Bake a Woodland Tree Stump Cake

Bake several layer cakes per the package instructions. In the example photo, the larger cake is made with 3 layers of cake baked in 8" cake pans. The smaller cake is made with 2 layers of cake baked in 6" cake pans.

Once cool, level and start frosting your cakes with a crumb coat. The crumb coat is a thin first layer of frosting over the cake that seals in any crumbs. This can make the top layer of frosting go on easier. This first layer will have crumbs in it. That’s OK! Just be sure not to get crumbs in your icing container. After you do the crumb coat, put the cakes in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Next, place cakes on your cake stand/cake plate and slide strips of wax paper under each side to protect it while you frost.

Frost the cakes, making sure to use ample frosting. Use a toothpick to create your “knots” in the cake. Then, using light up and down strokes with a fork, create a barklike effect on the sides of the cakes.

For the tops of the cakes, use a piping bag or simply snip a tiny corner off of a plastic storage bag and pipe a circle of chocolate frosting around the cake to create the “rings” of the tree. Be sure your snipped corner is very small! Lightly sprinkle powdered sugar on the top. If you don’t have a sifter, try a salt shaker.

Garnish your cakes with a few button mushrooms, 3-4 rosemary sprigs, nuts (if there are no allergies), powdered sugar, cranberries, etc. Be creative!