Christmas Tree Layer Cake Recipe

Turn your square cake into these festive little Christmas Tree cakes. Easy to do and will make a decorative dessert.

Ingredients

Sponge cake recipe:
6 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Super Creamy Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup chocolate melting wafers
1/2 cup hot water
3 cups confectioner�s sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup soft butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Green Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons milk (more or less)
2-3 drops green food coloring

To Decorate
Tree trunk, use can use chocolate finger biscuits
Green icing
Red cake candies
confectioners' sugar to dust

Directions

Cake:

Preheat oven to 395F. (Yes, correct temp. just under 400F)

Line two 9x13 inch baking pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with butter.

You will be slicing these cakes to split and make the layers.

Place the egg whites into a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until stiff. Set aside.

In another bowl, use the electric mixer to beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and lighter in color.

Whisk the yolks into the whites.

Using the electric mixer on low to medium speed, mix in the oil, vanilla, milk, flour, and baking powder and mix until totally combined.

Divide the batter in half, pouring half of it into another mixing bowl.

Transfer one bowl of batter to the prepared baking pan.

Level it really well. It may be bubbly and rising.

Place into the preheated oven and bake 10-15 minutes, until springy to the touch.

While the white layer is baking, mix the two teaspoons of cocoa powder into the remaining batter using the electric mixer. Make sure there's no clumps or it's really hard to incorporate. Transfer to the 2nd baking dish and again level really well.

*Note: If you only have one baking pan, then you will have to wait for the white layer to be done and use the pan again.

When the first cake comes out of the oven, place it onto a cooling rack in the pan and place the chocolate layer to bake for 10-15 minutes, until springy to the touch.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Once the cakes cool, peel off the parchment paper.

Using a very sharp serrated knife, first cut the cakes down the middle to make pieces that are 4 1/2 inches x 13 inches.

Next slice the white cake into 2 layers and the chocolate cake into 3 thin layers.

Place the cakes into the freezer for 20 minutes while you make the frosting.

Super Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

In a double boiler, or a pot filled and a bowl melt chocolate. Stir until smooth. Beat together melted chocolate, sugar, and hot water until well incorporated.

Add in egg yolks, butter and vanilla. Continuing beating until frosting has thickened. Chill in the fridge.

Green Icing:

Measure the confectioners' sugar into a bowl.

Stir in the vanilla and starting with only 1 teaspoonful at a time, add the milk and stir in to get the desired consistency for piping. If you make it too runny, you can add in more confectioners' sugar. Stir in the food coloring.

Put into a piping bag. Place into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to stiffen up if it is too runny.

Assembly:

Remove the cake layer from the freezer, and working on a clean cutting board, spread a very thin layer the frosting between the chocolate and white layers to stick the cakes together.

Use a very sharp knife to cut the rectangular cake in a

zig-zag pattern to form the Christmas trees.

Place the chocolate finger biscuit between the layers to form the trunk of the tree, nudging it in enough to stay in place and press the tree lightly down with your fingertips.

Place each tree onto a flat surface lined with parchment paper. A cookie sheet works fine, lining them up for decorating.

Pipe the green frosting in a zig-zag pattern for the tree and garnish with the little red cake candy. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar.

Keep in a covered container in the refrigerator.