Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two 1/4 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with non stick spray. If you don’t have 1/4 cookie sheet pans, use one standard 1/2 sheet pan.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate, larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Mix for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture has lightened in color and is fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time mixing between each addition. Add in the vanilla.
• Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients alternate adding in the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mixing a little bit between each addition.
• Do not over mix the batter, use a silicone spatula to ensure that everything is combined nice and evenly.
• Evenly distribute the batter in the cookie sheets then use an offset spatula to spread the batter around evenly.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cake is not jiggly and is just golden brown along the edges of the pan.
• Let the cake sit in the pans for about 5 minutes before flipping them out onto parchment paper. Once you’ve flipped the cakes onto parchment paper, allow them to cool at room temperature and set aside. If you used one 1/2 cookie sheet, cut it in half the short way so you have two equal halves. Let the cakes cool and make the filling in the meantime.
• To make the filling, use an electric mixer or a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment to whisk together the butter and fluff. Mix until there are no lumps of butter. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.
• Slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar until everything is nice and evenly combined and there are no lumps. Add in the vanilla.
• Place one half of the cake onto a cookie sheet fit with parchment paper. This will help us move the cake to the freezer later. Scoop the filling onto one half of the cake then use an offset spatula to spread the frosting out evenly. Top the frosted half of the cake with the other half of the cooled cake. The layers should go; cake, frosting, cake.
• Transfer this to the freezer and allow to chill for at least one hour.
• After the cake has chilled for at least one hour, use a tree cookie cutter to cut out as many trees as you can. You should have around 8 trees.
• Place the trees back onto the cookie sheet fit with parchment paper and allow to chill in the freezer again for at least 2 hours. This step ensures that the cakes won’t fall apart when we coat them later on. Use the scraps as snacks OR combine with a mixer to make the perfect cake pop mixture.
• Once the cakes have chilled for enough time, combine the confectioner’s sugar, water and red food dye to prepare the red glaze drizzle. Once this is smooth and the perfect shade of red, place this into a piping bag. Set aside.
• Melt the white candy melts and coconut oil in 30 second intervals mixing between each interval until completely melted and smooth.
• One at a time, using two forks, gently drop each tree into the candy melts and coat evenly. Allow the excess candy melts to drip off of the trees then place onto a cookie sheet fit with parchment paper. Allow the candy melts to set on the trees for about 30-45 seconds then sprinkle of the green sprinkles. Once the candy melts set, the green sprinkles won’t stick.
• Use the red icing to pipe the nostalgic lines of red on top of each christmas tree.
• Enjoy!
• Storing Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
• These cakes should be stored sealed in the fridge and can last up to one week. They can also be stored, sealed in the freezer for up to 2 months.