Homemade Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
If you grew up loving Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes, this homemade version is about to make your whole holiday season! They taste just like the classic cakes made with soft yellow cake mix, fluffy frosting filling, and that signature thin layer of white chocolate coating, only made with better ingredients. It’s easy, fast, and way more delicious than the grocery store boxed version. And yes, they’re still just as adorable lined up like little Christmas trees on your counter! You can also make them gluten free with your favorite gluten free cake mix!
Ingredients
For the Cake Layer
- 15 ounce package vanilla cake mix gluten free if needed
- 2-3 large eggs room temperature, will vary depending on your cake mix requirements
- 6 tablespoons butter can sub dairy free butter or oil depending on your cake mix requirements
- ⅓ cup milk or water depending on your cake mix requirements
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- ½ cup butter or dairy free butter
- ¾ cup powdered sugar can sub powdered monk fruit
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons milk of choice
For the Chocolate Coating
- 1 ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8 cake pan.
- Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Pour into the pan & bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
- Make the Christmas tree shapes. Slice the cake horizontally through the middle to create two thin layers. Using a Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out 12 trees. Place cutouts on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze again while you make the frosting. If you're using store bought frosting, you can skip right to step 5.
- Make the frosting. In a bowl, mix frosting ingredients with a hand mixer. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time if it is too thick. Too thin, add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Assemble tree cakes. Remove trees from freezer, frost one side, and sandwich to make 6 total cakes. Freeze again.
- Make the chocolate coating. Melt white chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave in 10-second increments until smooth.
- Coat the trees. Drop each tree into the melted chocolate and coat using two forks. Place back on parchment lined baking sheets and immediately add sprinkles. Let set.
Notes
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Freeze between steps. This keeps everything firm so the coating doesn’t slide off.
- Use a small cookie cutter. A medium cutter yields 8-12 cakes; a large one will give fewer but thicker cakes.
- Coating too thick? Thin with ½ teaspoon coconut oil at a time.
- Enhance flavor Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the frosting for that nostalgic bakery taste.
- Swap the cake mix and frosting for chocolate and make chocolate christmas tree cakes.
- Add food coloring to the white chocolate to make green Christmas trees!
- Use store bought frosting if you do not want to make your own at home.
How to Store Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
Store the cakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them individually wrapped for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy one, thaw it in the fridge for the best texture. Tried this recipe?Mention @prettydeliciouslife or tag #PDLrecipes!