Christmas Cake Trees

By kmad

What fun! Chocolate cakes that looks just like a Christmas tree. Make sure to be patient for baking times and test with a tester, it should come out clean, otherwise you’ll end up with mushy trees!

Ingredients

• Your favorite chocolate cake mix
• Ingredients called for on the cake mix box
• Papercones
• Frosting
• Decorations
• Mini Cupcake holders

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 90mins

Preparation

Step 1

Whip out your favorite chocolate cake recipe and prepare the batter as directed on the box.

Fill the paper cones 3/4 of the way to the top with the batter. Place the mugs onto a baking sheet to easily pull the cake out of the oven, and also prevent overflow should the batter bubble over the edge. Save part of the batter and use that to fill in an equal number of mini cupcake tins. These will become the stumps later on. Bake the stumps and the trees separately.

Let the cake pieces cool, then trim the uneven edges off both the cones and stumps. Now you’re ready to prepare whichever vanilla frosting you’re most fond of. Add in about a teaspoon of peppermint extract, and a few drops of natural green food coloring. Beat it all until fluffy and smooth, and smear a dollop on top of each stump. Carefully tear the paper cone away from the cake, and stick that on top of the stump. If you’re having some trouble getting it to stand up straight without falling, or plan on having your kids help decorate and will need some reinforcements, stick a thin wooden dowel through the whole thing, and then firmly plant the end of it into a styrofoam block.

Transfer the remaining frosting into a pipping bag fitted with a large star tip, and simply press the tip to the side of the cake, starting at the bottom, give it a little pressure, and pull straight away. Go around the cake, working your way up, until you reach the top. Once the trees are covered with pine needles, it’s time to pull out the sprinkles, dragees, and quins, and just have fun with it!

Baking time will vary, but bear in mind that it will take longer than your average cupcake, and you’ll need to use a long skewer to test all the way down into the tip of the cone. Be patient and wait until your tester comes out completely clean, otherwise you’ll end up with mushy trees!