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Christmas Tree Cakes Recipe

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4.6 from 89 reviews

Christmas Tree Cakes are festive, layered treat cakes cut into tree shapes and coated in smooth white chocolate almond bark, decorated with green sanding sugar and red candy melt stripes. These delightful holiday desserts combine moist yellow cake with a fluffy marshmallow buttercream filling, perfect for any Christmas celebration.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake

  • 13.25 ounces yellow cake mix
  • 4 large eggs (3 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk)
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup salted butter, melted

Filling

  • 7 ounces marshmallow fluff
  • ¾ cup salted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Coating and Decoration

  • 1 pound vanilla almond bark
  • 1 cup red candy melts
  • Green sanding sugar (optional but recommended)

Instructions

  1. Making The Cake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, 3 whole eggs plus 1 extra egg yolk, 1 cup of milk, and ½ cup of melted salted butter. Mix until smooth using a silicone spatula or whisk. Pour and spread the batter evenly over the parchment-lined pan.
  2. Baking The Cake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, remove from oven and allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
  3. Preparing The Filling: In a medium bowl, combine 7 ounces of marshmallow fluff, ¾ cup of softened salted butter, and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until well blended. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and continue whipping until the filling is smooth, creamy, and fluffy.
  4. Assembling The Cake Layers: Carefully lift the fully cooled cake out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut the cake in half along the short direction to create two layers. Spread the prepared filling evenly over one half, then place the other half of the cake atop, creating a sandwich with cake on top and bottom and filling in the middle.
  5. Cutting Out The Trees: Using a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter, carefully cut out tree shapes from the cake sandwich and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze the shaped cakes for at least 30 minutes to firm up before coating.
  6. Melting The Vanilla Almond Bark: Place the vanilla almond bark into a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in 30-second intervals at half power, stirring between intervals, until the chocolate is smooth and fully melted, approximately 2-3 minutes.
  7. Coating The Trees: Remove the frozen cake trees from the freezer. Immediately dip each tree into the melted almond bark, gently tapping off any excess chocolate back into the bowl. Use a spoon to evenly coat if needed. Place the dipped trees on a parchment-lined baking sheet and quickly sprinkle with green sanding sugar before the coating hardens. Repeat with all trees.
  8. Melting And Drizzling Red Candy Melts: Melt red candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl using 30-second intervals at half power, stirring between intervals until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Pour the melted candy into a sturdy zip-top bag. Snip a small corner off the bag and drizzle the red candy melts over the coated trees to create festive stripes. Let the drizzle set completely before serving.

Notes

  • Use cake mix size as listed; 13.25 ounces works well for the jelly roll pan size mentioned.
  • For even cake layers, spread batter evenly and monitor baking time carefully.
  • Freezing the cakes before coating helps achieve a smooth chocolate shell and easier handling.
  • Green sanding sugar adds an authentic Christmas tree look but is optional.
  • Use half power microwave settings to prevent burning the chocolate while melting.
  • Allow candy melts drizzle to set fully at room temperature before storing or serving.

Keywords: Christmas Tree Cakes, holiday cakes, yellow cake recipe, marshmallow filling, almond bark coating, festive desserts

Find it online: https://www.cheftara.com/christmas-tree-cakes-recipe-2/