Charlie Brown Christmas Designed Sponge Cake

It’s no secret at this point that I clearly love Snoopy and the whole Peanuts gang so it’s no surprise that I’m here with another version of this recipe. My favorite part about this recipe is that it is totally customizable to make whatever design you want. If you are trying this recipe out for the first time for a Christmas party or event, I recommend giving this recipe a try beforehand for practice.

How To Make A Charlie Brown Christmas Designed Sponge Cake

Prepare the Design:
Cut parchment paper to fit your pan perfectly and use an edible marker to trace your desired Charlie Brown Christmas design. I am using an 8″ circle pan.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the pan with cooking spray and line it with the designed parchment paper.
Make the Batter:
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and the egg yolks in an even larger bowl.
Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
Sift the flour and cornstarch into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until smooth.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and vinegar, whisking until stiff peaks form.
Combine and Color:
Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until just combined.
Divide the batter into small bowls and dye each portion with gel food coloring to create the colors needed for your design.
Pipe the design onto the prepared parchment paper and freeze for 5-8 minutes to set.
Bake:
Pour the remaining batter over the frozen design and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Flip the cake onto parchment paper immediately after baking and peel off the parchment to reveal the design. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Prepare the Filling:
Whip the cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Layer the cooled cakes with the whipped cream, adding fresh fruit or jam if desired.

How to Store a Christmas Designed Sponge Cake

Refrigeration: Store the cake in an airtight container or sealed tightly in the plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Ensure the whipped cream filling is well-covered to prevent it from drying out.
Freezing: You can freeze the sponge cake layers (without filling) for up to a month. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag.

Recipe Tips

Use Room Temperature Ingredients: This ensures better incorporation and a smoother batter.
Do Not Over-Mix: Over-mixing the batter can deflate the egg whites, resulting in a dense cake.
Grease and Line the Pan Well: This prevents the cake from sticking and helps in maintaining the design.

Filling Alternatives

Chocolate Ganache: Rich and decadent, perfect for chocolate lovers.
Cream Cheese Frosting: Adds a tangy sweetness.
Fruit Preserves: Adds a fruity burst of flavor.
Custard: A creamy, smooth alternative.

How to Whip Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks

Use a Clean Bowl: Ensure your bowl and whisk are free from grease.
Start Slow: Begin whisking the egg whites on low speed until they become frothy.
Gradually Add Sugar: Slowly add the sugar as you increase the speed to medium-high.
Whisk Until Stiff Peaks Form: The egg whites should stand up straight when the whisk is lifted, indicating they are ready.

Tools I Use:

• Piping Bags
• Food Dye
• White Food Dye
• Parchment Paper
• Edible Markers
• 8″ Round Pans
• 1/4 cookie sheet
• 1/2 cookie sheet
• Offset spatula
• Electric Handheld Mixer
• Stand Mixer

Charlie Brown Christmas Designed Sponge Cake

Recipe by Maddison Koutrouba – thesqueakymixer.com

4.6 from 38 votes

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Servings

10-12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on.

Ingredients

• 12 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup sugar (for yolk batter)

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 4 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 1 tsp. white vinegar

• 12 egg whites

• 1/2 cup sugar (for egg whites)

• gel food dye (not liquid)

• Whipped Cream Filling

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 5 Tbsp. confectioners sugar

• dash salt

• 2 tsp. vanilla

• fresh fruit, optional

Directions

• Cut your parchment paper to fit your pan perfectly then use an edible marker to trace your desired design onto parchment paper. I am using an 8″ circle pan.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease your pan with cooking spray and line it with the designed parchment paper. This makes three layers of sponge cake. You can also just use a standard-size cookie sheet, note that using a standard-size cookie sheet will only make two layers instead of three.
• Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. We are using every part of the egg in this recipe so hang onto both. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and the egg yolks into an even larger bowl. Set the egg whites aside, we will need them later.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
• Sift the flour and cornstarch into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk until the batter is nice and smooth. The batter will be thick. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites from earlier until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and vinegar to the egg whites.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. This is very important. Stiff peaks should be able to stand up straight when the whisk is lifted.
• Add the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. Gently fold in the egg whites. Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Over mixing will deflate the egg whites and make the batter, thin and runny. Mix until the egg whites are just evenly distributed and the batter has few streaks.
• Use small bowls to dye each color that you will need to make your design. Scoop a bit of the batter at a time into these small bowls to make every color you need. Place each color into a piping bag.
• Pipe the design with your desired colors. Do your best to trace the design that you created earlier, with your piping bag.
• Once you have the design finished, freeze it for 5-8 minutes so it sets and is nice and firm.
• Pipe the original, uncolored batter on top of the frozen design.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
• As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, flip the pan onto parchment paper. The design will be facing up. While the cake is still hot, peel off the parchment paper to reveal the beautiful design. Bake the remaining batter on the same-size pan fit with un-designed parchment paper. The other layers do not need designs since they will be hidden in the layers. They will bake the same way. Let the cakes cool before assembling.
• To make the Whipped Cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment, whisk the cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks have formed and you have reached a whipped cream consistency.
• Once the cakes have cooled, layer the cakes with evenly spread whipped cream between each layer, adding fresh fruit is optional. Use the designed sheet cake as the top layer.
• Feel free to trim the sides to clean it up a bit if you wish to give the cake a more complete look.
• Enjoy!

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