
      • Mother's Day
      • Father's Day
      • April Fools
      • Chinese New Year
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Day of the Dead
      • Earth Day
      • Mardi Gras
  • PARTY FOOD
    • Super Bowl
    • Graduation
    • Birthday Party
    • March Madness
    • Summer Fun
    • Baby Shower
    • Wedding Shower
    • School/Teacher
    • Movie and T.V. Characters
    • Kid's Treats
    • Fun Party Recipes
  • MY COOKBOOKS
  • ABOUT
  • MY BLOGS
    • HowToMakeCerealTreats.com
    • HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    • HowToMakeEasyFudge.com
    • TheSugarAcademy.com
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • chocolate tips
  • about
  • cookbooks
  • subscribe
  • holiday recipes
  • Halloween recipes
  • party food
  • appetizers
  • decorated cheese balls
  • cute food for kids
  • dessert recipes
  • chocolate recipes
  • homemade candy
  • decorated cakes
  • cupcake recpes
  • cheesecake recipes
  • cookie recipes
  • rice krispie treats recipes
  • fudge recipes
  • modeling chocolate treats
  • ice cream recipes
  • popcorn recipes
  • everyday meals
  • recipe roundups
  • readers' gallery
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes
    • chocolate tips
    • about
    • cookbooks
    • subscribe
    • holiday recipes
    • Halloween recipes
    • party food
    • appetizers
    • decorated cheese balls
    • cute food for kids
    • dessert recipes
    • chocolate recipes
    • homemade candy
    • decorated cakes
    • cupcake recpes
    • cheesecake recipes
    • cookie recipes
    • rice krispie treats recipes
    • fudge recipes
    • modeling chocolate treats
    • ice cream recipes
    • popcorn recipes
    • everyday meals
    • recipe roundups
    • readers' gallery
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Holiday Treats and Recipes » Christmas

    Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake

    Modified: Jul 21, '24 · Published: Nov 23, '14 · By: Beth Klosterboer · Commission earned on paid or sponsored links.

    Are you looking for a showstopping dessert for your holiday party? Look no further than this Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake! This fun and festive cake is sure to be the talk of your celebration. Follow our easy guide to create your own edible ugly sweater masterpiece.

    ugly Christmas sweater cake with a funny reindeer face.

    How to Make an Adorable Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

    Hi, I'm Kim, The Partiologist. Today, I'm going to show you how to decorate a festive Christmas cake that will be perfect for an Ugly Christmas Sweater party.

    Why You'll Love This Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake:

    • perfect conversation starter for holiday gatherings
    • customizable design to match your favorite ugly sweater
    • fun baking project for the whole family
    • a delicious and visually impressive dessert

    Ingredients for Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake:

    • 1 box Pillsbury Plus White cake mix (or your favorite flavor)
    • Buttercream frosting (divided and colored: white, red, green)
    • Fondant in various colors
    • White sanding sugar

    Essential Tools:

    • Sweater-shaped cake pan
    • Pastry bags and tips (basketweave #46, grass #233)
    • Light bulb mold
    • Oval cookie cutters
    • Clay gun for fondant

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    ugly sweater cake pan empty and filled with cake batter.

    Prepare the Cake

    • Grease the sweater pan with Baker's Joy (or other non-stick baking spray).
    • Mix the cake mix and pour it into the greased pan.
    baked sweater cake.
    • Pour the entire mix into the pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.
    pastry bags filled with white, red, and green frosting along with a box of colored fondant.

    Create the Frosting Design:

    • Make your buttercream frosting and divide it into thirds, color each third white, red, and green.
    • Fill one pastry bag with white frosting and add a basketweave tip #46.
    • Fill another pastry bag with red frosting and add a basketweave tip #46.
    • Fill the last pastry bag with the green frosting and add a grass tip #233.
    • Get your fondant ready for the lights.
    adding stripes of red and white frosting to the sleeves of the sweater cake.

    Pipe on the sleeves:

    • Start piping white frosting down the side for the sleeves.
    • Next, pipe another row of frosting, this time red.
    • Continue piping frosting, alternating the colors.
    • When each sleeve is covered in stripes, sprinkle with white sanding sugar.
    piping green frosting fur all over the center of the ugly sweater cake

    Add fuzzy frosting to the sweater cake:

    • Cover the middle with green "grass" frosting
    cutting out brown fondant reindeer antlers using a leaf cutter

    Craft Fondant Decorations:

    • Make antlers using a leaf cutter. You may want to squish the cutter so that your antlers are not too wide.
    making fondant Christmas lights using a silicone mold.

    Make fondant Christmas lights:

    • Create fondant Christmas lights using a silicone mold.
    cutting out white and black fondant to make eyes and extruding a black fondant Christmas light strand.

    Make fondant reindeer's eyes and light string:

    Using two oval cutters, I made the eyes from black and white fondant.

    Then I used my clay gun and pressed out a long rope for the light string.

    decorating the ugly Christmas sweater cake.

    Assemble Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake:

    • Arrange fondant pieces on the green frosting
    • Attach the light string to the antlers (Paint a bit of water to the backside of the black rope and stick it to the antlers.)
    • Add light bulbs to the antlers
    • For an extra touch, add a blinking light for Rudolph's nose!
    ugly Christmas sweater cake decorated with Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Christmas Lights.

     Now watch it BLINK!

