I’m Dreaming of White Christmas 3D Cake
There’s something truly special about baking with family during the holidays — especially when the kitchen smells like gingerbread, vanilla, and warm spices. In Episode 2 of The Hallmark Channel Baked with Love: Holiday, Mom and I created this 3D Christmas tree cake that’s as stunning as it is delicious.
This showstopping dessert features layers of moist gingerbread spice cake, silky bourbon vanilla buttercream, and charming sugar cookie decorations that bring the magic of the season to life. Whether you’re baking for a festive gathering or simply want to add some holiday cheer to your table, this cake doubles as both a dessert and a centerpiece.
I can’t wait for you to try it — keep reading for the full recipe and decorating tips below!
Photo Credit: ©️The Hallmark Channel 2025
We’re beyond grateful to have advanced to Episode 3 after taking on the cookie wreath surprise bake and the 3D Christmas tree cake challenge. What an unforgettable experience!
In order to achieve the 3D Christmas tree shape for your cake, you will need a total of 5 round cake pans: 8”, 7”, two 6”, and one 4” pans. In this recipe, both the cake batter and the buttercream frosting are made in 2 separate batches. The reason behind this is to not overfill a large standard mixing bowl with ingredients.
Use a serrated knife to trim the layers. Once the cake layers are trimmed, place them into the refrigerator to expedite the cooling process. While the cakes are cooling, make the sugar cookies and buttercream frosting. When making the sugar cookies, make sure to cut some larger shaped stars that will be used as the Christmas tree cake topper.
Once the cookies are baked off and cooled, decorate with tinted sugar cookie icing and sanding sugar.
The cake is ready for assembly once the cakes are cooled, the buttercream is made, and the cookies are decorated,
I hope you’ll try making this recipe. Grab the printable version from the recipe card below. Happy Baking!
-XOXO-
Sally
Gingerbread Spice 3D White Christmas Tree Cake
There’s something truly special about baking with family during the holidays — especially when the kitchen smells like gingerbread, vanilla, and warm spices. In Episode 2 of The Hallmark Channel Baked with Love: Holiday, Mom and I created this 3D Christmas tree cake that’s as stunning as it is delicious.
This showstopping dessert features layers of moist gingerbread spice cake, silky bourbon vanilla buttercream, and charming sugar cookie decorations that bring the magic of the season to life. Whether you’re baking for a festive gathering or simply want to add some holiday cheer to your table, this cake doubles as both a dessert and a centerpiece.
I can’t wait for you to try it — keep reading for the full recipe and decorating tips below! 🌲✨
Ingredients
- 5C AP Flour
- 1T baking soda
- 1T ground cinnamon
- 2t ground ginger
- 1/2t nutmeg
- 1/4t allspice
- 1t kosher salt
- 1C granulated sugar
- 1C unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2C unsulphered molasses
- 2C hot water
- 2.5 cups AP Flour
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 cup unsulphered molasses
- 1 cup hot water
- 2.25 cups, unsalted butter at room temp (270 grams)
- 7.5 cups confectioners sugar (862.5 grams)
- 1.5 tbsp vanilla extract (22ml)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 tbsp bourbon, to taste
- 2.25 cups, unsalted butter at room temp (270 grams)
- 7.5 cups confectioners sugar (862.5 grams)
- 1.5 tbsp vanilla extract (22ml)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 tbsp bourbon, to taste
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2T egg, lightly beaten from one large egg
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1.5 cups of All-Purpose flour
- sanding sugar
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp light corn syrup
- 1 tsp extract of choice
- Assorted gel food colorings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees. Grease an 8”, 7”, two 6”, and one 4” round cake pans with cooking spray. Line each pan with parchment paper. Working in two batches, start with batch 1 and whisk together your dry ingredients, set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with bowl and paddle attachment, beat together your sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add in your eggs and molasses until fully combined. Add in your dry ingredients, then slowly add in your hot water until batter is fully combined. Repeat process with second batch of ingredients. Divide batter evenly among cake pans according to pan size. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes before turning them out on a wire rack. Place cake layers into the refrigerator to cool completely.
- The cake batter is made in separate batches so that it will not over fill a large standard mixing bowl.
- Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Working in two batches, start with batch one and make the buttercream by whipping the butter over medium speed in stand mixer. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar. While mixing over medium speed, add vanilla extract, then add heavy whipping cream one tablespoon, then bourbon 1 tablespoon at a time until a smooth buttercream forms. Repeat process with the second batch of buttercream. Load buttercream into pastry bags fitted with Wilton 172 and Wilton 1M piping tips.
- The buttercream is made in separate batches so that it will not over fill a large standard mixing bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk baking powder, kosher salt, and flour in a medium size bowl until well combined, set aside. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract and egg. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until well combined and dough is pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl. DO NOT CHILL, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Create a star cookie cake topper with dowels. Cut cookies with a cookie cutter and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges turn slightly golden. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on your baking sheet, before transferring to a cooling rack.
- If time allows while cookies are baking, make sugar cookie icing by mixing all ingredients in a bowl. Tint cookie icing with food coloring gels to achieve desired colors. Load icing into a piping bags, set aside.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, pipe cookies with cookie icing and press cookies into sanding sugar.
- Once the cakes are cool, spread buttercream on the largest layer. Add each layer from largest to smallest with buttercream in between each layer. Use a dowel to secure the layers before trimming the cake layers into the shape of a Christmas tree. Crumb coat the trimmed cake. Pipe buttercream details onto the tree using a Wilton 172 and Wilton 1M piping tip.
- Once the tree is fully frosted, decorate the tree with sugar cookies. Place the star cookie on the top of the tree.
Notes
DO NOT combine the batches! If you do, your ingredients will overflow out of a large standard size mixing bowl. The ingredients for the cake and buttercream are separated into two batches because the recipe makes large amounts.
If you don’t want to use bourbon in the buttercream, you can use heavy whipping cream with the same measurement as the bourbon.