Christmas Tree Cake 🎄🍰

Christmas Tree Cake 🎄🍰

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 boxes of your favorite cake mix (or homemade cake batter) 🎂
• 4 large eggs 🥚
• 1 cup vegetable oil 🛢️
• 1 cup water 💧
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 🍦

For the Buttercream Frosting:

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened 🧈
• 4 cups powdered sugar 🍩
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 🍦
• 2-4 tbsp heavy cream 🧴
• Green food coloring 🎨 (for the tree color)
• A pinch of salt 🧂

For the Decoration:

• Colorful sprinkles (for ornaments) 🎉
• Mini candy stars or star-shaped sprinkles (for the tree topper) 🌟
• Red candy (like M&Ms or red hots) for berries 🍬
• Miniature candy canes (optional) 🍬
• Powdered sugar (for snow effect) 🍚

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Cake:
Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans or two 9-inch round cake pans, depending on how large you want the tree. 🎂

Mix the Cake Batter: In a large bowl, follow the instructions on the cake mix box (or your homemade recipe). Typically, mix together the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract until smooth. 🥚🛢️🍦

Bake the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake according to the package instructions (usually 25-30 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. ⏲️

Cool the Cake: Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. ❄️

2. Prepare the Buttercream Frosting:
Beat the Butter: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. 🧈

Add Powdered Sugar: Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition until the frosting is light and fluffy. 🍩

Add Vanilla and Cream: Mix in the vanilla extract, and then add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency for spreading or piping. 🧴🍦

Color the Frosting: Add green food coloring to the frosting and mix until you achieve your desired shade of green for the tree. 🎨

3. Assemble the Christmas Tree:
Trim the Cakes: Once the cakes are completely cool, level the tops if needed so that they stack easily. If you're using three 8-inch cakes, cut each layer into two to make a total of 6 layers. For a larger tree, two 9-inch layers will work. 🍰

Stack the Cake Layers: Begin stacking the cake layers on a large platter or cake board. If using three layers, alternate with frosting between each layer to make the structure more stable. If you want a tree shape, consider trimming the layers into slightly smaller circles as you go up the tree. 🎄

Shape the Tree: To get the tree shape, you may need to trim the edges of each layer slightly, starting with the bottom layer and making each subsequent layer a bit smaller. This will help create a triangle-like shape. 🍰

4. Frost the Cake:
Frost the Tree: Using a large offset spatula or a piping bag, frost the entire cake with the green buttercream frosting. Start from the bottom layer and work your way to the top. Make sure the frosting is thick and smooth on the outside. 🌲

Create Tree Texture: Use a fork or a piping tip to create texture on the frosting, resembling tree branches or a bumpy tree surface. 🎄

5. Decorate the Tree:
Add Ornaments: Decorate your cake with colorful sprinkles to represent ornaments. 🎉

Tree Topper: Place a mini candy star or star-shaped sprinkles on top of the cake to serve as the tree topper. 🌟

Add "Berries": Use red candies (like M&Ms, red hots, or red sprinkles) to create the look of berries on the tree. 🍒

Add Candy Canes (Optional): If you like, place mini candy canes around the base of the tree for an extra festive touch. 🍬

Snow Effect: Lightly dust the cake with powdered sugar to give it a snowy effect. ❄️

Enjoy Your Festive Christmas Tree Cake! 🎄🍰✨