Easy Funfetti Christmas Bread (from a Cake Mix)
This easy Christmas bread is a soft, sweet, and festive loaf made with cake mix and colorful sprinkles for cheerful holiday flair.
This cake mix Funfetti Christmas bread is light, moist and full of holiday cheer, thanks to the festive red and green sprinkles throughout.
It’s a simple yet show-stopping treat perfect for breakfast, dessert or gifting.
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When the sprinkles make their way out of the pantry, it’s a sure sign of a celebration in our house, and this easy Christmas bread is one of our favorite festive treats.
It comes together fast, slices beautifully, and those cheerful pops of red and green make every bite feel like a little party!
Not only that, but this Christmas loaf cake is made from a doctored-up cake mix, so it’s a fantastic shortcut recipe you can put to use during the busy holiday season.
It’s perfect for giving as a handmade gift for neighbors, adding to a holiday brunch spread, or setting out on Christmas Eve while you sip cocoa and watch the tree lights twinkle.
The soft and sweet Christmas bread is drizzled with a simple glaze that sets to a satiny finish, making it even more pretty.
It’s exactly the kind of low-stress, high-joy treat that makes the season feel merry. Even Santa might appreciate a slice left by the fireplace!
More Easy Holiday Shortcut Recipes:
- Holiday Pistachio Bread
- Easy Christmas Sugar Cookie Cups
- Cake Mix Gingerbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Bundt Cake from a Mix
- Eggnog Bundt Cake from a Mix
- Cake Mix Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Easy Cake Mix Recipes for Christmas
Holiday Quick Bread Recipe Tips
Baking during the holidays doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen. Quick breads made with cake mix are the perfect solution when you want homemade flavor with less fuss.
The mix does most of the heavy lifting, giving you a moist, tender loaf every time without worrying about measuring out countless ingredients.
This shortcut works beautifully for festive treats like this Christmas loaf with confetti sprinkles, or other holiday favorites such as Red Velvet Loaf Cake from a Mix and Cake Mix Cranberry Bread.
When baking for gift giving, consistency is key. If you’re making multiple loaves, use the same size pans so they bake evenly.
Be sure to let the bread cool completely before wrapping—warm bread can create condensation, which can make your loaf soggy.
Once cooled, wrap each loaf snugly in plastic wrap or place it in a decorative cellophane bag tied with a ribbon. You can even bake them in mini loaf pans for smaller treats!
Whether you’re gifting to neighbors, teachers, or bringing one to a holiday brunch, these sweet loaves are a thoughtful and delicious way to spread some Christmas cheer.
How to Make Cake Mix Christmas Funfetti Bread
It’s really easy to make this holiday treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Bread:
- Cream Cheese
- Eggs
- White Cake Mix
- Vegetable Oil
- Red and Green Jimmies Sprinkles
For the Icing Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Heavy Cream (or Milk)
- Salt
How to Make It:
Find the full printable recipe available below
Combine the wet ingredients. First, you’ll beat together cream cheese and eggs until incorporated.
There may still be some small pieces of cream cheese not combined with the liquid–that’s okay!
Add the cake mix. Then, you’ll add the dry cake mix and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed for roughly 30 seconds, allowing the batter to start coming together.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl well, then turn the mixer to the medium-high setting and beat for about 2 more minutes. The batter should be smooth and creamy at this point.
Stir in the sprinkles. Then, you’ll add the red and green sprinkles to the batter, using a spatula or spoon to gently fold them into the batter by hand.
Stir the batter just until the sprinkles are incorporated.
Divide batter and bake. Then, you’ll divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans, smoothing out the tops.
Bake in preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaves comes out clean.
Remove the loaves from oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out onto a wire rack or serving plate to cool completely.
Prepare the glaze. Then, you’ll combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, 4 tablespoons of heavy cream (or milk), and a pinch or two of salt in a small mixing bowl.
Whisk together until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the loaves, letting it run down the sides of the loaves a bit.
Allow the icing to set up for about 10-15 minutes–it will harden to a satiny finish over that time. Then slice and serve!
Notes and Adaptations:
- The glaze is technically optional, but we love adding it because it’s both pretty and tasty. If you decide to skip the glaze, you could always just dust the loaves with powdered sugar.
- I recommend using baking-safe jimmies sprinkles (these are the slender rod-shaped sprinkles) rather than sanding sugar or non-pareils, as the jimmies are less likely to bleed their dye into the bread when stirring the batter. I used Baker’s Choice sprinkles from Amazon.
- Unglazed loaves freeze well-–simply wrap cooled loaves well with plastic wrap and freeze. You can make the icing after the loaves have thawed out.
- Heavy cream will yield a slightly thicker texture and richer flavor in the icing, so I prefer it in this recipe. However, if you don’t have any on hand, milk will work fine!
- You can bake these loaves in regular loaf pans or change it up and bake in fluted loaf pans for a little something special.
Recommended Equipment:
Easy Christmas Funfetti Bread (Using Cake Mix)
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 14.25 ounce white cake mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup red and green jimmies sprinkles
For the Icing Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar (whisked or sifted to break up any clumps)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
- 1-2 pinches salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two 8×4" loaf pans liberally with baking spray, such as Baker's Joy. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer), beat together cream cheese and eggs until incorporated. There may still be some small pieces of cream cheese not combined with the liquid–that's okay!
- To this mixture, add the dry cake mix and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, allowing the batter to start coming together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then turn the mixer to the medium-high setting and beat for about 2 minutes more. The batter should be smooth and creamy.
- Add the red and green sprinkles to the batter, then use a spatula or spoon to gently fold them into the batter by hand. Stir the batter just until the sprinkles are incorporated.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans, smoothing out the tops. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaves comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out onto a wire rack or serving plate to cool completely.
- Once the loaves are completely cool, prepare the glaze. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, 4 tablespoons of heavy cream (or milk), and a pinch or two of salt in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until smooth. If needed, add more heavy cream to thin the glaze, or a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it.
- Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the loaves, letting it run down the sides of the loaves a bit. Allow the icing to set up for about 10-15 minutes–it will harden to a satiny finish over that time. Then slice and serve!
Notes
- The glaze is technically optional, but we love adding it because it’s both pretty and tasty. If you decide to skip the glaze, you could always just dust the loaves with powdered sugar.
- I recommend using baking-safe jimmies sprinkles (these are the slender rod-shaped sprinkles) rather than sanding sugar or non-pareils, as the jimmies are less likely to bleed their dye into the bread when stirring the batter. I used Baker’s Choice sprinkles from Amazon.
- Unglazed loaves freeze well–simply wrap cooled loaves well with plastic wrap and freeze. You can make the icing after the loaves have thawed out.
- Heavy cream will yield a slightly thicker texture and richer flavor in the icing, so I prefer it in this recipe. However, if you don’t have any on hand, milk will work fine!
- You can bake these loaves in regular loaf pans or change it up and bake in fluted loaf pans for a little something special.
Nutrition
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Just a quick question about this beautiful Christmas bread.
What’s your option about adding peppermint extract? I thought it would make it more festive.
Thanks in advance.
I think that’s a great idea, Page! You could even sprinkle some crushed candy canes over the glaze before it hardens for even more color and flavor, if you’d like. Enjoy! 🙂