Christmas Tree Cakes
Submitted by EmilyL2001
Adorable Christmas tree cakes cut from a sheet cake, frosted with green cream cheese icing, and decorated with candies, sprinkles, and little candy trunks. A fun holiday baking project with kids.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
55 minThese little Christmas tree cakes are the craft project that doubles as dessert.
A yellow cake mix gets baked in a jelly roll pan with a hit of orange zest, then cooled and cut into triangle shapes using cardboard templates. Multiple sizes mean you can make a whole forest of trees from one pan.
Half the cream cheese frosting stays white, half gets tinted green. Spread it on and swirl it to look like snowy branches. Then turn the kids loose with sprinkles, colored sugar, candies, and nonpareils.
A little caramel roll or licorice stick tucked into the base makes the trunk. Line them up on a platter and watch them disappear.
Kitchen Tips
- Cut your cardboard templates first and plan your layout before cutting the cake. Turning and fitting the triangles carefully means less wasted cake.
- Cool the cake completely before cutting and frosting. Warm cake crumbles when you try to cut clean triangles.
- Soften the cream cheese and butter fully before beating. Cold lumps in the frosting make spreading a battle.
- Set up a decorating station with bowls of different candies and let everyone decorate their own tree. It keeps kids busy and the results are always charming.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Grease 15½ by 15½ by 1 inch jelly roll pan; line with waxed paper; grease paper.
Prepare cake mix according to pack directions for lite recipe, beating in orange peel.
Pour batter into pan; bake 20 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan at least 15 minutes.
Invert onto board covered with waxed paper; lift off pan; peel away paper from bottom of cake.
Cool completely.
While cake cools, from lightweight cardboard, cut triangle pattern in one or more of the following sizes: 4 inch base, 15½ inch sides; 3 inch base, 4 inch sides; 15½ inch base, 15½ inch sides; 2¼ inch base, 2 ¾ inch sides.
Using cardboard patterns, cut triangles of cake, turning and fitting patterns, as necessary, to use all of cake.
Take care to remove waxed paper from under cake.
In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar; beat 5 to 7 minutes until thoroughly blended and smooth.
Remove half of frosting and stir in green food coloring to desired shade.
Using flexible metal spatula, spread frosting over top and sides of cake triangle, smoothing it on or swirling gently to resemble tree branches.
Decorate cakes as desired with candies, colored sugars, assorted sprinkles and nonpareils.
Using tip of small knife, gently hollow out small area in center of bottom edge of each tree; insert caramel roll or licorice sticks for trunks.
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