The traditional Christmas desserts – panettone, pandoro, pampepato, nougat, Christmas log – are a must on our table, but they are often laborious and not suitable for everyone. If you are looking for an easy Christmas cake that you can prepare in a short time, the quick Christmas Tree Cake is just what you need. A simple batter, similar to the classic sponge cake, baked in a Christmas tree-shaped mold and decorated with whipped cream for a snow effect and colored candy sprinkles like smarties to simulate colorful balls.
To make the Christmas tree cake even more realistic, you can color the batter with a little green liquid or gel coloring, or with matcha tea powder if you don’t want to use dyes; the trunk part, on the other hand, can be spread with some Nutella. The Christmas tree cake batter can be made with your preferred recipe, even a simple sponge cake. I preferred a richer batter and used the recipe for hot milk cake, flavoring it with a little orange zest. If you want, the Christmas Tree Cake can also be filled with custard or jam before decorating. Have your children help you decorate the Christmas tree cake, it will be a fun moment to spend together during the holidays!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: International
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients for the Quick Christmas Tree Cake
To prepare the gluten-free Christmas tree cake, I replaced all-purpose flour with the same amount of superfine rice flour. If you are celiac, remember that the following ingredients must have the “gluten-free” label: rice flour, potato starch, baking powder, food coloring, Nutella, colored chocolate candies.
- 3 eggs (medium at room temperature)
- 180 g sugar
- 1/2 cup ml milk
- 1 1/3 cups g all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup g potato starch
- 1/4 cup g butter
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1/2 orange (untreated, only grated zest)
- 2 drops food coloring (green gel, or 2 tablespoons of the liquid one)
- 1/3 cup g fresh liquid cream (unsweetened)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Nutella®
- to taste colored candies
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- Electric whisks
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Mold Christmas tree-shaped 10×12.5 inches approximately
- 1 Fork
- 1 Piping bag disposable
- 1 Star nozzle
How to prepare the quick Christmas tree-shaped cake
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the quick Christmas tree cake, start by keeping the eggs at room temperature for about half an hour. This step is very important, as cold eggs have difficulty whipping properly. Crack them into a bowl along with the sugar and grated orange zest (1).
Beat them with the electric whisks for 6-7 minutes, until the mixture is puffy and foamy (2). Meanwhile, pour the milk into a small pot and add the butter, then put it on low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm (3). Be careful: the milk must not boil, as soon as it is warm turn off the heat.
Sift the flour with the baking powder into the egg bowl (4) and continue mixing with the whisks to incorporate them into the mixture. While mixing, gradually add the milk and butter mixture (5).
Continue mixing and also add the green coloring (6). If you use liquid dyes, approximately two tablespoons will be needed for a light green; if you use gel dyes, a few drops will suffice. Alternatively, you can use 2 heaped teaspoons of matcha tea, which acts as a natural coloring giving the batter a sage green color.
In the end, the batter will be smooth and quite liquid (7). Pour it into the Christmas tree-shaped mold, trying to distribute it well in all parts (8). If, like me, you use a paper mold, or a silicone one, there is no need to butter it. If you use a different mold, you will need to butter it well and flour it to then unmold it without problems.
Bake the Christmas tree-shaped cake in a preheated oven at 350°F (static) for 30-35 minutes, performing the toothpick test at the end of cooking to ensure it’s done. Remove from the oven and let it cool (9).
When it is completely cool, gently unmold it and place it on a plate upside down, so that the darker upper part remains facing down. With a knife, carefully remove the thin surface layer to reveal the greener part at the center of the cake (10).
The trunk and branches can also be left as they are, as they will be covered (11). Spread a layer of Nutella on the final part of the trunk and use the prongs of a fork to create small veins simulating wood (12).
Whip the cream with the sugar very well and place it in a piping bag with star nozzle. Following the profile of the Christmas tree cake, form many small cream tufts, simulating snow (13).
In the center of the cake, form other small piles and do the same on the tip (14). Place the colored candies on some of the cream tufts, so they stick. You can follow your imagination, I placed 3 yellow candies on the tip, simulating the tree topper, and others of different colors on the branch tips and in the center (15).
Your Christmas tree-shaped cake is ready, you can serve it immediately or store it in the fridge. It is great for breakfast or a snack.
Storage
If you want to prepare the Christmas tree cake in advance, you can bake the base the day before. The cream decoration can be done a few hours in advance, then place the cake in the refrigerator. I advise setting the colored candies on the Christmas tree cake only at the last moment, as the dye that covers them tends to dissolve with the moisture of the cream and the fridge itself, inevitably staining the cream decoration.
Tips and Variations
If you want to serve it after a meal, perhaps on Christmas Day, this quick Christmas tree-shaped cake can be cut in half and filled as you like. Here are some ideas: orange custard, whipped chocolate ganache, coconut cream, mascarpone cream, milk cream, diplomatic cream.
