Creating A Tree Stump Wedding Cake: A Step-By-Step Guide

Tree stump cakes are a delightful dessert that's sure to impress at any gathering, especially weddings. This cake is designed to resemble a tree stump, with bark-like frosting and optional edible decorations such as pine tree stems, frosted cranberries, and meringue mushrooms. The cake itself is made from a sponge, which is baked, cooled, and then rolled with layers of chocolate ganache-infused cream cheese frosting. The unique design and mouth-watering flavour make it a standout on any dessert table.

How to make the cake batter

To make the batter for a tree stump wedding cake, you will need to decide on the flavour of your cake. A simple white or yellow cake is a good option, or you could go for a chocolate or spice cake.

• Gather your ingredients: flour, butter, vanilla extract, baking powder, sugar, eggs, and milk.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease and flour a 9-inch square cake pan.
• Cream the sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating briefly after each addition.
• Mix in the vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix well.
• Add milk and stir until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until the top springs back when lightly touched (around 30-40 minutes).
• Gather your ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, vegetable oil, butter, vanilla extract, milk, and eggs.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Place the softened butter into a stand mixer and mix on medium for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder) to the stand mixer and combine with butter for 30 seconds.
• Add milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs, and mix on medium-high for one minute.

Now you have your batter, you can bake your cakes and get creative with the tree stump design!

How to bake the cake

Firstly, preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease a 16 x 22-inch baking sheet and line it with baking parchment. In a medium-sized bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of sea salt. Whisk these ingredients until they are well blended.

Next, take your eggs and sugar and beat them together at high speed for about five minutes until light, fluffy, and pale yellow. Reduce the speed of your mixer to medium-low and add in the vanilla extract and buttermilk. Continue to mix these ingredients for a minute to ensure they are well blended. The batter will be thin.

Now, remove the mixing bowl from the stand and gradually add the dry ingredients you prepared earlier to the batter, about half a cup at a time. Use a hand whisk to gently mix in the dry ingredients with each addition, trying not to deflate air pockets as much as possible.

Transfer the batter to the greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Once baked, remove the cake sponge from the oven and allow it to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Make another batch of this sheet cake sponge using the same ingredients. Allow both sponges to cool completely before frosting.

While the cake sponges are cooling, make the frosting. First, prepare a chocolate ganache and allow it to cool completely. Then, beat softened butter until creamy and smooth. Add softened cream cheese and beat again until well combined. Add the cooled chocolate ganache and mix until blended. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl halfway through.

Next, mix in cocoa powder, and then add powdered sugar, half a cup at a time. Once the powdered sugar is well blended in, increase the mixing speed to high and beat for a minute. This entire batch of frosting will be used for the inside of the cake only, so you will need to make another batch to decorate the top and sides.

You should now have two 16 x 22-inch cake sponges that are completely cooled. Split each sheet cake sponge in half vertically to create four 7 x 20-inch strips. Using a half-cup ice cream scoop, add four scoops of frosting to each strip of sponge cake and spread it out evenly.

This next step is tricky. Start rolling the first strip like a regular cake roll, being firm but gentle to avoid breaking the cake. Use the parchment paper for stability to help hold the roll together. Add the next strip by lining up the short sides next to each other as soon as the previous one ends. Use all four strips of sheet cake sponges as one continuous long roll.

When rolling up the last strip, leave the parchment paper on and wrap additional strips of parchment paper around the entire perimeter to hold the cake in place. Flip the cake log upright. You will need an assistant to hold both ends of the parchment paper snugly around the cake while you secure the parchment papers together with a long strip of clear Scotch tape.

If you have frosting left over, spread it over the top of the cake. Then, refrigerate the cake for four hours or overnight.

The next day, make another batch of frosting. Cut the clear tape and peel the parchment paper off the cake. The cake should now be set, firm, and stable. Add about one and a half cups of frosting to the top of the cake and spread it out evenly. Then, using a cake spatula, make a swirl design.

Fit a piping bag with a Wilton 1M attachment and fill it with chocolate buttercream. First, pipe rose shapes randomly around the cake, and then pipe vertical strips of cream in between the rose shapes from the base of the case to the top to represent the bark of the tree.

Decorate the cake with fresh pine tree stems and frosted cranberries, or with meringue mushrooms, sugar flowers, leaves, and insects for a more whimsical woodland theme.

