Description

This festive Christmas Tree Cake features beautifully marbled green spice cake layers stacked and shaped into a charming Christmas tree. The cake is richly flavored with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla, and is generously frosted with a smooth, colorful buttercream. Perfect for holiday celebrations, this cake combines moist, spiced layers with creamy buttercream rosettes and decorative frosting dollops in red, yellow, and white to resemble ornaments and tree lights.

Ingredients

Scale

Spice Cake Layers

3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar (300g)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (10g)
1 tsp fine salt (6g)
2 tsp ground cinnamon (6g)
1 tsp ground ginger (3g)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (2g)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
4 large eggs, room temperature (224g)
1 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature (255g)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (90g)
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil (105g)
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (4g)
Green gel food coloring, as needed

Buttercream Frosting

3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (678g)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (12g)
1 tsp fine salt (3g)
10 cups powdered sugar (1250g)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (120g)
Green, yellow, and red gel food coloring, as needed

Recommended Tools and Equipment

Serrated Knife
Spinning cake stand
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
8-inch greaseproof cake board
Small offset spatula
Thick bubble tea straw or wooden dowel
2 Large piping bags
3 Small piping bags
1 Open star piping tip (Wilton 1M)
1 Large French piping tip (Wilton 6B)
2 Small round piping tips (Wilton 10)
1 Small French piping tip

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Instructions

Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line one 8″, one 7″, two 6″, and two 4″ cake pans with parchment paper rounds and grease them with non-stick baking spray.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, thoroughly combine 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.
Add Butter: Slowly mix 1/2 cup unsalted butter into the dry ingredients on low speed until no large butter chunks remain and the mixture appears crumbly.
Add Eggs: Incorporate 4 large eggs on low speed, two at a time, mixing just until combined.
Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tsp vanilla extract on low speed until just combined.
Blend Batter: Scrape down bowl sides with a rubber spatula and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute to fully incorporate and smooth the batter.
Color and Marble Batter: Divide the batter into two portions; tint one half light green and the other darker green using gel food coloring. Add spoonfuls of both colors alternately into prepared pans about 1-inch high, then use a butter knife or offset spatula to swirl together for a marbled effect.
Bake Cake Layers: Bake layers for 28-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around edges and invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
Level and Shape Layers: Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the cooled cake layers. Stack and trim layers into the tapered shape of a Christmas tree.
Make Buttercream Frosting: Beat 3 cups unsalted butter on medium speed for 30 seconds until smooth. Mix in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp salt. Gradually add 10 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 cup heavy cream on low speed. Adjust consistency by adding more cream or powdered sugar as needed, but wait to color the frosting until after assembling.
Assemble Cake: On a greaseproof cake board or flat plate, place the largest cake layer and secure with a dab of frosting. Spread an even layer of buttercream atop each layer as you stack from largest to smallest, forming the Christmas tree shape. Insert a wooden dowel or thick straw through the center to stabilize the stack.
Crumb Coat and Chill: Apply a thin coat of frosting over the entire cake, smoothing with an offset spatula or bench scraper. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 10 minutes until firm to the touch.
Color Buttercream: Divide remaining buttercream into portions. Tint 1/2 cup white frosting for a small round piping tip bag, 1/2 cup red frosting for small French tip bag, 1/2 cup yellow frosting for small round tip bag, half of the remaining frosting light green and the other half dark green for large piping bags with open star tips.
Decorate: Pipe green rosettes around the cake, then add dollops of red, yellow, and white frosting to mimic ornaments and holiday lights, completing the Christmas tree look.

Notes

This recipe can be made using either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer with a whisk attachment.
Making the cake layers in advance and freezing them breaks up the process and makes assembly easier; thaw frozen layers about 20 minutes before assembling.
Buttercream frosting can be made ahead and stored airtight in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 1 month; stir well after thawing for smooth consistency.
The assembled frosted cake keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month with moisture locked in by the buttercream.
Leftover frosting can be used to cover cut sections of the cake to maintain moisture; store any leftover cake tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (approximately 1/24th of cake)
Calories: 420
Sugar: 36g
Sodium: 180mg
Fat: 26g
Saturated Fat: 15g
Unsaturated Fat: 9g
Trans Fat: 0.5g
Carbohydrates: 48g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 4g
Cholesterol: 80mg