If you’re looking for a holiday dessert that captures the flavor and the craziness of the season, this Christmas Chaos Cake is just the thing. This recipe takes a classic cake mix and transforms it into something truly show-stopping, thanks to swirls of cranberry sauce and pockets of sweet cream cheese baked right in. Inspired by the classic Earthquake Cake, it cracks and swirls as it bakes for an imperfect look that’s part of its charm! And there’s no frosting required for this sweet treat, one less thing to worry about in the Christmas rush.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 (15.25 oz) box white or yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
How to Make Christmas Chaos Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spread pecans across bottom of baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mix cake mix, water, oil, and eggs until smooth. Pour batter over pecans.
- Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar until well combined.
- Scoop cream cheese mixture and cranberries sauce over cake batter and lightly swirl it into the batter.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean of cake batter.
- Allow cake to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.
