Display this cake next to a big bowl of Christmas Punch for a beautiful table you won’t forget. I wish I could say I came up with this amazing idea all by myself, but I’d be lying. I saw a similar cake being sold in a bakery when I lived in England and just knew I had to come up with a homemade version! The topping is made of hollow chocolate so you can break it open to reveal hidden treats that will come tumbling out! Beneath the fun topping is a moist, delicious chocolate cake that’s so easy to make, it will become your go-to Christmas recipe! I made my topping as a British Christmas Pudding, but you can do whatever you like. Check Out my decorating ideas below for inspiration!
Simpler Than It Looks
I know the cake looks like a lot of work, but it really isn’t as bad as it seems. My chocolate cake recipe is super simple to make. You literally just throw the ingredients into a food processor (or mixer) and whiz it together. I also chose simple decorations on the frosting because the topping is a bit more involved. All I did was run a fork down the side to make ridges. I made my own chocolate shavings, but you can buy them store-bought to save time. I recommend using dark chocolate as it’s not too sweet. You want the cake to look fantastic, but you also want it to taste good too.
How To Make Chocolate Christmas Smash Cake
For The Cake
Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
A Christmas tree ornament using colored chocolate & simple sprinkles.A snowman’s head with white chocolate and food coloring. A reindeer’s head like pictured above made with fondant.An igloo with festive animals or Santa hidden inside.
Add the wet ingredients to another large mixing bowl and mix to combine. Divide into two pans, bake, and allow to cool completely.
Creating the Topper
I used the balloon method to make my mold. You can see more info on this video on YouTube. Blow up your balloon to fit into a 6-inch bowl with enough room to move it around. Set the balloon aside. Melt the chocolate in the bowl and allow it to cool until warm to the touch (not hot. Hot chocolate will pop the balloon). Mixing as it cools helps to temper the chocolate and give a shinier finish. For more information on how to properly melt chocolate, see my guide on How to Melt Chocolate. If necessary, clean the balloon and dip it to coat with the chocolate, to make it even thicker, place the balloon on a measuring cup and slowly pour more chocolate onto it, and spread with the back of a spoon until you get the thickness and shape you are looking for. Place in the fridge to chill and harden. While the chocolate sets, melt the white chocolate chips. Remove the chocolate covered balloon from the fridge once it has cooled enough (you don’t want the white chocolate to melt your chocolate dome). Pour the white chocolate onto the dome slowly, then add the holly decoration. Place back in the fridge to set. Once it’s set, take it out of the fridge and allow it to return to room temperature before attempting to remove the balloon.
For the Frosting & Decoration
Prepare the frosting and place a cooled cake layer on a cake plate and spread the top with a half cup of the frosting. Place the second layer onto the first layer and cover with the remaining frosting and smooth over the cake. Run a fork down the sides to create the ridges (wiping the fork clean after every pass). Cover the top of the cake and bottom edge with chocolate shavings and some Christmas sprinkles. Once you’re ready to use the topper, fill it with the candy of your choice (nothing too heavy – I used malted milk balls, but m&m’s work well too) and carefully place it on top of the cake. Let the kids bash it open and enjoy! This recipe was orginally posted as Christmas Smash cake, but was repulblished with new photos and instructions in 12/2020. Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
