What Gluten Free Cake Mix Should I Use? 

This recipe for Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes isn’t so much a recipe. It’s really more of a tutorial. You can use any brand of gluten free yellow cake mix you desire. Heck, you can even make the cake from scratch if you have need or want.

When it comes to recipes for my site, I like to make things as allergen free as possible. Better Batter mixes contain NONE of the top 9 allergens, nor gluten. No corn or gmo’s, either! That’s why I’ve used it in my easy gluten-free black forest trifle and my easy gluten-free mocha donuts.

What Pan Should I Use To Bake These?

The baking pan you use depends on what size cake mix you choose. If you have a 15 oz cake mix, like Betty Crocker or Aldi, I’d use two 10 x 15 jelly roll pans. (Or bake half the batter, and then reuse the pan.)

If you have an 18 oz cake mix or larger, such as Better Batter or King Arthur, I’d use two 11.5 x 17.25 jelly roll pans. (Or a half sheet cake pan.) You can bake all the batter on one sheet if you wish. However, then you’ll have to cut the cut out cake down the middle. Bake your cake for ONLY 10 MINUTES! It’s a very thin layer of cake, so it bakes quickly. 

How Do I Build a Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cake?

To make a these gluten free Christmas Tree Cakes, you’ll pour your batter into a flat rimmed baking sheet. (See sizes above.) You want to split the batter between two pans. This will allow you to have two thin layers of cake. After baking your flat layer of cake, you’ll use a christmas tree cookie cutter to cut out individual cake shapes. You can use the excess cake scraps to make cake pops. 

Next, you will sandwich two chrismas tree cake cutouts together with a marshmallow cream filling, and then dunk the whole thing in Vanilla Almond Bark. (Or chocolate, if you prefer.) **Prior to coating in vanilla candy melts, you will need to freeze the tree cake sandwiches. 

What Filling Do You Use for Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes?

Next comes the filling. This marshmallow fluff based filling is the best thing ever. I used it with my Gluten Free Valentine Cakes, as well as for peanut butter cookie sandwiches. You could also use it as the filling for homemade gluten free oreos! (Give these Gluten Free Copy Cat Oreos from The Frugal Wife a whirl.)

How Do You Fill a Piping Bag? 

I highly suggest using a piping bag for evenly distributing the filling on these cakes Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes. To fill the piping bag, open the bag and slide it over the top of a tall drinking glass. (Don’t cut the tip before doing this!) This way, the bag is standing up, sans hands, and it makes depositing the filling a breeze.

Once filled, use scissors to cut a tiny hole at the bottom of the bag. Then pipe away! I prefer to outline the cake sides, then fill in the centers. This assures that there is filling throughout the entire snack cake. Don’t skimp on the frosting filling!

What Kind of Coating Do You Use? 

I use Kroger Vanilla Candy Coating. This product is specifically labeled gluten free. It does contain soy and milk. The ingredients for this product are: “Sugar, Plam Kernel Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Palm Oil, Whole Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin (An Emulsifier), Natural Flavor, Vanilla Extract.” 

Can I Use Melted White Chocolate Chips?

I don’t recommend it. The consistency of melted candy coating is much thinner than melted white chocolate. I definitely do NOT recommend melting Enjoy Life White Baking Chips. It turns into a horrible mess.

If you want to use melted chocolate chips, you can add shortening to thin the chocolate. In her recipe for gluten free cake pops, Chef Janet K uses 1 tbsp of coconut oil or shortening for every cup of chocolate chips. 

How Do You Coat the Christmas Tree Cakes?

I made these again in 2022, after watching them being made at Bake Me Happy in Ohio. I placed the candy coating in a medium sized glass bowl, placed a cake “sandwich” on a fork, and submerged the whole cake in the white chocolate coating. You’ll need to tap or “bounce” the finished cake to get rid of the excess coating, Then, placed the finished cake on parchment paper and allow the coating to set. 

How Do You Decorate The Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes?

You can decorate these Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes however you like. Being the math geek that I am, I actually bought a box of the Little Debbie cakes, opened the box, and photographed how they were decorated. (Green sprinkles and red stripes.) Then I taped the box shut and sent them off to work with my husband. The things we do for science.

Therefore, when I made my Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes, I made some with green sprinkles and red stripes. However, I made some with just red stripes. And some I didn’t decorate at all.

That’s the beauty of homemade treats. You get to decide! Heck, you could even make these with chocolate cake or a spiced cake if you want. Let the kids on the deal, and include making these treats as part of your holiday memories! (And turn those cake scraps into cake pops / snowballs!)

