Description
Festive red velvet tree cake brings winter magic to holiday desserts with rich crimson layers and smooth cream cheese frosting. Elegant swirls and delicate decorations invite celebration, promising delightful moments shared around your seasonal table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1.5 cups (360ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese
- 0.5 cup (115g) unsalted butter
- 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Decoration Ingredients:
- Edible silver baubles
- Edible red baubles
- Small edible glitter stars
- White chocolate shavings
- Star-shaped topper
Instructions
- Prepare the oven to 350F (175C) and prepare round cake pans of progressively smaller diameters, greasing and lining each with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, sifting flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together to ensure smooth texture.
- Whisk wet ingredients separately, blending vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, vibrant red food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract until thoroughly incorporated.
- Merge wet and dry mixtures, stirring gently until achieving a uniform, silky batter without overmixing.
- Distribute batter evenly across prepared pans, ensuring consistent layer thickness.
- Bake layers for 20-25 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick that should emerge clean when inserted into cake centers.
- Allow cakes to rest in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks until completely cooled.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting by beating cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth.
- Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, whipping until frosting becomes light and fluffy.
- Blend vanilla extract into frosting for enhanced flavor.
- Assemble cake by positioning largest layer on serving plate, spreading thin frosting layer between each subsequent tier.
- Trim cake edges to create elegant conical tree silhouette.
- Use star-tipped piping bag to create textured frosting swirls around cake’s exterior.
- Embellish with edible decorative elements like sparkly baubles, white chocolate shavings, and glittery stars.
- Crown cake with decorative star-shaped topper for festive presentation.
Notes
- Mastering Cake Layer Precision matters when creating the tree shape, so ensure each cake pan is slightly smaller to achieve a perfect conical silhouette.
- Temperature Control is crucial; let ingredients like eggs and buttermilk reach room temperature for smoother batter and more consistent texture.
- Color Enhancement can be achieved by adding extra cocoa powder or using gel food coloring for deeper red velvet color without altering batter consistency.
- Decoration Alternatives include using crushed candy canes, edible silver pearls, or white chocolate shards for different festive looks that match various holiday themes.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 422
- Sugar: 38 g
- Sodium: 178 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg