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Snowman Cake for Christmas

December 7, 2021 by Heather Smoke 1 Comment

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Today’s post is an easy, step-by-step tutorial for making this adorable snowman cake. There’s no fondant on this cake, so you’ll just need buttercream and sprinkles to make this cute Christmas cake that everyone will love!

Looking for more Christmas cake inspiration? Don’t miss this hot chocolate cake with homemade marshmallows, a North Pole cake with striped peppermint buttercream, and an eggnog cake with a buttercream Christmas tree.

A snowman cake on a white cake stand surrounded by Christmas ornaments.

This site contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links.  This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services.  All opinions expressed on this site are my own.

Why You’ll Love This Cake

So Quick and Easy. Even if you’re a beginner with cake decorating, you’ll find the piping techniques used on this cake to be really easy to do. You can always practice on a piece of wax paper first, before piping onto your cake.

Perfect for the Holidays. Everyone will love this cute snowman cake, and it makes an adorable centerpiece for Christmas dinner or a holiday party.

A buttercream snowman design on a layer cake.

See the FAQS section at the end of the post for sources on the sprinkles and sugar pearls.

Tools and Equipment

  • 1 6-inch, 4-layer cake, frosted and chilled
  • 1 cup vanilla buttercream
  • white sugar pearls, various sizes
  • white sparkling sugar
  • piping bags and couplers
  • piping tips #18 and #4
  • 4-inch snowman cookie cutter, or a template drawn on wax paper and cut out
  • black sugar pearls, for the eyes and buttons
  • black gel food coloring
  • small palette knife or icing spatula
  • decorating tweezers, for placing the sprinkles
  • orange, yellow or gold “jimmy” sprinkle, for the nose
  • red sugar pearl + green holly leaves sprinkles
Piping bags, snowman cookie cutter, sprinkles and an icing spatula for decorating a snowman cake.
A buttercream snowman design on the side of a layer cake.

Instructions

Get everything ready.

  • Bake and frost your cake. You can make the cake any flavor, but the frosting will look best in white/vanilla. The size is also important. A 6-inch 4-layer cake gives the cake more height than a larger/shorter cake, and you need height for this snowman cake design.
  • After frosting your cake, go ahead and add some white sugar pearls scattered over the frosting, before it crusts over. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour, until the buttercream is firm and cold.
  • Fit a piping bag with tip #18, and fill with about 1/2 cup of white buttercream.
  • Fit a piping bag with tip #4, and fill with a few tablespoons of black buttercream.

Decorating step-by-step.

  • If you have a snowman cutter, lightly press it against the side of the cake to mark your outline. If you drew a template on wax paper, press it lightly against the cake, use a toothpick to trace the outline, and then remove the paper.
  • Use a palette knife to lightly spread some white buttercream over the face.
  • Pipe the black buttercream for the hat, then use your palette knife to spread it out as smooth as possible.
  • A cake frosted with white buttercream, ready to be decorated with a snowman design.
  • The outline of a snowman hat on the side of a cake.
  • The hat and face of a snowman on the side of a layer cake.
  • A partially finished snowman design on a layer cake.
  • Use tweezers to place the sprinkles for the eyes and nose on the face.
  • With tip #18, pipe small stars all over the body of the snowman, then use tweezers to place the sprinkles for the buttons.
  • Finish by adding the holly leaves and red sprinkles at his neck, and toss some of the white sparkling sugar onto the hat and body.
  • A snowman design on the side of a cake.
  • A layer cake with a snowman design on the side of the cake.
A Christmas cake with a buttercream snowman design.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this design on an 8 or 9 inch cake instead of 6 inch?

This design really looks better on a smaller taller cake. The extra height just works better for the shape of the snowman. You can bake any standard-sized layer cake in four 6-inch cake pans, which will give your cake the perfect height for this design. If you only have two 6-inch pans, just bake half the batter at a time, letting the extra batter rest at room temperature until you’re ready to bake it.

What buttercream did you use?

