Description
Delight in these festive Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes featuring a fluffy yellow cake filled with a sweet marshmallow buttercream, dipped in smooth white almond bark, and decorated with green sanding sugar and red candy stripes. Perfect for holiday celebrations and treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 13.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup melted butter
Filling
- 7 ounces marshmallow fluff
- ¾ cup butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Coating
- 1 pound white almond bark
- 1 cup red candy melts
- Green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 16×12 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it with nonstick cooking spray. Secure the parchment with binder clips to keep it in place.
- Make Cake Batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yellow cake mix, 3 whole eggs plus 1 additional egg yolk, 1 cup whole milk, and ½ cup melted butter until smooth and fully combined.
- Bake Cake: Spread the cake batter evenly in the prepared jelly roll pan using an angled spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Cool Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan before proceeding.
- Prepare Filling: In a medium bowl, combine 7 ounces marshmallow fluff, ¾ cup room temperature butter, and 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until incorporated and smooth. Add 2 tablespoons whole milk and whip on high speed for 2 minutes until the filling is light and fluffy.
- Assemble Cake Layers: Carefully cut the cooled cake in half horizontally. Spread the filling evenly over one half, then place the remaining cake half on top to create a filled cake layer.
- Cut Tree Shapes: Use a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter to carefully cut trees out of the filled cake layers. Place the cut trees on a parchment-lined baking sheet. To make cutting easier, freeze the filled cake for 30 minutes beforehand if needed.
- Freeze Filled Cakes: Place the cut cake trees in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes before coating.
- Melt White Coating: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 pound white almond bark in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals until smooth and fully melted.
- Dip Trees: Dip each chilled cake tree into the melted white almond bark, tap off excess coating, and place on a parchment-lined tray. Immediately sprinkle with green sanding sugar while the coating is still wet.
- Prepare Red Stripes: Melt 1 cup red candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. If too thick, add ¼ teaspoon melted shortening or coconut oil to thin. Transfer to a sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one corner.
- Decorate Trees: Pipe red wavy stripes onto the coated trees using the prepared red candy melt piping bag to mimic ornaments or garland.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- If short on time, canned frosting can substitute for the homemade marshmallow filling.
- The yield depends on the size of your Christmas tree cookie cutter; smaller cutters yield more cakes.
- Freezing the filled cake before cutting helps maintain clean edges and easier handling.
- Use parchment paper and binder clips to prevent the brownie pan liner from shifting during baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
