A Christmas-Inspired Wedding Cake Medley at The Woodhouse, Wollombi
There is something about Christmas that has always had my heart.
Growing up with European traditions — cosy winters, Christmas markets glowing with fairy lights, the smell of mulled wine and sweet treats drifting through cold air — Christmas was a season of warmth, indulgence and celebration. These days, that nostalgia blends beautifully with the Australian version of Christmas: long summer days, garden parties, pavlova piled high with fruit, and tables overflowing with food shared among loved ones.
So when Kirsty and Mat chose to embrace Christmas flavours for their December wedding at The Woodhouse, Wollombi, it felt like the perfect meeting of old-world tradition and modern Australian celebration — and one of my all-time favourite weddings to create.
Designing a Christmas Wedding Dessert Medley
Rather than choosing a single traditional tiered cake, Kirsty and Mat wanted a Christmas-inspired dessert medley that felt generous, nostalgic and joyful — something that encouraged guests to graze, taste and indulge throughout the evening.
Together, we designed a collection of cakes that celebrated classic Christmas flavours, while still feeling refined, elegant and perfectly suited to a summer wedding in the Hunter Valley.
This approach allowed us to play with flavour, texture and styling — each cake telling its own story, yet sitting beautifully together as part of one cohesive dessert table.
The Pavlova-Inspired Wedding Cake
At the heart of the dessert table was a two-tier pavlova-inspired wedding cake, a flavour that has become a favourite for summer weddings and now features on my Seasonal Summer Specials menu.
This cake was layered with:
Vanilla butter cake
Vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream
Passionfruit curd
Fresh seasonal fruit
Crunchy shards of meringue for texture
Light, fresh and vibrant, it captured everything we love about an Australian Christmas — familiar flavours elevated into something elegant and celebration-worthy.
The cake was finished with beautiful blooms from local florist By Jasmine (formerly As sweet as Jasmine), whose florals added softness, colour and romance to the design, perfectly complementing the natural setting of The Woodhouse.
The Orange & Cranberry Bundt Cake
I’ve always had a soft spot for a bundt cake, and this orange and cranberry version felt especially fitting for a Christmas wedding.
Rich yet bright, with a gentle citrus tang balanced by bursts of cranberry, it brought a subtle nod to traditional European Christmas flavours while still feeling light enough for a warm summer evening.
Bundt cakes are wonderfully nostalgic — unfussy, generous and deeply comforting — and they work beautifully on wedding dessert tables where guests can help themselves.
The Spiced Chai Naked Cake (With Gingerbread Toppers)
If Christmas had a scent, this cake would be it.
Layers of spiced chai cake were filled with brown sugar and cinnamon Swiss meringue buttercream, spiced butter pecans and drizzled butterscotch sauce, left unfrosted so the layers peeked through invitingly. The cake was finished with custom-made Mr & Mrs gingerbread toppers, complete with a specially requested moustache on the groom — a small, playful detail that made the cake feel truly personal.
This cake smelled and tasted like pure Christmas: warm spices, butter, sugar and nostalgia all wrapped into one.
A Perfect Setting at The Woodhouse, Wollombi
Set among rolling greenery, The Woodhouse, Wollombi provided the perfect backdrop for this festive yet refined celebration. The styling throughout the wedding was thoughtfully curated, allowing the dessert table to feel like an extension of the overall aesthetic rather than a standalone feature.
December weddings can be especially magical when couples lean into the season — not in a literal or themed way, but through flavour, texture and feeling. Kirsty and Mat’s wedding did this beautifully.
Creating Custom Christmas Wedding Cake Flavours
What I loved most about this wedding was the freedom to create custom flavours that felt meaningful to the couple and true to the season. Christmas weddings offer such a wonderful opportunity to embrace warmth, spice, citrus and nostalgia — whether through pavlova-inspired cakes, spiced desserts, citrus-forward flavours or European-inspired classics.
I always love working with couples to design something truly personal, whether that’s a traditional tiered wedding cake, a dessert medley, or a combination of both.
Planning a Summer or Christmas Wedding?
If you’re planning a December or summer wedding in the Hunter Valley, Newcastle or Lake Macquarie and would love to explore seasonal flavours, my wedding cake tasting boxes are a beautiful place to start. Tastings allow you to experience flavour combinations at home and begin dreaming up something special for your day.
From classic Christmas-inspired desserts to fresh summer flavours, I’d love to create a wedding cake (or cakes!) that feel just as memorable as your celebration.