Christmas Sheet Cake features tender vanilla sheet cake slathered in cream cheese frosting, showered with sprinkles, cut into triangles, and embellished with candy canes to make cute & festive Christmas trees! These treats are perfect for any holiday party or Christmas cookie platter!
½cup+ 2 tablespoons sour cream(a heaping half cup should be fine)
2eggs
1 ½teaspoonspure vanilla extract
1 ¼teaspoonsbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
FOR THE FROSTING:
½cup(1 stick) unsalted buttersoftened
8ouncescream cheesesoftened
3 ½ to 4cupspowdered sugardepending on your desired consistency & sweetness of frosting
¼teaspoonsalt
2teaspoonspure vanilla extract
Mini candy canescrook broken off to leave only straight pieces remaining -- approximately 24
Round peppermint candiesapproximately 24
Assorted holiday sprinkles
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
Adjust the rack to the center position of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a rimmed 18x13x1-inch half sheet pan with butter (or spray with non-stick cooking spray).
In a large pot, melt butter. Add water and bring to a boil. Remove pot from heat and briskly stir in flour, sugar, and sour cream. Batter should now be cool enough to quickly stir in the eggs without them scrambling. Mix in vanilla, baking soda (make sure there are no lumps!), and salt until all ingredients are well blended.
Pour batter into prepared sheet pan and smooth top. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting.
FOR THE FROSTING:
Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese. Slowly blend in powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla, then beat on high until smooth and well-combined.
TO ASSEMBLE:
Once cake is cool, frost with cream cheese frosting and smooth the top. Sprinkle the entire surface with holiday sprinkles before the frosting dries, and lightly press the sprinkles into the frosting if they don't appear to be sticking.
Lay the pan vertically on the counter and cut three evenly spaced vertical lines to create four rows. Then cut six Christmas tree-shaped triangles per row (see photo in above post). Use a thin metal spatula to remove each triangle from the sheet pan and onto a platter.
To decorate, insert a straight piece of mini candy cane into the base of each tree. Press a round peppermint candy into the frosting at the top of the tree to resemble a star. Store refrigerated in a tightly covered container (trees may also be frozen...they won't get hard).
Notes
Make sure that your butter and cream cheese are completely at room temperature before making your frosting or it will have little lumps. You shouldn't need to sift your powdered sugar. I never do and my frosting always turns out smooth, but if your powdered sugar is especially clumpy, it might not hurt to sift it first.
You may tint your frosting with green food coloring, if you wish.
You will have lots of leftover cake scraps from cutting out the trees. I'm sure you will think of some way to dispose of them...