These Holiday Cakes Were So Dry They Were Practically Firewood.

Nothing ruins holiday cheer faster than a cake so dry it could double as kindling. These desserts might look festive, but one bite sends you reaching for a glass of water—or a fire extinguisher.

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Fruitcake (a.k.a. The Brick) The most infamous of all holiday cakes, fruitcake is often so dense and dry that it feels more like a construction material than dessert.

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Overbaked Yule Log (Bûche de Noël) A good Yule log should be moist and decadent. A bad one? A cracked, dry sponge cake rolled so tightly it feels like chewing on a scroll from the Middle Ages.

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Sahara-Dry Pound Cake Pound cake can be a buttery dream, but when it’s overbaked, it turns into a dense, crumbly disaster that sucks all the moisture from your mouth.

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Crumbly Gingerbread Cake Gingerbread should be rich and spiced—not a pile of dust disguised as a dessert. Some versions are so dry they could be mistaken for an old holiday decoration.

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Brittle Panettone This Italian Christmas bread is supposed to be light and fluffy, but a stale or overbaked one turns into a chewy, flavorless punishment.

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Sandpaper Spice Cake When made well, spice cake is warm and comforting. When made poorly, it’s like licking cinnamon-flavored sawdust.

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Eggnog Bundt Cake (Without the Eggnog Flavor) This cake promises festive joy but often delivers a dry, bland bite that lacks both eggnog and excitement.

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