Be the life of the party with a mega-size Christmas Tree Cake!
Nothing gets us excited for Christmas like Little Debbie. You won’t hear any complaints from us about finding their iconic Christmas Tree Cakes on store shelves before Halloween.
The now-iconic Christmas Tree Cakes were born in the mid-80s. While most Little Debbie fans think that Christmas Tree Cakes were a festive twist on the year-round favorite Zebra Cakes, the truth is that tree cakes were on shelves for more than five years before Zebra Cakes were born.
The only thing better than a box of these holiday treats is a giant version of them. So, we went to work to create a large dessert table-worthy version of a Christmas Tree Cake. Using a Sara Lee pound cake, a yummy homemade filling, and a crispy white chocolate shell, this dessert comes together fast and is sure to be a hit at any Christmas party.
In the recipe below we’ve listed specific product brands that we used (there are no affiliate links) as well as substitute options. Watch the video HERE to see how we put this fun and tasty Giant Christmas Tree Cake together. ENJOY!
GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE CAKE
Cook Time: 15 min
Servings: 6
- 1 Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake, family size, at room temperature
- 1/2 salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Crisco shortening, plus 1 tablespoon
- 3/4 cup marshmallow cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups Merckens White Chocolate Wafers (Ghirardelli vanilla melting wafers can be substituted)
- Betty Crocker red cookie icing
- Green sparkling sugar
- Place cake on a cutting board and trim ends and sides to make them square. Carefully level the top of the cake. With the short side of the cake facing you, cut from the top left corner to the bottom right corner to make two triangles. Torte each triangle by cutting it in half horizontally. Place two of the triangles, long sides together, on a cooling rack set on a baking sheet. (See video for demonstration.)
- In a medium bowl, beat together butter and 1/2 cup shortening until smooth. Add marshmallow cream and beat until well incorporated. Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Transfer filling to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, or use a ziploc bag with a corner cut off.
- Pipe filling evenly onto bottom layer of cake. Top with remaining cake layer. Fill seams with remaining filling. Use a pallet knife to smooth out filling on the sides and top. Use a sharp knife to make a “tree trunk.”
- Place cake in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Place melting wafer and 1 tablespoon shortening in a medium microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval until mixture is smooth.
- Pour white chocolate over the chilled cake and smooth over top and sides. Tap pan gently on the countertop to encourage excess to drip off.
- Drizzle with red icing and sprinkle with green sugar. Leave at room temperature until chocolate sets. Trim excess chocolate from bottom edges and transfer cake to a serving platter.