A healthier, high-protein version of Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes, featuring a soft cake, creamy frosting, and a white chocolate coating with festive sprinkles. This recipe yields 8 sandwich-style tree cakes.
1. Mix all cake ingredients together until combined. Pour the batter into a lined baking pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake.
2. Allow the baked cake to cool completely. Once cool, cut the cake into tree shapes (this should yield 16 individual tree cutouts).
3. Prepare the frosting by mixing together 8 oz non fat greek yogurt, 4 oz fat free cream cheese, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein, and 1/3-1/2 cup zero cal powdered sugar. Note: there will be extra frosting, so you can halve the recipe if desired.
4. To assemble the cakes, add a layer of frosting to one side of a cake tree, then place another cake tree on top to create a sandwich of cake and frosting.
5. Freeze the assembled cake trees for at least 2 hours. This step is crucial for the cakes to maintain their shape and crispness during dipping.
6. For the coating, microwave 1 bag Lily's white chocolate chips and 2-3 tbsp avocado oil in 30-15 second intervals until melted, stirring cautiously between intervals.
7. Quickly dip each frozen tree into the melted chocolate mixture. Immediately after dipping each tree, add green sprinkles before the chocolate sets.
8. Once the chocolate coating is set, add red frosting to finish decorating your Little Debbie dupe cakes.
TIP: Reheat the white chocolate mixture in the microwave every 2-3 trees to keep it warm and maintain a thin coating, as the frozen cakes will cool the chocolate quickly. This prevents the chocolate from hardening too fast and becoming too thick, which may require more chocolate.