Print

Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes

Course Recipes

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12 + cakes

Author Margaret Clegg

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 box gluten free cake mix batter prepared according to directions
• **BAKE FOR ONLY 10 MINUTES in 2 jelly roll pans**

For the Filling

• 4 oz butter softened
• 4 oz marshmallow fluff
• 2 oz powdered sugar

For the Coating

• 16 oz vanilla candy coating I used Kroger
• 1 tsp shortening to thin if needed

Instructions

• Prepare the batter for your gluten free cake mix according to directions. If using a 15 – 16 oz cake mix, bake in TWO 10 x 15 jelly roll pans. (Or bake one batch and then reuse. If using a 18-22 oz cake mix, I recommend using 2 11×17 pans.
• ONLY BAKE FOR 10 minutes. Longer than this, and you'll have burnt cake on your hands. Remove baked cake from pans and allow to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, prepare your marshmallow cream filling. Make sure your butter is room temperature and soft, before starting. Mix using a hand mizxer, or a Kitchenaid stand mixer. (I like the stand mixer, because I can walk away.)
• Stretch the mouth of a piping bag over a tall glass, then fill the piping bag with filling mixture. Set aside.
• Once cake is cooled, cut cake into tree shapes, using a cookie cutter. Pipe filling on to the bottom piece of cake. Don't be afraid to be generous with the filling. You have plenty of filling! Place another tree cake cutout on top of filling
• Once all tree cake bottoms have been topped with filling and a top cake, place in freezer for 20 minutes, before coating.
• Meanwhile, melt candy coating / almond bark in a glass bowl, set over a hot pot of water. To that, add your shortening, if needed. I used 16 oz of vanilla candy coaring, and added a tsp of shortening. You can make your coating thinner if you like, but I would test that out with a small portion of melted bark, and not a whole bowl of melted white chocolate. 
• Place christmas tree cake on fork, and dunk completely in bowl of melted candy coating. Use spoon to fully coat, if needed. Tap / bounce cake over bowl, to get rid of excess coating.
• Place finished cake on parchment and allow to coating to set. **Note- If you want to add sprinkles or colored sugar, you need to do this BEFORE the coating sets.
• **Note – If you have leftover filling, this can last in the fridge for 5 days. I used my leftover filling to the cake scraps to make cake balls. I don't have an exact measurement of frosting to tell you to add. Use just enough for the cake to hold together. Dip chilled cake balls in remaining melted candy coating.

**This post is NOT sponsored by Better Batter. This post does however include Amazon Affiliate Links. Purchases made through those links provide me a small commission. However, this does not influence the cost of your purchases. Thank you for helping to support this website!**

Originally Published December 2018

The post Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

What Gluten Free Cake Mix Should I Use?

You can use any gluten free cake mix to make these gluten free valentine snack cakes. King Arthur Flour makes a delicious gluten free cake mix. I can usually find them at my local Meijer store. I believe Betty Crocker still makes a gluten free yellow cake mix.

Which product do you miss most since starting a gluten-free diet? I asked this question on my Facebook page, and received lots of comments and answers. Know what I miss? Little Debbie’s. They evoke a sense of my childhood. So today, I’m making adorable gluten free valentine snack cakes, reminiscent of those sweet treats wrapped in cellophane. I can still hear the crinkling of that wrapper, can’t you?

Two Ways to Make Heart Shaped Cakes

So, there are multiple ways you can go about making the cake for these gluten free valentine snack cakes. I have a silicone pan with heart-shaped wells. I filled each well with one ounce of batter, and baked them for 15 minutes. If you take this route, the mini cakes will rise, and you’ll have to trim he tops to make them flat. You’ll also need to cut the baked heart cakes in half, to fill them. 

If you lack a pan like mine, you can bake the cake in a jelly roll pan. I suggest lining it with parchment paper first to make removal easier. Then, simply use a heart cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes. This will leave bits of leftover cake bits, which you can later turn into cake balls. This is how I made my Gluten Free Christmas Tree Cakes.

How to Make the Filling for Valentine Snack Cakes

What’s the best part of a Little Debbie snack cake? Is it the the cake? The coating? Or is it the creamy filling ? This filling uses a creative, miraculous ingredient. Marshmallow fluff. Did you know that marshmallow fluff makes the easiest buttercream frosting?

Wish I could say this was my brain child. Nope. Just another wonderful recipe from The Kitchn. If you are curious on how to cook everything from spaghetti squash to authentic curry, I guarantee they have a recipe for it. Know what they don’t have? A recipe for gluten free valentine snack cakes. So I guess that makes me a genius. 😉

How to Coat Your Valentine Snack Cakes

I recommend using melted candy coating/ almond bark. I use the candy coating from Kroger, as it states gluten free on the package. I melt it using a double broiler method. This involves placing the coating in a glass bowl, over a hot pot of water. I add 1 tablespoon of shortening to thin it down a bit. 

