Description
A delightful and festive Christmas Tree Cake that combines warm spices with rich buttercream frosting, perfect for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar (300g)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (10g)
- 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (6g)
- 1 tsp ground ginger (3g)
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (2g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature (224g)
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature (255g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (90g)
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil (105g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
- Green gel food coloring
- 3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (678g)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (12g)
- 1 tsp fine salt (3g)
- 10 cups powdered sugar (1250g)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (120g)
- Green, yellow, and red gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ยฐF (175ยฐC).
- In a large bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together.
- Add the room temperature butter and mix until crumbly.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and mix with sour cream, apple sauce, oil, and vanilla until combined.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix until smooth.
- Divide the batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Once baked, let the cakes cool completely.
- For the buttercream, beat the unsalted butter until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, mixing until well combined.
- Add the heavy cream and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Add green gel food coloring until you reach your desired shade.
- Once the cakes are cool, trim the tops to level them.
- Stack the cakes with a layer of buttercream in between each layer.
- Use a serrated knife to carve the cake into a tree shape.
- Frost the entire cake with the green buttercream.
- Decorate the tree with colored frosting using piping bags and tips to create ornaments and garlands.
Notes
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature for best mixing. Use a spinning cake stand for easier frosting application.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 45g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 70mg