    Tips for the Perfect Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake:

    • Get creative with your design – the uglier, the better!
    • Use different frosting tips for varied textures
    • Experiment with fondant colors for unique decorations

    Variations:

    • Try different cake flavors like chocolate or gingerbread
    • Use cookie cutters to create other holiday shapes
    • Add edible glitter for extra sparkle

    Storing Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake:

    Store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate any leftovers. Consume within 3-4 days for best freshness.

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    1. Can I use a regular cake pan? Yes, you can. You'll need to carve the cake into a sweater shape.
    2. How far in advance can I make this cake? 1-2 days before your event is ideal.
    3. Can I use store-bought frosting? Absolutely, just be sure to color it as needed.
    4. What if I don't have a light bulb mold? You can hand-shape the bulbs or make Almond M&M Christmas Lights.
    5. How do I transport this cake? Use a cake carrier and handle with care to preserve the decorations.

    This Ugly Christmas Sweater Cake is not just a dessert – it's a festive piece of edible art that will bring joy and laughter to your holiday gathering. With our easy-to-follow guide, you'll create a memorable centerpiece that tastes as good as it looks. Happy baking and happy holidays!

    Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth Klosterboer
    Beth Klosterboer
    Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth Klosterboer
    Latest posts by Beth Klosterboer (see all)
    • Irresistible Sweets with Dixie Crystals® - July 13, 2024
    • How to make peanut butter? - February 15, 2024
    • OREO Penguins - December 20, 2023

    More 100+ Fun Christmas Food Ideas and Cute Holiday Treats

    • cute penguin OREOs made with Fudge Covered OREO Cookies decorated with candy eyes, orange M&M's, white candy melts, and leaf sprinkles.
      OREO Penguins
    • OREO Snowmen
      OREO Snowmen
    • cute chocolate reindeer OREOs decorated with candy antlers, red M&M noses, and candy eyes.
      OREO Reindeer
    • gingerbread OREOs Christmas cookies.
      Gingerbread OREOs

    About Beth Klosterboer

    Comments

      Please leave a comment. Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Pamela says

      December 21, 2015 at 1:17 pm

      Do you remember where you purchased the light bulb pan and also the blinking nose? I see so MANY cake decorating supplies on so many sites I can't remember where I see what. However I definitely don't remember seeing the christmas light bulb or the blinking nose anywhere. Thanks

      Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      November 24, 2014 at 4:21 pm

      Well Beth, I think you missed the mark on this one. There's nothing ugly about this sweater, it's freaking adorable. As usual, you still and always will be queen of chocolate. Trish

      Reply
      • beth says

        November 24, 2014 at 5:40 pm

        Trish, Kim, the Partiologist made this adorable sweater cake. She's now a regular contributor here. She is so amazingly talented. I'm so happy to heave her.

        Reply
    3. J says

      November 24, 2014 at 10:33 am

      Your designs are just as charming as Beth's are! You fit right in over here!

      Reply
      • beth says

        November 24, 2014 at 5:40 pm

        She sure does. I love her creativity and am happy you agree!

        Reply
      • The Partiologist says

        November 24, 2014 at 6:41 pm

        You're both so sweet, I am honored to be a contributor!

        Reply
    4. Sugartown Sweets says

      November 24, 2014 at 4:06 am

      Your "ugly sweater" cake is adorable! I can say this because I too may have had a couple of fashion faux pas! ;o) Love this idea!

      Reply
      • The Partiologist says

        November 24, 2014 at 6:40 pm

        Thank you, I actually looked in my closet, it looks like I still have some Ugly Christmas Sweaters!! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Anonymous says

      November 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm

      Okay that is adorable, in an ugly sort of way. from,twobeautifulgirls

      Reply
      • The Partiologist says

        November 23, 2014 at 8:19 pm

        I have to agree! LOL

        Reply
    6. June Baby says

      November 23, 2014 at 2:48 pm

      Haha such a fun idea! Your skills with cake decorating never cease to amaze 🙂

      Reply
      • The Partiologist says

        November 23, 2014 at 3:16 pm

        Thank you June, this cake was really quite easy to make! 🙂

        Reply
    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

    Read more about me →

    Popular

    • Mini cheesecakes collage of images with plain cheesecakes, cheesecake cups with toppings, and decorated edible flower cheesecakes.
      Mini Cheesecakes
    • homemade candy bars including dark chocolate bars, milk chocolate cashew bars, white chocolate cookies and cream candy bars, and more
      The Best Step-by-Step Chocolate Bar Recipes
    • Marry a chocolate cake ball with a chocolate dipped maraschino cherry to get these amazing Chocolate Cherry Bombs.
      Chocolate Cherry Bombs - Cherry Filled Cake Balls Dipped in Chocolate
    • Giant Reese's Cup on a cake stand with a slice cut and served on a small dessert plate.
      Giant Peanut Butter Cup
    • Cakesicles with red and green drizzle, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle
      How to make Cakesicles (cake pop popsicles)
    • Delicious chocolate truffles coated in chopped cashews, shaved dark chocolate, cocoa powder, cookie crumbs, and a blend of dark and white chocolate shavings.
      Chocolate Truffles Recipe

    Buy my cookbooks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    use policies

    • privacy policy
    • photo-use policy
    • terms of service

    join us

    • subscribe (newsletter)
    • our online courses
    • readers' gallery

    contact

    • contact
    • about Beth
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Hungry Happenings