Bake Your Way Around the World With 14 Festive Holiday Cakes Celebrate the season with showstopping cake recipes from Ukrainian medovyk to Italian panettone and Filipino bibingka. By Molly McArdle Molly McArdle Molly McArdle is Food & Wine's Updates Editor. She has written and edited stories about food, wine, culture, place, and technology for more than 15 years. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, GQ, Esquire, Oxford American, The Believer, Bookforum, and many more. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 19, 2025 SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Holiday baking is a chance to honor traditions both familiar and far-flung, and these festive cakes highlight the flavors and stories that shape celebrations around the world. From the crisp honey-layered medovyk of Ukraine and Italy’s buttery, chocolate-studded panettone to coconut-rich Filipino bibingka and rum-soaked Jamaican black cake, each recipe reflects a cherished seasonal custom and the cooks who carry it forward. Whether you’re drawn to airy sponge cakes, dense fruit-laden loaves, or striking rolled showpieces, this collection offers a globe-spanning tour of sweets fit for any holiday table. Love these recipes? With MyRecipes, your personal home for recipes, easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place. 01 of 14 Galette des Rois (King Cake) Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle This classic galette des rois layers flaky puff pastry around a rich frangipane made with almond flour, butter, and a touch of orange marmalade and rum for warmth. Traditionally served on Epiphany, it hides a fève inside, crowning whoever finds it “king” for the day. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 14 Plum Pudding Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This dessert is not pudding in the American sense of the word, but in the British sense—meaning dessert. The bright orange zest, warm spices, and dried fruit in this rich, moist, dense steamed cake bring all of the holiday feels to the table. The hard sauce that accompanies it is basically brandy butter. When you dollop it on top, it slowly melts into the warm cake, infusing the pudding with the richness of the butter, the sweetness of the sugar, and the warmth of the brandy. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 14 Stollen Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser This Dresden-style stollen from baker and Great American Baking Show winner Martin Sorge is a beloved German Christmas treat. Rum-soaked dried fruit, citrus peel, and almonds are folded into a rich, tender dough for a dense, aromatic, and long-lasting loaf. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 14 Julia Child’s Bûche de Noël Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Julia Child’s classic bûche de Noël balances an airy orange-scented sponge with a light chocolate-meringue filling and a smooth, ganachelike frosting that’s textured to resemble tree bark. Finished with crisp meringue mushrooms and optional sugared cranberries, it's a gorgeous showpiece that’s as flavorful as it is festive. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 14 Medovyk (Ukrainian Honey Cake) Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This slightly simplified recipe from Ukrainian cookbook author Anna Voloshyna layers crisp, honey-based cake sheets with a tangy sour cream frosting. Chopped prunes lend a jammy sweetness, while a hazelnut–cinnamon crumb made from baked cake scraps adds a toasty finish. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 14 Jamaican Black Cake Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Food writer and cookbook author Brigid Ransome Washington draws on the delicate flavor of raw almonds and almond extract, the warm complexity of allspice, and a generous measure of rum in this traditional Caribbean cake, giving her rendition a distinctly Jamaican character. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 14 Vasilopita (Greek New Year’s Day Cake) Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali This aromatic vasilopita from Greek celebrity chef Argiro Barbarigou channels her country's New Year traditions with a tender, meringue-lightened crumb infused with orange, brandy, and warm spices. Chopped walnuts add richness and texture, while a hidden flouri coin is said to bestow good fortune on whoever finds it. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 14 Almond-Cardamom Budapest Roll Almond-Cardamom Budapest Roll. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver F&W's Ann Taylor Pittman shares a recipe for an indulgent roll cake that combines a light almond flour meringue with sweetened whipped cream and bright citrusy orange segments. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 14 Saffron Tea Cakes Saffron Tea Cakes. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver At Lost Larson bakery in Chicago, Timmy Gibbons and Bobby Schaffer make these airy brioche tea cakes. They echo the classic flavors of lussekatter — the Swedish saffron-scented pastry accented with warming spices and raisins. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 14 Panettone Abby Hocking A mix of toasted hazelnuts and velvety chocolate gives Chicago baker Greg Wade’s Italian panettone its rich, buttery character Get the Recipe Save 11 of 14 Christmas Boiled Fruit Cake © Madeleine Hill Andrew Zimmern drew inspiration from a boiled fruit cake he encountered in Newfoundland to create this forgiving version. Simmering the dried fruit with rum, molasses, cream, and spices yields a cake with a wonderfully moist, sponge-like texture. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 14 Chocolate Babka © Con Poulos Baker and cookbook author Melissa Weller enhances this babka with a swirl enriched by cookie crumbs, deepening the flavor and texture. She finishes it with a generous layer of glossy, ultra-rich chocolate glaze. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 14 Grandma Zerr's Apricot Kuchen © Tina Rupp Kuchen, based on classic German yeast cakes filled with fruit or cheese, is widely baked in North Dakota — pastry chef Nancy Olson notes that it appears in countless church cookbooks — and enjoyed throughout the day. This version is Olson’s take on the one her grandmother made. "I love that this is a hearty, rustic, belly-filling pastry; nothing dainty about it," she says. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 14 Bibingka (Sticky Coconut-Rice Bread) Con Poulos Filipino American chef Dale Talde shares this recipe for bibingka, a classic Filipino coconut–rice bread with a texture closer to cake. Made from sweet rice flour, shredded coconut, and coconut milk, it bakes into a tender, sticky treat. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Recipes Desserts Cake Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit