Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake
Your favorite Christmas-themed lunchbox treat is now a delicious sheet cake! My NEW Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake is delicious yellow cake, filled with whipped cream, and topped with white chocolate buttercream and festive sprinkles. It tastes even better than the little treats, and I can’t wait for you to try this one!
10 Sheet Cakes for Christmas Series
We’re back again with another fun sheet cake recipe leading up to Christmas. So far we have my now-viral Eggnog Tres Leches Cake with Nutmeg Whipped Cream. With 8 more still on the way, you’re sure to find a sheet cake that will fit your comfort level, as well as taste absolutely mouthwatering for your guests this holiday season. There’s so much already on your plate – lets dive right into my newest creation – Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake.
What is a Little Debbie Christmas Tree?
A Little Debbie Christmas Tree is a small white-chocolate covered and festive decorated yellow cake with whipped cream filling. It’s typically in a tree shape, but I wanted to make this as easy as possible – with a sheet cake shape! No cutting, no wasting any cake, no fuss, no mess – just delicious cake that tastes even better than the real thing (but still paying homage to the treat in the first place).
How to make the yellow sheet cake
This cake is as easy as they come to make! Just stir the ingredients in a bowl together, sift in the cake mix (yep, that’s right! We LOVE doctored cake mixes around here, if you’re new :), and bake the cake to perfection. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Buttermilk – room temperature
- Sour Cream – room temperature
- Eggs – room temperature
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla
- Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
Bake it up in 20-25 minutes until the center is baked through, let it cool completely, then you’re going to slice it in half for that filling. I know, it sounds a little intimidating, but you’ve got this.
How to slice a sheet cake in half for filling
To make the filling happen, we need to slice the cake in half. If you want to skip this step, you can, but you’ll just have to have a layer of whipped cream AND buttercream on top. The Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes have a filling, so I highly recommend making it happen. Just be careful with the sliced cake layer – it’s a thin layer, so you’ll need to use a rectangular flat surface to help transfer it. I used a thin cutting board, but you can use anything similar. Just don’t try to pick it up – the cake layer is very flimsy and we don’t want it to break on you. You could freeze it after slicing. That would help, I would think.
- Flip the cake out onto a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface after cooling.
- Use a CAKE LEVELER to slice the sheet cake in half.
- Carefully slice a thin cutting board between the layer and lift – OR freeze the cake so that handling it becomes less delicate. It’s up to you.
- Place the bottom half of the cake back into the cake pan.
- Add the whipped cream filling.
- Carefully slide the top half of the cake back on top of the whipped cream layer.
That’s it! You’re ready to frost the cake.
How to make the best white chocolate buttercream
This buttercream is always a win! I’ve incorporated the white chocolate into the buttercream by making a quick white chocolate ganache and adding it right into the buttercream. Here’s what you’ll need:
- White chocolate chips
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Powdered Sugar
Make the ganache first by melting together the white chocolate chips and heavy cream in the microwave. Stir until smooth, then let cool slightly while whipping up the butter. Whip up the butter, then add in the salt and vanilla. Add in the powdered sugar and whip up until light and fluffy. Add more heavy cream if needed (you most likely will need it).
How to decorate the Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake
I used “very red” gel coloring from Americolor, Christmas Sprinkles from Wilton, and green sanding sugar to create the same decorated effect from the original treats.
Here’s a video of the process:
Can this cake be made in advance? How to store it? Freeze it?
Yes – when you’re finished decorating it, place it into the freezer uncovered for 10 minutes. When the buttercream is firm, wrap it in plastic wrap 2-3 times and store it in the freeze. When you’re ready to enjoy your cake, pull it out of the freezer over night, then unwrap it carefully 3 minutes before serving it and store it in the fridge until then.
I can’t wait to see you enjoy this cake as much as we have! My neighbors, who got a slice, texted me to tell me how much they enjoyed it, too. If you make my cake, or are inspired by my cake to bake, I’d love to see it! Make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on all the fun. 🙂
Happy Baking!
xo, Mandy
Get the Recipe: Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Classic Yellow Cake
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 3 whole eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 15.25oz Box Yellow Duncan Hines Cake Mix
Whipped Cream Filling
- 4 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
White Chocolate Buttercream
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 sticks (or 1 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, left out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes
- pinch of salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 8-9 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream – if needed to thin
Red Buttercream Border & Decorating Elements
- 1/2 cup green sanding sugar
- 1 cup Wilton Christmas Tree Sprinkles, or any other Holiday Sprinkles
- 2-3 drops red gel coloring
Equipment
- 9×13 sheet pan
- Ateco 325 open star piping tip
- circle piping tip
- cake leveler or serrated knife
- flat thin cutting board or rectangle cardboard
- cake scraper – flat
Instructions
For the Yellow Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prep a 9×13 cake pan with cake goop, baking spray, or shortening + flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, hand-whisk together the ingredients except for the yellow cake mix. Sift the cake mix in, then gently stir to combine. Spread into the prepared baking pan and bake for 22-25 minutes. Let cool completely.
- For slicing the cake in half, flip the cake out onto the counter on a sheet of parchment paper. Use a cake leveler to carefully slice the cake in half. Carefully slide the thin cutting board under the top layer and lift it off. Add the cake layer back into the 9×13 pan. Spread on the whipped cream filling from the next step, then flip or slide the other cake layer onto the filling layer.
For the Whipped Cream Filling
- Chill a metal bowl & whisk in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place them onto the stand mixer, then add in the heavy cream. Starting on low speed and slowly working your way up to high speed over the span of 2-3 minutes, whip up the heavy cream on low for 1 minute, then medium for 1 minute, then high for 1 minute until stiff peaks form. Add in the vanilla, almond, and powdered sugar. Whip up again, then spread out onto the bottom half of the sliced cake. Add the top layer on top using the method described above.
For the White Chocolate Buttercream
- In a small bowl, heat up the heavy cream and white chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, and stir. Repeat for 10 seconds if needed, then stir until smooth. Set aside. Whip up the butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add in the salt and vanilla, then add in the white chocolate mixture (ganache). Whip up again, then add in the powdered sugar. Add in more heavy cream if needed, then turn the speed on high until the buttercream is lighter in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat down with a wooden spoon to remove some of the air bubbles. Frost the cake (reserving about 2 1/2 – 3 cups of the buttercream for the border), using a flat cake scraper.
- Add 2-3 drops of red gel coloring to the remaining buttercream, then pipe (using a small circle tip) a red wavy pattern like you see in these photos and on the trees. Next, fill a piping bag with the large star tip and the remaining red buttercream. Pipe a shell border around the outside of the cake. Sprinkle the green sanding sugar in the middle of the cake, then add on the festive Christmas sprinkles around the outside of the cake. Enjoy!