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Yo's Christmas Tree Cake!

YO Christmas Tree! YO Christmas Tree! Your layers are so delicious!

Want to watch me make this cake in an EXCLUSIVE video? Grab my 2016 Holiday Baking Hacks eBook. You'll find a link to the video in the book!

Time for some real talk. You know what I love about Christmas trees? They look good no matter how you decorate them! I’m the kind of girl who tries to perfectly space my ornaments, and will adjust my topper 153 times until it is straight. But I must admit, I often find myself with tree envy. I see trees with mismatched baubles, vintage ornaments, and macaroni garlands and I think to myself- that looks great!

Have fun with this Christmas Tree Cake. Be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. But don’t stress. This Christmas Tree is not going in a department store window- it’s going into your stomach! Get the whole family involved, and let loose as you decorate YO Christmas Tree.

Note: If you wish to make a gum paste star for your cake, skip to Step 10 and complete the day prior to allow time to set.

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4lb portion of Yo’s Ultimate Chocolate Cake
4lb portion of Yo’s Ultimate Vanilla Cake
Wilton Christmas Red Icing Color
Desired Holiday Buttercream (I used Candy Cane)
Two batches of Yo’s Vanilla Frosting
Simple Syrup
Wilton Kelly Green Icing Color
Holiday toppings of your choice
½ oz Gum paste
Wilton Golden Yellow Icing Color
Vegetable Shortening
Gold Luster Dust

Item Name:	Availability:
Simple Syrup Squeeze Bottle	Add to Cart -
StayBowlizer (for frosting)	Add to Cart -
Two 9 x 13" pans, lined with parchment paper
Electric Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Sift
Rubber Spatula
Serrated Knife/ Ruler For Levelling
7" Round Cake Pan
6" Round Cutter
5" Round Cake Pan
4 1/2" Round Cutter
From Ateco Circle Cutter Set" 3 3/4", 3 1/4", 2 3/4", 2 1/4", 1 1/2"	Add to Cart -
Small Offset Spatula	Add to Cart -
Piping Bag
# 807 Round Piping Tip
Small Rolling Pin
Nonstick Board
3" Star Cutter

Mixing Your Batters

Preheat your oven to 350º, and prepare your chocolate and vanilla cake batters. Add your Wilton Christmas Red Icing Color into your vanilla cake batter at the end until you reach a bright Christmas red.

Baking Your Cakes

Pour your batters into your prepared 9 x 13” pans, and bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow both to cool completely in their pans.

Prepare Frostings & Simple Syrup

While your cakes are cooling, prepare your holiday buttercream, and vanilla frosting. Once your vanilla frosting is complete, begin to mix in green icing colour until you reach a Christmas tree green. I used about 1 tablespoon. Prepare simple syrup and set aside.

Cutting Cake Rounds

Once cakes are completely cooled, remove from pans. Use the cake pans and circle cutters to remove cake rounds that get consecutively smaller. Alternatively you can make yourself circle templates.

Simple Syrup Cakes

Lay out all of your cake rounds and give them a simple syrup shower. Allow simple syrup to fully soak into the cakes.

Building Your Tree

Alternating cake colours, begin to build your cake up. Start with your largest cake rounds, and work all the way to your smallest rings. Fill each layer with holiday buttercream as you go. Chill for 20 minutes, until the buttercream is firm.

Piping your Frosting

Fill your piping bag fitted with the #807 Round Piping Tip halfway with the green frosting. Beginning at the bottom, pipe rings all the way around the cake and continue to do so u ntil you reach the top.

Creating Texture

Use your small offset spatula to swirl the icing and create texture all the way around the tree from the bottom to the top. Ice the top of the cake into a point. Remember - no magazine cover trees here, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself!

Let Your Tree Chill

Chill your cake for 15 minutes, so that the frosting will set just slightly, making the perfect surface for your decorations.

Trim Your Christmas Tree Cake

Decorate your tree with whatever Christmas candies and chocolates you desire, using the still wet vanilla frosting as glue. I used red, greens, and gold and silver, but let your Christmas spirit be your guide. This is YO tree!

Place a Star On Top

One day in advance, roll out a thin piece of gum paste dyed yellow using a small rolling pin and nonstick board. Use your star cutter to cut out a star, and set it aside to dry. Once set, brush with a thin layer of vegetable shortening, and then with gold lustre dust. Gently press into the top of your Christmas Tree Cake once complete!