Description
Delight in the festive spirit with these Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes, featuring a moist yellow cake filled with fluffy marshmallow cream, coated in smooth white almond bark, and decorated with festive green sanding sugar and red candy melts for a perfect holiday treat.
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, 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
- Prepare the Cake Batter: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 16×12 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it with nonstick spray. Secure the parchment with binder clips to keep it in place. In a large bowl, whisk together the yellow cake mix, whole eggs, egg yolk, milk, and melted butter until smooth.
- Bake the Cake: Evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan using an angled spatula. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let the cake cool completely.
- Make the Filling: In a medium bowl, combine marshmallow fluff, room temperature butter, and powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until smooth and incorporated. Add milk and whip on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Assemble the Cake Layers: Once the cake is cooled, cut it in half horizontally. Spread the marshmallow filling evenly on one half and cover with the other half. For easier cutting, freeze the filled cake for 30 minutes if needed.
- Cut Out the Trees: Using a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter, carefully cut trees out of the filled cake layers. Place the trees on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.
- Melt the Almond Bark: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white almond bark in 30-second intervals, stirring after each until smooth and fully melted.
- Coat the Trees: Dip each cake tree into the melted almond bark, tap off excess, and place on a parchment-lined tray. Immediately sprinkle the tops with green sanding sugar to stick. Repeat with all trees.
- Decorate with Candy Melts: Melt the red candy melts in 30-second intervals in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring until smooth. If too thick, add ¼ teaspoon melted shortening or coconut oil to thin. Transfer the melted candy to a sandwich bag, cut a small hole in a corner, and pipe red wavy stripes onto the coated trees.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge.
- Using a canned frosting can save time when making the filling.
- Yield depends on the size of your Christmas tree cookie cutter; smaller cutters yield more trees.
- Freezing the filled cake before cutting helps create clean, precise shapes.
- You can substitute almond bark with white chocolate chips, but temper carefully to avoid blooming.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
