Vertical Christmas Tree Cake

Every year, my work holds a holiday bake-off. It takes place in conjunction with the holiday party for the Superintendent. This year I decided to make a vertical layer cake. Manda of I Am Baker has a wonderful tutorial on how to put this together. She also made a beautiful ruffle cake last year, which I freely riffed on for decorating the outside of my cake.


I did make one adjustment to the instructions. Instead of pouring the simple sugar over the cake, I put a thin layer of frosting between the layers. Because of this, the seams didn't quite meet once I reassembled the cake. No worries, it just meant that someone got an extra helping of frosting.


Unfortunately, I didn't win the bake-off. For the past few years the winning entry has been accompanied by a festive display. Maybe I should think more about the presentation of my dessert for next year. The cake got scarfed up before I could take a picture of the inside. So, I made a second cake for photography purposes. I used a different cake recipe, one that wasn't quite as sturdy as the first. But the inside looked like a (much) neater version of this:


I'm including my recipe for whipped buttercream. I use this for cakes that need a LOT of frosting. The bonus of this recipe is that the frosting doesn't need to be refrigerated, if using the version with all shortening. It can stay at room temperature all day if necessary. The cake recipe that worked really well (from the first cake) is an almond scented white cake.



Whipped Buttercream
source unknown


2 ½ c vegetable shortening (or 1 ½ c shortening, 1 c of butter)
1 lb powdered sugar
1 Tbs vanilla

½ c granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
2 Tbs meringue powder
¼ c plus 2 Tbs boiling water


Beat shortening and powdered sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (make sure the bowl is very clean), mix the granulated sugar, salt, and meringue powder. Add the boiling water and mix on high until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Add the whipped mixture to the large bowl and beat both mixtures until well combined.