This Holiday Bake-Along begins on December 1st and ends on December 24th, 2021. Here’s everything you need to know if you want to participate:

1. Make a mini Christmas tree cake using this tutorial. 
2. Decorate it however you’d like. I’ve posted pictures of a few different ideas below.
3. Post a photo on Instagram and tag @sugarandsparrowco in the image so I can see and share it. 
4. Use the hashtags #SugarAndSparrow and #HolidayBakeAlong so you can see everyone else’s cakes and cheer each other on! 
5. Check my Instagram Stories all throughout December to see your photos featured. I’ll be posting photos of your creations on my blog as well (all with your permission, of course!). 

Since there are countless ways you can decorate these mini Christmas tree cakes, I’m really looking forward to seeing your creativity! Here’s a video showing a few ideas I’ve come up with to inspire you:

Traditional

This is the very first Mini Christmas Tree Cake design I created and it’s so simple to replicate. I piped green buttercream with Wilton Tip 4B to get the leaf texture, then added sprinkles all over. Since it’s the same design from the original Mini Christmas Tree Cake tutorial, you can follow the step by step here to get the look. 

Retro Shag

There’s nothing more fun than a shag Christmas tree, and this design will work in any color you want. You’ll just need Wilton Tip 233 (the grass tip), some fun sprinkles, and you’re good to go. 

Glitzy & White 

No food coloring necessary for this one! You’ll just need some white frosting (here’s the Vanilla Buttercream recipe I use), Wilton Tip 4B, and pretty sprinkles. Make it even more glam with some gold luster dust!

Merry & Bright

This design is so satisfying to create and to look at. It uses Wilton Tip 32 to pipe overlapping vertical lines starting at the bottom of the cake and working your way up.

Snowy Swirls

The best thing about this design is you don’t need any piping tips. You can get this look by swirling a small spatula (or a butter knife!) through the frosting. Add a little powdered sugar “snow” for some Winter wonderland vibes!

I am so excited to see your Mini Christmas Tree Cake designs! Let me know if you have any questions below. And if not.. Ready, set, BAKE.

The post Holiday Bake-Along: Mini Christmas Tree Cakes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

This sprinkle mix by SprinklePop is called Fahoo Fores and the name alone sold me. I’m a huge fan of all things Whoville, and when I saw the actual colors and shapes involved I almost squealed! It features all the Grinchy colors like neon pinks and greens, aquas and reds, plus some teeny tiny (shiny!) gelatin Christmas trees. Perfect for adorning festive holiday cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and whoopies! Ok, I’ll stop with the rhyming because I’m no Dr. Seuss but it was tempting to write this entire post that way. Nerd alert!

It all starts with a 12 x 18 inch sheet cake in whatever flavor you’d like. If you’ve got circular cake cutters to use, all the power to you! I don’t, so I printed out some circular templates on paper and cut out the layers out by hand. Every size you need is specified below. Then, stack those layers, frost them to create a cone-like shape, pipe on the leafy details, and sprinkle away! It’s really that simple. 

You Will Need:

• A baked 12 x 18 inch sheet cake
• Circular cake cutters or printed templates for 7”, 6”, 5”, 4”, 3.5”, 3”, and 2” circles
• 8 inch cardboard cake circle
• 2.5 batches vanilla buttercream (or other light colored buttercream) tinted green
• Angled icing spatula
• Wilton tip 4B
• Piping bags
• 8oz bottle of Fahoo Fores sprinkles (or other favorite Holiday mix)
• ½ inch star made out of gumpaste or fondant

Step 1: Cut Out The Cake Layers

Use circular cake cutters to cut out cake circles that are 7”, 6”, 5”, 4”, 3.5”, 3”, and 2”. If you’re like me and you don’t have all those cake cutters, you can print out circles that are sized to the above dimensions, then use a paring knife to carefully cut those circles out of your sheet cake.

Step 2: Stack The Cake Layers

Put a swipe of buttercream onto your cardboard cake circle and place your largest cake layer on top of it. Frost a thin layer of buttercream filling on top before adding the next largest cake layer.

Repeat stacking the increasingly smaller cake layers until you’ve placed the smallest layer on top.

Step 3: Crumb Coat The Cake

Place the green buttercream into a piping bag and snip off a ½ inch opening. Pipe over the outside of the cake to cover all the gaps.

Next, use your angled icing spatula to smooth over the buttercream and shape it into a cone. When you’re finished shaping the cake, place it into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to let it firm up before moving on to the next step.

Step 4: Pipe The Cake

While the Christmas tree cake is chilling, prepare a piping bag by fitting it with Wilton Tip 4B (or other favorite piping tip for the finish) and pipe to cover the entire cake.

Step 5: Decorate With Sprinkles

This part is the most fun, because just like decorating a real Christmas tree, you can place these Fahoo Fores sprinkles to look like ornaments!

Place all of the larger spherical sprinkles around the tree by hand, then sprinkle the jimmies and gelatin Christmas trees all over it. Top it with a fondant or gumpaste star and marvel at your super easy (yet complicated looking) 3D Christmas tree!

I hope you’re having the happiest Holiday season and baking all the things! If you’re ready to venture out into oddly shaped cakes, this is the perfect project for you. Let me know if you make it by tagging me on Instagram – I love to see what you’re working on!

Disclaimer: this post does contain some affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission if you click them and purchase items I’ve recommended. Using these links won’t cost you any extra money, but they do help to keep Sugar & Sparrow up and running. Thank you for your support!

The post How To Make A Christmas Tree Cake appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.