Description
A festive homemade cake that captures the essence of Christmas with its delightful shape, creamy frosting, and sweet taste.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (for frosting)
- 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 4–5 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 3 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. green sugar sprinkles
- 2–3 drops red gel food dye
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Lightly grease and line a 9″ x 13″ pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a larger bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix gently.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread it evenly and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Repeat the greasing and lining steps in the same pan and bake the remaining batter for the second cake.
- Once both cakes are cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour.
- For the buttercream, beat the room-temperature butter and confectioner’s sugar in a mixer. Slowly add in the heavy cream until smooth. Then mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Cut the cooled cakes into a Christmas tree shape using a stencil for perfect edges. Save any scraps for other treats.
- Place one cake on your serving dish, frost the top with buttercream, and place the second cake on top.
- Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream around the entire cake and refrigerate for one hour.
- After chilling, frost the cake with a thicker layer of buttercream, using a spatula for a smooth finish.
- Dye about 1/4 of the buttercream red and decorate the cake with green sprinkles and red lines. Enjoy your festive creation!
Notes
For a chocolate version, add cocoa powder to the batter and adjust the flour. Chill cakes well before frosting for smooth application.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 45g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 50mg