If you grew up loving those iconic little packaged Christmas tree snack cakes, you’re going to flip for this homemade version! Made with Betty's vanilla cake mix, this recipe takes that nostalgic holiday treat and gives it a fresh-from-the-oven upgrade.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk dry cake mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well blended and smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the marshmallow creme, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla with a wire whisk until smooth.
Place a small amount of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Dip a 3-inch Christmas tree cookie cutter in powdered sugar and cut out 9 trees from the cake, dipping cookie cutter in powdered sugar between each cut. Set aside cake trimmings for snacking. Slice trees in half horizontally.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of the marshmallow filling over the cut edge of each bottom half. Place the top half of each tree, cut side down, on the filling and gently press the two halves together. Freeze for 30 minutes.
In a heatproof bowl, melt vanilla-flavored candy coating according to package instructions. In a smaller heatproof bowl, melt red melting candy wafers according to package instructions. Fit piping bag with a small round piping tip. Place melted red candy wafers in the piping bag.
Dip frozen cakes into the melted vanilla-flavored candy coating and place on a flat surface lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Pipe melted red candy wafers in 4 curvy lines as seen in the photo and sprinkle with green sugar. Let stand about 5 minutes or until chocolate is set before serving.
