How To Make Pine Cones With Chocolate Frosting Cake Decorating Tiny For Christmas Tree

This moist, fluffy, and delicious Christmas tree cake has vanilla layers enrobed in creamy, vanilla buttercream, covered with cute Christmas trees that plow this cake into a dreamy winter wonderland.

If you saw my Christmas Tree Cupcakes you know where I got the inspiration for this cake. I cut up a few ice cream cones and used them as the base for various sized pino trees on the side and top of my cake. Little dollops of dark-green buttercream and a dusting of powdered sugar complete the snowy wintertime scene.

A close up photo of a Christmas cake with little pine trees rendered in buttercream and dusted with powdered sugar.

The real star of this dessert is the cake itself! And then pillowy soft and delicious. I made mine with "plain" vanilla but you could add in some peppermint extract, orangish blossom water, lemon zest or any else yous love to make this block your ain!

Pro Tips for an Amazing Christmas Tree Block

If you're not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for eight-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour foam if desired, I do information technology all the time and can't actually tell the difference.
To get Flat layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or brand your ain from foil and newspaper towels at domicile. I made a whole web log mail on it then check it out if you're interested!
To pipe the two-tone frosting you fill one bag (1/2 style full) with white frosting, one bag with green frosting and then put both bags in a third piping bag. No need for a tip, just snip about an inch off each bag.
I similar to give a actually proficient dusting of powdered saccharide "snowfall" to the copse for some added realism and depth.
If y'all don't accept a #30 tip and so try any pocket-size to medium star or leafage tip to pipage the tree.
The copse can also look beautiful with piffling sugar or fondant ornaments and presents, too! I actually applied white ornaments to one tree with tweezers. It looked good merely they kind of got lost in the snow. SO not worth the effort, for me at least. Hope you enjoy!!

Block decorating to be a bit intimidating then check out my How to Decorate a Cake post , it has lots of helpful tips and a total how to video.

How to Make a Christmas Tree Block

wet and dry ingredients for a Christmas cake getting mixed together.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 3 six inch cake pans. In a large basin add the flour, leavening agents, common salt and sugar. Whisk and set up aside.

2. In a medium bowl add the egg whites, sour cream, milk, vanilla and butter. Mix until combined but don't worry if yous encounter lilliputian clumps.

Batter and buttercream for a Christmas cake getting mixed.

3. Add the moisture mixture to the dry out. Whisk concoction together until polish. Don't over vanquish it though, yous're really just mixing until combined.

4. To make the buttercream beat the room temperature butter until lite and fluffy. Add the confectioners saccharide, vanilla, and cream. Mix and add the food coloring.For the frosting; Cream the butter, add the sugar, and so mix on high. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Split the frosting into a 2 batches. Add green nutrient coloring to one batch, mix until combined then transfer to a pipage bag. add some white buttercream to another pipe handbag then identify both in a third fitted with a big round tip. Once you lot have your 2-tone piping bag filled you're set, pipage and stack your layers.

A Christmas tree cake getting assembled and smoothed.

5. Piping the two-toned buttercream onto the first layer, add the 2d layer and repeat then cover the block in white buttercream.

6. Shine out the buttercream on your block using a demote scraper. Catch an angled cake spatula to smooth out the top and edges.

Ice cream cones getting cut in half and applied to a cake.

7. Use a sharp serrated knife to cutting the ice cream cones, you lot'll want some shorter ones for the top and a agglomeration of halved cones of various heights for the side. It's fine to have a rough border only information technology can exist easier to cut them if briefly you dip the cones in water.

eight. Press the halved cones onto the side of the cake, staggering the tall and brusk ones for some visual interest.

Green buttercream piped onto ice cream cones.

9. Employ a number 30 tip to pipe star-shaped dollops onto the surface of the cone beginning at the lesser and working to the height.

10. For the cones on acme of your cake; go ahead and pipe those dollops on before placing them on your block. You can salve the "tippy top dollop" for after they are placed on the top of the cake.

A whiite buttercream cake covered in buttercream Christmas trees

11. When the trees are frosted, adjust them on the top of the block, so go ahead and piping that last dollop at the top of the cone.

12. Final, but not least, sift confectioners' carbohydrate onto the height of the cake and all on those trees and information technology's ready to serve!

If you've tried this Christmas cake recipe then don't forget exit a rating and allow me know how you got on in the comments beneath, I dearest hearing from you!

Christmas Tree Cake

A delicious vanilla Christmas tree cake with creamy, dreamy vanilla buttercream, covered with beautiful Christmas trees that plow this block into a winter wonderland.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40 minutes

Melt Time 35 minutes

Total Fourth dimension 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Calories 330 kcal

For the Block

▢ 1 2/iii cups all purpose flour 213g
▢ ane cup granulated sugar 200g
▢ ane/four tsp baking soda 1g
▢ ane tsp blistering pulverization 3g
▢ one/4 tsp salt 1g, heaping, optional
▢ three/4 cup unsalted butter 176g, room temperature
▢ iii egg whites
▢ 1/2 loving cup sour cream 120g
▢ i tbsp vanilla 15mL
▢ i/two cup whole milk 120mL
▢ 1/2 tsp peppermint excerpt, optional ii.5mL

For the Buttercream

▢ 1.5 lb confectioners sugar 680g
▢ ane lb unsalted butter 454g
▢ 1-2 tbsp heavy whipping cream If needed for consistency
▢ one tsp vanilla excerpt 5mL
▢ 5 drops green food coloring for the trees

For the Associates

▢ 12 ice foam cones

For the cake

Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I employ damp block strips on my pans for more even blistering besides. Preheat oven to 340F.
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate basin, beat the wet ingredients together.
Add the moisture to the dry and mix until combined. Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans. I like to use a kitchen calibration to measure for even layers.
Bake for 30 -35 minutes or until the centers are set and springy.
Let the layers cool in the pans for almost 4 minutes, then dump each layer out onto a cooling rack.

For the Frosting

Foam the butter. Add the sugar and mix on high. Add the vanilla and salt. You lot tin can also add milk a tablespoon at a time to get a smoother consistency if needed.
Divide the buttercream into two batches. For the colored batch, add the green food coloring, mix until combined.

For the Assembly

For the Christmas trees on the side of your block, utilise a serrated knife to cut the ice foam cones into different sizes. Once you accept a variety of desired sizes, carefully cut them in half.
Utilise a number xxx tip to pipage star-shaped dollops onto the surface of the cone beginning at the lesser and working to the top. Place the cones that have been cutting in half on around the side of your cake earlier piping.
When all of your trees have been piped and placed, sift confectioners' sugar onto the top of the cake and it's ready to serve!

If yous're not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for viii-inch pans or triple the recipe for ix-inch pans.
You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour foam if desired, I do it all the time and tin can't really tell the difference.
To become FLAT layers that are moist within and out endeavor using block strips! You tin can buy a set online or brand your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you're interested!
To pipage the ii-tone frosting you make full 1 purse (1/2 manner full) with white frosting, one handbag with dark-green frosting and then put both bags in a third piping bag. No need for a tip, merely snip about an inch off each pocketbook.
I similar to requite a actually skilful dusting of powdered sugar "snow" to the trees for some added realism and depth.
If y'all don't take a #30 tip then try whatever pocket-size to medium star or leaf tip to pipe the tree.