To cover your Valentine Cakes, place on a fork, and dunk the whole cake in the melted candy coating. Place on parchment paper to cool. If you would like to add sprinkles or decorations, make sure to do so BEFORE the coating completely sets.

Can I Make the Coating for These Cakes Pink?

Want to tine the melted candy coating pink? “Add just a few drops of an oil-based food coloring into your bowl or container of melted candy melts, then stir the liquid into the melts. Try not to use traditional, alcohol-based food coloring for your candy melts, as this could cause the mixture to seize. You can find oil-based food coloring online.” (Wikihow)

Watch my Christmas Tree Cake Instagram Reel for a tutorial on how to coat the cakes. 

Other Gluten Free Valentine’s Day Treats

For an easy semi-homemade treat, try Eat at Our Table’s Easy Gluten Free Cookie Pops. (Just use your favorite gluten free Oreo type cookies.) For a a gluten, egg and dairy free treat, make these homemade Vegan Heart Pie Pops from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free. For the best sugar cookies ever, try these Gluten Free Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies from Flippin’ Delicious.

What Valentine’s Day Candy is Gluten Free?

Since Valentine’s Day is a big day for candy, make sure to check Celiac Mama’s article on Gluten Free Valentine’s Gluten Free Candy List.  No Whey Chocolate make top 8 allergen free candies and truffles. Michigan based Mindo Chocolate makes excelleny gluten free chocolate. Find them both on my list of Gluten Free Easter Candy.

Gluten Free Heart Cakes Recipe

Print

Gluten Free Valentine Snack Cakes

Servings 12 -16 cakes

Author Margaret Clegg

Equipment

• Dolci Frutta White Melting Wafers, 8 ounce (Pack of 2) | Always Gluten-Free and Nut-Free
• King Arthur Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
• Silicone Heart Mold Heart Shaped Small Cake Pans 2 pack
• Heart Cookie Cutter Set, 5 Pieces
• USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 box gluten free cake mix batter prepared according to directions
• **BAKE FOR ONLY 10-12 MINUTES in 2 jelly roll pans**

For the Filling

• 1 stick softened
• 7 oz marshmallow fluff
• 4 oz powdered sugar

For the Coating

• 24 oz vanilla candy coating I used Kroger
• 1 tbsp shortening to thin

Instructions

• Prepare the batter for your gluten free cake mix according to directions. If using a 15 – 16 oz cake mix, bake in TWO 10 x 15 jelly roll pans. (Or bake one batch and then reuse. If using a 18-22 oz cake mix, I recommend using 2 11×17 pans.
• ONLY BAKE FOR 10 minutes. Longer than this, and you'll have burnt cake on your hands. Remove baked cake from pans and allow to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, prepare your marshmallow cream filling. Make sure your butter is room temperature and soft, before starting. Mix using a hand mizxer, or a Kitchenaid stand mixer. (I like the stand mixer, because I can walk away.)
• Stretch the mouth of a piping bag over a tall glass, then fill the piping bag with filling mixture. Set aside.
• Once cake is cooled, cut cake into heart shapes, using a cookie cutter. Pipe filling on to the bottom piece of cake. Don't be afraid to be generous with the filling. You have plenty of filling! Place another heart cake cutout on top of filling
• Once all heart cake bottoms have been topped with filling and a top cake, place in freezer for 60 minutes, before coating.
• Meanwhile, melt candy coating / almond bark in a glass bowl, set over a hot pot of water. To that, add your shortening, if needed. I used 24 oz of vanilla candy coating, and added a tbsp of shortening. You can make your coating thinner if you like, but I would test that out with a small portion of melted bark, and not a whole bowl of melted white chocolate. 
• If you would like to make your candy coating pink/red, make sure to use oil based food coloring. Water based food coloring will make the chocolate seize. I added some pink colored sanding sugar to mine to make them festive.
• Place valentine cake on fork, and dunk completely in bowl of melted candy coating. Use spoon to fully coat, if needed. Tap / bounce cake over bowl, to get rid of excess coating.
• Place finished cake on parchment and allow to coating to set. **Note- If you want to add sprinkles or colored sugar, you need to do this BEFORE the coating sets.
• **Note – If you have leftover filling, this can last in the fridge for 5 days. I used my leftover filling to the cake scraps to make cake balls. I don't have an exact measurement of frosting to tell you to add. Use just enough for the cake to hold together. Dip chilled cake balls in remaining melted candy coating.

**This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through those links help support this blog with no extra expense to you. Thank you for your continued support!**

What’s your favorite Valentine’s treat? What family recipes do you make for your kiddos every February? Share your recipe ideas with me below! 

Originally Published February 2018

The post Gluten Free Valentine Snack Cakes appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.