This festive Christmas Chaos Cake is rich, gooey, and filled with swirls of tangy cranberry sauce and sweet cream cheese over a buttery cake base with toasted pecans.
It is the kind of easy holiday dessert that looks beautiful but comes together with simple pantry ingredients.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 45–50 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Cake Layer
- 1 15.25-ounce box white or yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Cranberry Swirl
- 3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
Step 1: Prepare the Pan
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Spread the chopped pecans evenly across the bottom.
350^\circ\mathrm{F}
Step 2: Make the Cake Batter
In a large bowl, mix together:
- Cake mix
- Water
- Oil
- Eggs
Beat until smooth.
Pour over the pecans.
Step 3: Make the Cream Cheese Mixture
Beat together:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Vanilla
Then slowly mix in powdered sugar until thick and smooth.
Step 4: Create the Swirls
Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter.
Add spoonfuls of cranberry sauce between the cream cheese.
Use a knife to gently swirl everything together.
Do not overmix—you want beautiful ribbons of red and cream throughout the cake.
Step 5: Bake
Bake for 45–50 minutes until the edges are golden and the center is mostly set.
The cream cheese pockets should still look slightly soft.
Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Tips
- Use walnuts instead of pecans if preferred
- Homemade cranberry sauce works great
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days
- Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
