Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 13 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Scale
*For the cake:*
- 1 box of white cake mix
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups of water
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp of kosher salt
- 1 cup of full-fat sour cream (at room temperature)
*For the filling:*
- 7 oz of marshmallow filling
- ¾ cup of salted butter (at room temperature)
- 2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp of kosher salt
- 2–4 tbsp of heavy cream or milk (at room temperature)
*For the coating:*
- 32 oz of almond bark
- 3 tbsp of Crisco
*For decoration:*
- Green sanding sugar
- Red food dye
Instructions
*For the cake:*
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare 2 half sheet pans (18×13-inch) with parchment paper.
- Mix the boxed cake mix, sugar, water, eggs, vanilla, and oil until combined.
- Add flour, salt, and sour cream, mixing until smooth (2-3 minutes).
- Divide the batter into both pans and bake for 15 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
*For the filling:*
- Beat marshmallow fluff and butter until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 tbsp of heavy cream or milk.
- Mix until smooth, adjusting the consistency with more heavy cream if needed.
- Set aside 1/2 cup of the filling and dye it red.
*For assembly:*
- Cut out 26 trees from the cooled cake using a 3-4 inch cookie cutter.
- Spread filling on half of the trees and top with another tree to create sandwiches.
- Place on a jelly roll sheet pan and freeze for 1 hour.
*For the coating:*
- Melt almond bark in a heatproof bowl, stirring in Crisco until fully melted.
*To decorate:*
- Dip the frozen cakes into the melted chocolate and place them on a rack covered in wax or parchment paper.
- Immediately sprinkle with green sanding sugar.
- Use a piping bag with a small round tip to pipe red lines onto the set cakes.
- Enjoy your festive treats!
