Christmas Tree Cake With Mini Trees Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 4-cup and a 2-cup oven-proof measuring cup. Place paper baking cup in each of 7 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make cake mix as directed on box using water, oil and eggs. Add almond extract and enough green food color to make light green batter; blend well. Fill 4-cup measuring cup with 2 cups batter. Fill 2-cup measuring cup with 1 cup batter. Divide remaining batter into muffin cups.
• Bake cupcakes 20 to 25 minutes, 2-cup measuring cup 30 to 35 minutes and 4-cup measuring cup 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pan and cakes from measuring cups to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Mix in 3/4 cup milk, vanilla and enough green food color to make desired green colored frosting. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time.
• Assemble and Decorate: Using serrated knife cut rounded tops off cakes baked in measuring cups to make a level surface. Place large cake, wider end down, on cake plate. Spread 1/4 cup frosting on top. Put small cake on top of large cake, wider end down. Spread 2 tablespoons frosting on top. Remove paper liner from 1 cupcake. Trim off rounded top of cupcake to flatten. Place cut side down on top of small cake. Spread 1 tablespoon frosting on top. Insert skewer through center of all cakes to secure tree. Break off pieces of one waffle cone to make top of cone even. Place cone, top side down, to form top of tree.
• Place frosting in resealable food storage bag or decorating bag. Cut 1/2 inch off corner of bag for tip of decorating bag. Starting at the base of the tree, pipe about a 1 inch dot of frosting. Use back of teaspoon, spread frosting vertically upward. Continue piping dots and spreading frosting around base of tree. Pipe another row of dots overlapping dots from previous row; spread vertically upward. Continue making and spreading dots to tip of cone. Place dot of frosting in tip of cone. Decorate tree with candy coated chocolate balls.
• To assemble and frost 6 mini trees, remove paper liners from remaining 6 cupcakes. If necessary, trim off rounded tops to flatten. Place cut side down on doilies or small individual plates. Break off pieces of 6 waffle cones to make tops of cones even. Place top side down to cover cupcakes, using frosting to secure cones on cupcakes. Using frosting in bag, pipe 1-inch dots around base of tree and use to teaspoon to spread frosting vertically. Continue making rows of dots and spreading them vertically upward to top of cone. Place dot of frosting on tip of cone. Repeat for remaining trees. Decorate trees with candy-coated chocolate balls.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 1-inch holes out of the bottom of a large inverted foil roasting pan in neat rows, leaving 1 to 2 inches in between the holes. Invert the pan and place paper cooler cups in the holes to hold them upright during baking.
• Sift together the 3 cups sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Transfer to a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer) and blend briefly. Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add the hot water, mixing at low speed just until combined. The batter will be quite thin.
• Pour the batter into the cups. Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay) and the center feels firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan. Chill for 2 hours then peel off the paper being careful not to tear off the tip of the peak.
• Place cakes on a rack over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and with a fork drizzle both colors of chocolate then stick on M & M's and silver dragee to look like ornaments on a little Xmas tree.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make and bake cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
• Using serrated knife, cut rounded top off cake to level surface; place cut side down. From the middle of one short side, make a diagonal cut to each corner on opposite side, making 3 triangular pieces. (See diagram below in Expert Tips.) Make tree shape by arranging 2 outer pieces with straight 13-inch sides together on foil-covered tray; frost top. Place remaining center piece on top.
• Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting. Frost entire cake with remaining frosting. Press candy cane pieces in end of tree to make trunk. Sprinkle with colored sugar to look like boughs. Arrange gumdrops on cake to look like lights or ornaments. Store loosely covered.