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Little Debbie Christmas Tree Sheet Cake

Print Recipe
Delicious yellow cake, filled with whipped cream, topped with white chocolate buttercream and festive sprinkles; this cake is my homage to the Little Debbie Christmas Tree Treats - but in sheet cake form!
Servings 12 servings
Author Mandy Merriman - Baking with Blondie

Equipment

  • 9x13 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

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

Instructions

For the Yellow Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prep a 9x13 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 9x13 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!