thepioneerwoman
Christmas Sheet Cake
This Christmas sheet cake recipe will be the merriest dessert at the entire holiday potluck! Decorating it is easy with these helpful how-to steps.
👥 12 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 2h 20m⏳ Prep: 1h👤 Sarah Holden📖 thepioneerwoman
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pan
- ●oven
- ●bowl
- ●whisk
- ●spatula
- ●knife
📝 Preparation Steps
1
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 18-by-13-inch half-sheet pan with baking spray.
2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3
In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and eggs and whisk until foamy and lightened in color, 1 to ⏱️ 2 minutes. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, whisking well after each addition. Fold in the sprinkles.
large eggs, at room temperature3
4
Transfer the batter to the prepared sheet pan and bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about ⏱️ 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan, at least ⏱️ 1 hour.
5
For the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to ⏱️ 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add half of the powdered sugar, mixing until combined. Add the milk and mix to incorporate. Add the vanilla and remaining powdered sugar and mix to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about ⏱️ 3 minutes.
6
To decorate: Use an offset spatula or rubber spatula to spread 3 cups of the buttercream in a smooth even layer on the cake. Transfer 1/4 cup of the remaining frosting to a piping bag or zip-top plastic bag and cut off the tip to make a small opening (about ⅛ inch).
7
Add enough green food coloring to the remaining 1 3/4 cups frosting to achieve a deep green shade. To make the frosting a very dark green, you can add a few drops of blue food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag or zip-top plastic bag and cut off the tip to make a slightly larger opening than the other bag (about ¼ inch).
8
Use a ruler and small offset spatula to lightly trace a large triangle on the frosted cake; this will be the body of the tree. Place 3 rows of brown mini candy-coated chocolates centered directly under the triangle to make the trunk (5 chocolates per row). Using the triangle as a guide, use the green buttercream to pipe a row of ¾-inch dots across the bottom of the triangle (right above the trunk). Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to gently drag each frosting dot down and outward, in the shape of a curve; wipe the spatula clean between each swoop. Pipe a second row of dots above the first, keeping within the outline of the triangle. Drag down on each dot, letting it overlap with the first row. Repeat until the entire triangle is filled with rows of green branches.
brown mini candy-coated chocolates (about 1/2 tsp.), such as mini M&M's5
9
Make a border around the cake with the sprinkles. Use the white icing to pipe small dots across the white icing surrounding the tree, to resemble snow.
10
For the tree garland, use the white icing to pipe swooping lines across the tree. Press the mini yellow candy-coated chocolates sideways into the white lines, roughly 1 inch apart, for Christmas lights. Place the mini red candies flat on the tree, for ornaments.
11
To make the bow, cut the sour candy belt in half lengthwise. Fold one strip in a bow shape, and place on top of the tree. Reserve (or eat!) the remaining strip for another use.
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