Place the cake into the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. Just before serving, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top to resemble snow.

To achieve clean slices of cake, heat a long knife in a tall cup of hot water for about 15 seconds before each cut. Dry the knife with a paper towel, and cut the cake in one downward direction, pulling the knife out at the base.

How to make the frosting

To make the chocolate cream cheese frosting, you will need:

• 500ml (2 cups) heavy cream
• 500g (4 cups) cream cheese
• 400g (3 cups) dark chocolate
• 100g (3/4 cup) cream cheese
• 400g (3 cups) dark chocolate
• 100g (3/4 cup) milk chocolate

Start by beating softened butter until creamy and smooth. Add softened cream cheese and beat again until both are well combined. Then, add the cooled chocolate ganache and mix until well combined for about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl halfway through. Next, mix in the cocoa powder and then add the powdered sugar, half a cup at a time. Once the powdered sugar is well blended in, increase the mixing speed to high and beat for a minute.

This entire batch of frosting is for the inside of the cake only. You will need to make another batch of this frosting recipe to decorate the top and sides of the cake later on, after the cake has set for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

To decorate the tree stump cake, you will need to make another batch of the frosting. Once the frosting is done, cut the clear tape and peel the parchment paper off the cake. The cake should be set, firm, and stable at this point. Add about one and a half cups more of the frosting to the top of the cake and spread it out evenly. Then, using a cake spatula, make a swirl design.

Fit a piping bag with a Wilton 1M attachment and fill it with chocolate buttercream. First, pipe rose shapes randomly all around the cake. Then, pipe vertical strips of cream in between the rose-shaped design, starting from the base of the case to the top, to represent the bark of the tree.

How to assemble the cake

To assemble the tree stump cake, you will need to have two sheets of 16x22 cake sponges cooled completely before frosting them.

Firstly, split each sheet cake sponge in half vertically so that you have four 7x20 (approximate) inch cake sponges. Using a half-cup ice cream scoop, add four scoops of frosting to each of the four strips of sponge cake.

Next, use a cake spatula to spread the frosting evenly over all four strips of cake sponges. This is a tricky and important step. Start rolling the first strip like a regular cake roll, being firm but gentle to avoid breaking the cake sponges. Add the next strip by lining up the short sides next to each other as soon as the previous one ends.

Use the parchment paper for stability to help hold the roll together during the rolling process so that it does not unroll. Use all four strips of sheet cake sponges as one continuous long roll. When rolling up the last strip, leave the parchment paper on and wrap additional strips of parchment paper (the ones you baked the cakes on) around the entire perimeter to hold this cake in place.

Flip the cake log upright. You will need an assistant to hold both ends of the parchment paper snugly around the cake, while you secure the parchment papers together by taping a long strip of 2" wide clear scotch tape over the parchment paper all the way around the cake.

If you have some frosting left over (usually about a cup), spread it over the top of the cake. Then, refrigerate the cake for four hours or overnight.

How to decorate the cake

Now for the fun part: decorating your tree stump wedding cake!

The first step is to cover the cake with a layer of frosting. You can use chocolate buttercream, or a mixture of chocolate cream cheese and milk chocolate, depending on your preference. This layer will act as a base for the rest of the decorations and help to create the illusion of tree bark.

Once you have a smooth layer of frosting, it's time to get creative. Use a fork or a toothpick to create lines in the frosting, mimicking the rings of a tree. Spin the cake on a turntable while holding your tool in one position to achieve a neat, consistent pattern.

Next, you can add some texture to the bark by using a piping bag with a Wilton 1M attachment to pipe vertical strips of frosting up the side of the cake. Start from the base and work your way up to the top, creating a bark-like pattern. You can also use a jagged scraper to create a wood-like texture.

To enhance the tree stump effect, you can create chocolate tree bark. Melt some chocolate and spread it out thinly on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top and roll it up like cinnamon roll dough. Secure it with clips and put it in the refrigerator to chill. Once it's hardened, carefully unroll the parchment, and you'll have chocolate shards that resemble tree bark. Adhere these to the cake with some melted chocolate, filling in any gaps with smaller pieces.

You can further decorate your cake with fondant pumpkins, edible fall leaves, or meringue mushrooms. Fresh pine tree stems and frosted cranberries also add a nice touch of colour and a festive feel.

Finally, just before serving, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top to resemble snow.

Frequently asked questions