Description
A charming and festive Chocolate Tree Cake featuring mini chocolate coffee cakes adorned with colorful chocolate trees. This recipe combines rich chocolate ganache frosting, crunchy graham crackers, and vibrant candy melts to create an eye-catching dessert perfect for fall and holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cakes and Frosting
- 4 Chocolate coffee cakes (Round, Mini size, approximately 4×3 inches each)
- 3 cups Chocolate ganache frosting
- 1 cup Graham crackers (Roughly chopped)
Chocolate Decorations
- 2 cups Dark chocolate (Melted)
- 1/2 cup Red candy melts (Melted)
- 1/2 cup Yellow candy melts (Melted)
- 1/2 cup Orange candy melts (Melted)
Instructions
- Bake and Cool Cakes: Bake the chocolate coffee cakes according to the recipe or package instructions and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Prepare Frosting: While the cakes are baking and cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache frosting to be used for icing the cakes.
- Level Cakes: Trim any domes from the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface.
- Ice Cakes: Place each mini cake on individual serving dishes and smooth a layer of chocolate ganache frosting evenly over the top and sides.
- Add Texture: Press chopped graham crackers around the entire frosted cake to give a rustic, textured appearance.
- Sketch Tree Outline: On a sheet of paper, draw a rough sketch of a tree, then tape the paper onto a cookie tray. Cover it with a sheet of wax paper secured with tape.
- Pipe Tree Outline: Fill a piping bag with melted dark chocolate, cut a very small opening, and carefully pipe over the tree sketch to create the tree outline. Reinforce the trunk by going over it multiple times for thickness and sturdiness.
- Set the Chocolate Tree: Place the tray in the freezer for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate tree to set firmly.
- Pipe Leaves: Fill three separate piping bags with red, yellow, and orange candy melts. Cut the tips to small openings. Remove the tray from the freezer and pipe colorful leaves randomly on the tree branches by squeezing at a 45-degree angle and pulling away.
- Chill again: Return the tray to the freezer for another 5 minutes to set the candy leaves.
- Remove from Wax Paper: Gently peel the wax paper away from the chocolate tree, ensuring the chocolate decorations remain intact.
- Attach Stick: Pour a little melted dark chocolate on the backside of the tree trunk and attach a lollipop stick. Let it set firmly.
- Assemble Cake Decorations: Gently push the chocolate tree into the top of each mini cake to secure it in place. Serve and enjoy your festive Chocolate Tree Cakes!
Notes
- Make sure cakes are completely cooled before frosting to avoid melting the ganache.
- Chilling the chocolate trees properly is crucial to maintain their shape when assembling.
- Use wax paper to easily remove the chocolate tree decorations without breaking them.
- This cake is perfect for fall celebrations, including Thanksgiving and autumn parties.
- Adjust candy melt colors to suit different seasonal themes or holidays.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cake
- Calories: 300 kcal
- Sugar: 124 g
- Sodium: 476 mg
- Fat: 69 g
- Saturated Fat: 31 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 32 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 124 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 3 mg
