Description
Celebrate the holidays with this festive Christmas Sheet Cake featuring a moist vanilla cake studded with colorful holiday sprinkles and topped with a rich, creamy buttercream frosting decorated like a Christmas tree. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this fun and easy-to-make cake is sure to impress with its vibrant colors and delightful flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- Nonstick baking spray with flour, for the pan
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup red, green, and white holiday sprinkles
For the Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter (3 sticks), at room temperature
- 1 1/2 lb. powdered sugar (6 cups)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- Forest green gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring (optional)
- 5 brown mini candy-coated chocolates (about 1/2 tsp.), such as mini M&M’s
- 2 Tbsp. red, green, and white holiday sprinkles
- 30 yellow mini candy-coated chocolates (about 2 tsp.), such as mini M&M’s
- 40 red mini candy-coated chocolates (about 2 1/2 tsp.), such as mini M&M’s
- 1 (6-in.) piece red sour candy belt
Instructions
- Prepare the pan: Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Spray an 18-by-13-inch half-sheet pan thoroughly with nonstick baking spray to ensure easy cake release.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until well combined.
- Combine wet ingredients and batter: In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and eggs until the mixture is foamy and lightened in color, which takes about 1 to 2 minutes. Then whisk in the vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, whisking well after each addition for a smooth batter. Finally, fold in the red, green, and white holiday sprinkles gently.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cake surface is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, which takes at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the frosting: Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the salted butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, around 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add half of the powdered sugar, mixing until combined. Mix in the milk, then add vanilla extract and the remaining powdered sugar, mixing each time to incorporate fully. Increase the speed to medium-high again and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 more minutes.
- Begin decorating the cake: Spread about 3 cups of the buttercream evenly over the cooled cake using an offset or rubber spatula. Reserve 1/4 cup of the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a small opening (~1/8 inch).
- Color the frosting: Add forest green gel food coloring to the remaining 1 3/4 cups of frosting to achieve a deep green shade. For a deeper hue, optionally add a few drops of blue food coloring. Transfer this green frosting to another piping bag with a larger tip (about 1/4 inch).
- Pipe the Christmas tree: Using a ruler and small offset spatula, lightly mark a large triangle in the center of the frosted cake to outline the Christmas tree’s shape. Place three rows of brown mini candy-coated chocolates in 5 chocolates per row directly beneath the triangle to form the tree trunk. Pipe a row of 3/4-inch green frosting dots along the bottom edge of the triangle just above the trunk, then use a small offset spatula or butter knife to drag each dot downward and outward in a curved motion, forming branches. Repeat piping additional rows of dots, dragging each down to overlap the prior row, until the triangle is completely filled with green branches.
- Add decorative accents: Make a border around the cake with the red, green, and white sprinkles. Pipe small white frosting dots over the white icing on the tree to mimic falling snow. Then pipe swooping garland lines across the tree using the white icing. Press yellow mini candy-coated chocolates sideways into the garland lines about 1 inch apart to represent Christmas lights. Place red mini candies flat on the tree to simulate ornaments.
- Top with a bow: Cut the red sour candy belt lengthwise in half. Fold one strip into a bow shape and position it on the top of the tree as a festive topper. Save or enjoy the remaining strip separately.
Notes
- The unfrosted cake can be baked, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months for convenience.
- The cake can be frosted up to 3 days ahead and stored at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- For a perfectly centered Christmas tree decoration, position your cake pan with one short side facing you. Measure and lightly outline the triangle for the tree: Place the base 2 ½ inches up from the bottom and 2 ½ inches in from each side, with the top point 2 inches down from the top edge of the pan.
- Ensure eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature to help the batter mix smoothly and achieve the best texture.
- You can customize the colors of the frosting and sprinkles to fit your holiday theme or personal preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 45g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
