How can I utilize SimpleDateFormat with Calendar?

Try this:

Calendar cal = new GregorianCalendar();
SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy");
dateFormat.setTimeZone(cal.getTimeZone());
System.out.println(dateFormat.format(cal.getTime()));

eQui's answer is missing a step

Calendar cal = new GregorianCalendar();
SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy");
#---- This uses the provided calendar for the output -----
dateFormat.setCalendar(cal); 
System.out.println(dateFormat.format(cal.getTime()));

Calendar.getTime() returns a Date which can be used with SimpleDateFormat.

Simply call calendar.getTime() and pass the resulting Date object to the format method.