Festive Chocolate Christmas Tree Cake
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 cups vanilla buttercream frosting
- Green food coloring
- Assorted holiday sprinkles and star-shaped candies
- 12 pretzel sticks (for the trunks)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan thoroughly and line the bottom with parchment paper to ensure the cake releases easily without breaking.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk them together until the color is uniform and there are no lumps.
- Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the mixture for about two minutes until smooth and well combined.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and carefully pour in the boiling water. Stir by hand or on low until the water is fully incorporated. The batter will be very thin, but this is exactly how it should be for a moist crumb.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before attempting to cut it.
- Remove the cake from the pan. Cut the cake into three long strips. Then, cut each strip into triangles by cutting in a zig-zag pattern. You should end up with roughly 12 to 14 triangles.
- Tint your buttercream frosting with green food coloring. Use a piping bag with a small star tip to create “branches” by piping zig-zags across each cake triangle. Add a pretzel stick to the bottom of each triangle for the trunk.
- Place a star candy at the top of each tree and decorate with colorful sprinkles to represent ornaments. Let the frosting set for a few minutes before serving.