Christmas Tree Cake … not so perfect!

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Hello cake makers!  Today I am sharing a 3-D Christmas Tree Cake 😉   I can’t show you a picture of it, until I share an explanation …

Have you seen the site Cake Wrecks?  Well, there is a strong possibility that this cake belongs there.  This is what happened … after frosting the cake, there was some frosting leftover … decided to use it up … didn’t realize how unevenly I applied the extra frosting … took photos … still did see what I did … cut the cake and served some … later that night while editing photos … saw my not so handy work!  I swear that I am not blind, nor was I  consuming alcoholic beverages … guess I was paying more attention to getting the photos taken before the light went away, than what the cake looked like!  That’s what happens when I’m in a rush and not wearing my glasses!  There was no fixing it … it was cut and consumed!  I thought about not sharing this cake at all … then decided what the heck … it’s cake … it’s not perfect and I’m not perfect 😉  Do you remember Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree?

Christmas Tree Cake 3-d

Go ahead and laugh if you want … I did!  I am not happy about the appearance of my cake, but I love the tree stump, chocolate nutcracker, Santa and rocking horse 🙂

I made the back side of the cake all white … except for that one red pearl that wasn’t supposed to show in the photo …

Christmas Tree Cake Wreck

So … today is one of those days … I strongly encourage you to do as I say, not as I do!

The concept of creating a 3-d cake was pretty easy …

  • Use a yellow cake mix, add the eggs and oil called for on the box, substitute 1 cup buttermilk for the water … add green food coloring … pour batter into greased and floured glass measuring containers …P1030460 ed
  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Fill a custard cup with 2/3 cups of batter (honestly, I would use a cupcake next time) Bake for 15-20 minutes
  • 1-1/2 cups batter in the 2 cup measuring cup.  Bake about 30 minutes
  • Remaining batter in the 4 cup measuring cup.  Bake about 35 minutes
  • Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes, remove from glass and let cool completely.  Level cakes.Tree cake 3-d
  • You will also need a container of white ready-made icing and large marshmallow (I put it on a pretzel stick to secure it in the cake)
  • Place the largest cake (cut side down) on the plate.Christmas cake 3-d
  • I heated the frosting in the microwave for about 20-25 seconds and spread the icing with the back of a spoon.  Continue building the cake.P1030464 ed
  • Now that I look back at my photos, I can see where the problems started.  I should have used a cupcake (not custard cup)(it would have been a better size) and marshmallow for the top.  What can I say … live and learn 😉  You have the benefit of learning from my mistakes!
  • Decorate your tree with small candies … I used pearls (from SweetWorks).
  • I was very excited about finding this piece of birch tree at Michael’s … it was level, clean and I didn’t have to bug my hubby to cut a piece of wood for me!christmas tree cake on stump
  • I put some double-sided tape on the wood  and placed my finished cake on it.  Please note that it’s not secure … the tape just helped the plate not slide around.Green Tree cake 3-d
  • The hubby and Son #3 convinced me to color the cake green … because they believe all Christmas trees should be green.Christmas Tree Shaped Cake
  • I think the cake looked better after it was cut 😉
  • Last night, I finally got around to reading Sunday’s newspaper and found a nice Christmas Tree Cake in the Parade Magazine by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.  They used an ice cream cone in place of the cupcake and marshmallow … another option!

Thank you to SweetWorks for the pearls and cute christmas chocolates!

So … did you learn from my mistakes?  I’m sure that you can make a great looking tree cake!  If you make one … please email me a photo at sweetsimplestuff@hotmail.com … I will share if it’s OK with you 🙂

I hope you got a good laugh and learned how (or not how) to build a Christmas tree cake.  I ♥ your comments!

 

 

18 thoughts on “Christmas Tree Cake … not so perfect!”

  3. That’s what we love about you. You’re willing to share what went wrong with the creations which didn’t go exactly as planned. If something doesn’t go quite right for you – then we feel better, knowing it can happen to the best of us.

    The bright green batter is so realistic and both the edible white and colored pearls make such pretty decorations. Let me guess – you put white pearls on one side and colored pearls on the other to see which would look best. (??) White pearls for an elegant cake & colored for a more Christmassy look.

    Don’t look at it as a train wreck but more of a learning curve on how to do 3-D cakes. We learned what to do and what not to do right along with you. So – thanks for sharing one of the not so perfect experiments. It’s why you have such a big following.

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  4. It’s always great to see some one able to laugh about a bomb. It’s what makes them great. Plus thanks for the site for a few laughs. MerryChristmas

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  6. :} Good or bad; I still enjoy seeing your creations and this is no exception. You show us what works and what doesn’t work and give suggestions on what can be changed to make better next time around. We all have had our failures. I know I have
    My feelings on the matter; if it tastes good then who cares what it looks like, and from the looks of it; it must have tasted mighty darn good.
    I do like your family’s suggestion on making the tree green
    You know, if we never made mistakes then we wouldn’t be human now would we? We learn by our mistakes.
    Oh, love your birch tree block. Noticed the other day that Home Depot also had some but was in a rush so didn’t bring one home with me but still might go back and get me a couple. Thought they would work well for putting my small artificial trees on them that I display out on our enclosed porch.
    Enjoy your day, have a wonderful weekend and wishing you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.
    ColleenB.
    Texas

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    • Thank you Colleen 😉 I was the only person disappointed in the appearance of the cake … doesn’t look like what I visioned … everyone else just wanted to eat it!

      I love the tree stumps … so many fun uses! I’ll check Home Depot … mine was $10!!! … happy I had a coupon!

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  8. I loved that you shared this cake and it’s story with us. I sometimes take photo’s I don’t love, mostly because the kids are hanging around to eat the treats and once they are gone…. Photo’s sometimes highlight stuff you would never see in real life, plus I think black backgrounds are the hardest. But this cake was made to be eaten and enjoyed and that is no doubt what happened so I think it was a fabulous success 🙂

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