Christmas Tree Sheet Cake Pops

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Tender vanilla sheet cake is slathered in cream cheese frosting, showered with sprinkles, cut into triangles, and embellished with candy canes to make cute & festive Christmas Tree Sheet Cake Pops!
from fiveathome.com

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Ingredients

  • FOR THE FROSTING:
  • FOR THE CAKE
  • 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream (a heaping half cup should be fine)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar, depending on your desired consistency & sweetness of frosting
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Mini candy canes, crook broken off to leave only straight pieces remaining (approximately 24)
  • Round peppermint candies (approximately 24)
  • Assorted holiday sprinkles

Preparation

Step 1

FOR THE CAKE:
Adjust the rack to the center position of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a rimmed 12x18x1-inch sheet pan with butter (or spray with non-stick cooking spray).
In a large pot, melt butter. Add water and bring to a boil. Remove pot from heat and briskly stir in flour, sugar, and sour cream. Batter should now be cool enough to quickly stir in the eggs without them scrambling. Mix in vanilla, baking soda (make sure there are no lumps!), and salt until all ingredients are well blended.
Pour batter into prepared sheet pan and smooth top. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting.
FOR THE FROSTING:
Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese. Slowly blend in powdered sugar and vanilla, then beat on high until smooth and well-combined.
TO ASSEMBLE:
Once cake is cool, frost with cream cheese frosting and smooth the top. Sprinkle the entire surface with holiday sprinkles before the frosting dries, and lightly press the sprinkles into the frosting if they don't appear to be sticking.
Lay the pan vertically on the counter and cut three evenly spaced vertical lines to create four rows. Then cut six Christmas tree-shaped triangles per row (see photo in above post). Use a thin metal spatula to remove each triangle from the sheet pan and onto a platter.
To decorate, insert a straight piece of mini candy cane into the base of each tree. Press a round peppermint candy into the frosting at the top of the tree to resemble a star. Store refrigerated in a tightly covered container (trees may also be frozen...they won't get hard).

Tips, Tricks, & Variations

Make sure that your butter and cream cheese are completely at room temperature before making your frosting or it will have little lumps. You shouldn't need to sift your powdered sugar. I never do and my frosting always turns out smooth, but if your powdered sugar is especially clumpy, it might not hurt to sift it first.

You may tint your frosting with green food coloring, if you wish.

You will have lots of leftover cake scraps from cutting out the trees. I'm sure you will think of some way to dispose of them... ;)

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen (depending on how big you cut your trees)

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