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white christmas cake recipe with buttercream christmas tree
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White Christmas Cake

The softest, fluffiest white cake recipe with delicious vanilla buttercream, decorated with a piped buttercream Christmas tree to make it extra festive! The cake has a hint of almond flavor that's reminiscent of Christmas sugar cookies, but can also be made with an all-vanilla flavor.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Bakery-Style White Cake

  • 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 large egg whites, room temperature fresh or 1/2 Cup carton egg whites
  • 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 1/4 Cups (300ml) full-fat buttermilk**, room temperature DIY recipe in notes

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 5 Cups (600g) powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1-2 tsp icing whitener optional

Decorations (Optional)

Instructions

Make the Bakery-Style White Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of each pan.
  • In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cream it together with the butter at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl and paddle at the halfway point. Turn the mixer to low and add the egg whites one at a time, mixing until they are just combined and scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the vegetable oil, vanilla, and almond extract, Increase the mixer speed to high and beat for 1 minute.
  • Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix the ingredients on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in the buttermilk. Continue mixing at low speed for about 30 seconds, until the batter is uniform and combined. The batter will be slightly thin.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 28 to 32 minutes. They’re done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the Vanilla Buttercream

  • With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes. 
  • With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. 
  • Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated. Add the icing whitener if using and continue mixing on low until uniform and white in color.

Assembly

  • Once the white cake layers are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of vanilla buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Fill and stack the cake with vanilla buttercream, then crumb coat the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 15-20 minutes to let the crumb coat firm up before frosting the cake with vanilla buttercream.
  • To create the design pictured, use the vanilla buttercream to create a smooth buttercream finish and keep the top edge unfinished (don't swipe it inward to create sharp edges). Refrigerate the cake to let the frosting firm up once more.
  • Using an icing smoother or other straight edge, mark out the triangle shape of the Christmas tree on the cake. Then, mark out four horizontal sections for the piping inside the tree (photos of this process are in the blog post above). Fit a piping bag with Wilton Tip 4B and fill it with the rest of the vanilla buttercream. Starting at the bottom of the tree and working your way up to the top, pipe vertical shells in each marked off section. Decorate the tree with white and metallic ornament sprinkles and sugar sprinkles, then add more sprinkle texture in small clusters all around the cake. Paint the star anise with edible metallic gold paint and/or gold luster dust spray, then place it on top of the Christmas tree.

Notes

*DIY Cake Flour Recipe: if you can't find cake flour locally, here's how to make a homemade version using all purpose flour and cornstarch. Keep in mind that if you do use the homemade version, the gram measurement will weigh more (295g instead of 265g) since all-purpose flour is heavier than cake flour.  
**DIY Buttermilk Recipe: add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 1/4 Cups of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.
Make Ahead Tips: 
  1. The white cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature. 
  2. The vanilla buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also refrigerate the buttercream for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use it, bring back to room temperature before mixing on medium speed until creamy and smooth.