I only use American buttercream, and I have a comprehensive post all about buttercream. For today’s cake, I made 4x my buttercream recipe, which was plenty to frost the cake with enough leftover for piping the snowman.

Where did you find your sprinkles and cookie cutter?

  • snowman cookie cutter
  • white sugar pearls
  • black sugar pearls (eyes and buttons)
  • candy holly leaves
  • white sparkling sugar
  • gold jimmy (nose)

Can I freeze the cake after it’s frosted and decorated?

Yes, you can. Just place the cake in a bakery box and wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it airtight, or in an airtight cake carrier, and freeze it for up to 2 weeks. To thaw, place in the refrigerator to thaw for 24 hours, then let come to room temperature for 5-6 hours.

A snowman cake sitting on a white cake stand surrounded by Christmas ornaments.

You Might Also Like

  • North Pole cake, with a slice being lifted up, showing red and white striped buttercream inside.
    North Pole Cake
  • Eggnog cake with a buttercream Christmas tree piped up the side.
    Eggnog Cake
  • Gingerbread village Christmas house, decorated with chocolate sugar cookie houses and buttercream trees.
    Gingerbread Village Cake
  • Milk and cookies cake for Santa, with chocolate chip polkadots, chocolate chip cookies, and a glass of milk.
    Chocolate Chip Milk and Cookies Cake for Santa

Favorite Products


Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!

A snowman cake on a white cake stand surrounded by Christmas ornaments.

Snowman Cake

Heather Smoke
An easy, step-by-step tutorial for making an adorable snowman cake for Christmas.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings12

Ingredients
 

  • 1 6-inch, 4-layer cake, frosted and chilled
  • 1 cup vanilla buttercream
  • white sugar pearls, various sizes
  • white sparkling sugar
  • piping bags and couplers
  • piping tips #18 and #4
  • 4-inch snowman cookie cutter, or a template drawn on wax paper and cut out
  • black sugar pearls, for the eyes and buttons
  • black gel food coloring
  • small palette knife or icing spatula
  • decorating tweezers, for placing the sprinkles
  • orange, yellow or gold "jimmy" sprinkle, for the nose
  • red sugar pearl + green holly leaves sprinkles

Instructions
 

  • Bake and frost your cake. You can make the cake any flavor, but the frosting will look best in white/vanilla.
    The size is also important. A 6-inch 4-layer cake gives the cake more height than a larger/shorter cake, and you need height for this snowman cake design.
  • After frosting your cake, go ahead and add some white sugar pearls scattered over the frosting, before it crusts over. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour, until the buttercream is firm and cold.
  • Fit a piping bag with tip #18, and fill with about 1/2 cup of white buttercream.
  • Fit a piping bag with tip #4, and fill with a few tablespoons of black buttercream.
  • If you have a snowman cutter, lightly press it against the side of the cake to mark your outline.
    If you drew a template on wax paper, press it lightly against the cake, use a toothpick to trace the outline, and then remove the paper.
  • Use a palette knife to lightly spread some white buttercream over the face.
  • Pipe the black buttercream for the hat, then use your palette knife to spread it out as smooth as possible.
  • Use tweezers to place the sprinkles for the eyes and nose on the face.
  • With tip #18, pipe small stars all over the body of the snowman, then use tweezers to place the sprinkles for the buttons.
  • Finish by adding the holly leaves and red sprinkles at his neck, and toss some of the white sparkling sugar onto the hat and body.
Keyword Cake, Cake Decorating, Christmas, Snowman
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/

Filed Under: Christmas and Thanksgiving, Christmas Cakes

Previous Post: « Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Next Post: Basic High Altitude Yeast Doughnuts with Maple Icing »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet Dolan

    December 31, 2022 at 12:00 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this beautiful recipe! I plan on making it next year!

    Reply

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I'm Heather, and welcome to my Colorado kitchen, where you will find high-altitude tested recipes for beautifully photographed cakes, baked goods and sweets. I believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home, and everyone is welcome in mine. So stay a while, sip a cup of coffee, and bake something delicious with me!

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