When you think about cake decorating, you usually imagine about complex creations or multi-layered cakes. Actually, with some creativity, you can make appealing cake decorations with only a few changes to the shape. Especially for a Christmas cake, you can celebrate the traditional values of Christmas with some biblical symbolism – a cake made in the shape of a cross is not difficult to pull off even if you have little baking experience. All you need to do is create a few cakes in a long, narrow pan and then cut these into pieces to arrange in a cross. Cover over the edges between each piece with icing, or fondant if you want a very smooth look.
Another option would be to do a simple square or round cake and set up figurines to depict the scene of the Nativity. You can also try other shapes like a Christmas tree, which would involve baking a triangle shape as well as a smaller rectangle for the trunk. You can get creative with the icing for this cake, with brown for the trunk, green for the tree and red and white for decorations. Using an icing bag for the decorations will help give you more precision.
Other choices for the more creative baker include a Santa cake or a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer cake. You could also try a simple cake in the shape of a gift box, with icing for the ribbon.