Mixed nuts were always a popular snack item at Christmastime in our home, which is why this Christmas Mixed Nut Bundt Cake is nostalgic and delicious! This cake is made with cream cheese in the batter, so you know it’s going to be super moist! The ground spices add so much warmth and aroma!

I think I told you this story in a Christmas recipe post last year, but I can’t help but think of my mom’s determination to get whole, uncracked nuts on the table every Christmas.
It might still be a Newfoundland tradition. It’s been many, many years since I’ve been there at Christmastime. It was a common practice in our home to place platters and bowls of food and snacks on the table every day, all day, for the entire 12 days of Christmas.
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For example, my mom would prepare scalloped potatoes and pineapple-glazed ham for dinner. As soon as she had cleaned up from dinner and neatly replaced her Christmas tablecloth, she would position some kind of centrepiece on the table – usually a poinsettia. Then, she would surround the centrepiece with food.
There was always one of those printed plastic platters with the sections to keep food separate; do you know what I’m talking about? You can still find them at the dollar store during the holidays.

CALORIES DO NOT COUNT AT CHRISTMASTIME!
She would fill the sections with grapes, pretzels, chocolates, Cheetos, etc. There would be a crystal candy dish with those hard, old-fashioned mixed candies. And, there would always be a bowl of mixed nuts with the shells still intact.
Do you know something though, Dear Reader? I can’t ever remember there once being a nut cracker near that bowl! But, I can remember somehow squeezing those nut shells in my hands until they popped open. The bowl would be replenished every day from a day or two before Christmas Eve until a few days after New Year’s Day.
This cake reminds me of those nuts, which is why I included this cake in my 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas series. I’ve included almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Of course, I purchased them without the shell, because even though I have fond memories of my mom’s Christmas table, I do not find any pleasure in cracking all of those nuts!
To me, this Christmas Mixed Nut Bundt Cake is like a common holiday fruitcake without dried or candied fruits. The cake is moist and packed with familiar holiday spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. I prefer to enjoy this cake with an afternoon coffee rather than as a dessert, but you can serve it after a meal if you so desire.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE
The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.
- Cream Cheese – When baking with cream cheese it is always best to use brick style rather than whipped or cream cheese in a tub. The brick style is firmer and more condensed. Cream cheese adds texture and flavour to baked items.
- Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
- Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown cakes.
- Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
- Baking Powder
- Ground Spices – You will need ground nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Chopped Mixed Nuts
FOR THE FROSTING:
- Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar. It is used in frostings quite often. When dusted lightly onto cakes and cookies, it adds just a touch of sweetness, but more importantly, it looks very visually appealing!
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Turbinado Sugar – Optional.
HOW TO MAKE A CHRISTMAS MIXED NUT BUNDT CAKE
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Dust the entire baking surface with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and blend into the mixture. Add the vanilla and incorporate well. Add 2 cups of the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; continuing to use the mixer, blend well into the butter and cream cheese mixture. In a small bowl, toss the chopped nuts with 1/4 cup of flour. Add the flour-covered nuts to the batter and fold in with a spatula.
Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40 minutes. Test the cake to see if it is finished baking by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, bake for 5 minutes more and test again. Allow the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely; dust with confectioner’s sugar and enjoy!
To frost, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. The frosting needs to be thick, otherwise, it will not pool onto the top of the cake and slowly climb down the side of the cake. Spoon the frosting over the top of the cake and with the back of the spoon push the frosting slightly toward the outer edge of the cake. The icing will slowly pour down the side. Immediately sprinkle over the turbinado sugar. Allow the icing to set to harden slightly before serving.

TURBINADO SUGAR
Turbinado, or raw sugar, is made from sugarcane. The crystals are also much larger than regular white granulated sugar. Do you need it? No. You can top the cake with sanding sugar, often called pearl or decorating sugar. You can also skip the sugar part completely.
Keep in mind that the turbinado sugar on top is not only for decoration. It is a sugar that has been partially refined, meaning that it retains some of the original molasses, which is what gives it that slight caramel flavour and colour.

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!
So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Bundt Cake series! I’m updating this paragraph right here to let you know that even though this original cake series was published in 2019, there have been many holiday recipes shared since then. Some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.
You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??
Looking For More Christmas Confections?
Lord Byron’s Kitchen has more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth! Click on the links below to see a countdown series of holiday recipes from that category!
STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING
When it comes to most cakes, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cakes will stay fresh in a covered cake stand or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want to serve the cake, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
If you plan to freeze your Christmas Mixed Nut Bundt Cake, you certainly can! I would not recommend adding the frosting or sugar until you take the cake out of the freezer to thaw. To freeze almost any cake, wrap the completely cooled cake well in two layers of plastic wrap. Then, wrap it tightly in a layer of aluminum foil. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!

QUESTIONS?
If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!
Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!

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Christmas Mixed Nut Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 cups chopped mixed nuts, *see notes
For the Frosting:
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, *see notes
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Dust the entire baking surface with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar.
- Add the eggs one at a time and blend into the mixture.
- Add the vanilla and incorporate well.
- Add 2 cups of the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; continuing to use the mixer, blend well into the butter and cream cheese mixture.
- In a small bowl, toss the chopped nuts with 1/4 cup of flour.
- Add the flour-covered nuts to the batter and fold in with a spatula.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40 minutes. Test the cake to see if it is finished baking by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, bake for 5 minutes more and test again.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack.
- Cool completely; dust with confectioner's sugar and enjoy!
For the Frosting:
- Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. The frosting need to be thick, otherwise, it will not pool onto the top of the cake and slowly climb down the side of the cake.
- Spoon the frosting over the top of the cake and with the back of the spoon push the frosting slightly toward the outer edge of the cake. The icing with slowly pour down the side.
- Immediately sprinkle over the turbinado sugar. Allow the icing to set to harden slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Priya Srinivasan says
That is one gorgeous cake! Good to know about the tradition around Christmas. Would love to enjoy this cake with a cup of coffee, savoring every nutty bite!
Choclette says
I am so intrigued with your recipe. I know lots of people that hate Christmas fruit cakes, but I’m pretty certain they’d love your Christmas nut bundt. I know I would. But mostly, I’m really interested by your use of cream cheese. I am absolutely going to have to try it.
Your story of your mum’s nuts with no nutcrackers made me laugh. We used to spend hours around the table over Christmas when I was little, cracking nuts whilst we talked. I do remember it being quite messy!
Leanne says
This entire post was a trip down memory lane for me! Still living in Newfoundland, I can tell you the whole nuts are still a tradition, or at least at my parent’s house. I don’t ever see anyone eating them, but they are around from Christmas Eve to Old Christmas Day! And I can totally relate to the continuous replenishing of food. Once my mother adds her xmas table cloth and poinsettia back to the table, there are trays of snack food put out. As for this cake, I’ll need to try this one. Love that it’s like a fruit and nut without the fruit!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Leanne. I’m so glad that someone can appreciate first hand the whole nuts story. 🙂
Natalie says
What a lovely bundt cake. Looks so delicious and so festive. I bet my family will love this one. I will put this on my xmass baking list. Can’t wait to try it!