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Christmas Tree Cake Donuts

These Christmas Tree Cake Donuts are a festive and delicious treat perfect for any holiday gathering or as a special breakfast on Christmas morning. Made with a vanilla cake donut base, they look like the famous brand treats.

Homemade donuts on a plate.

Have you seen the new Little Debbie Christmas Cake Donuts? They are hard to find and can be costly, so we decided to make a copycat version at home. And they turned out great!

Christmas tree cake donut held in a woman's hand.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • You only need simple ingredients, so you won’t have to worry about spending a lot of money at the grocery store.
  • They taste even better than the store-bought kind.
  • You can also make them ahead of time, so you won’t have to spend much time in the kitchen on Christmas morning.

Are you looking for more Christmas tree cake recipes to try this year? Some of our favorites are this Christmas Tree Cake Trifle and this Christmas Tree Cake Dip recipe.

🛒Ingredients

Labelled ingredients on a counter.

We’ve put together this shopping list to help make your next trip to the store easier. You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • yellow cake mix
  • egg yolk
  • milk
  • butter
  • white almond bark
  • Green sprinkles
  • red candy melts

🔪 How to Make Christmas Tree Cake Donuts

This is a quick overview of the steps to make these homemade donuts. The full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Batter in a mixing bowl.
  1. Combine the cake mix, eggs, egg yolk, milk, and melted butter until mixed through.
Batter in a silicone baking dish.
  1. Pipe or spoon the batter into a mini donut mold, and bake for 12 minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used.
Donuts on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  1. Once the donuts are cool melt the almond bark in the microwave until smooth. And then dip the tops of the donuts into the white coating. While the coating is still wet, sprinkle with green sprinkles,
Christmas tree cake donuts on a baking sheet.
  1. Melt the red candy melts in the microwave and drizzle strips on with melted red candy melts.

🥄 Equipment

This is a list of the equipment that you will need to make this easy recipe:

  • large bowl
  • mini muffin mold
  • Piping bag
  • Microwave Safe Bowl 
  • baking sheet lined with parchment paper
  • Ziploc bag or piping bag

🥫 Storage

Storage—To keep the donuts fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Freezing—You can also store them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw them on the counter for about an hour before enjoying them.

Serve With

These donuts are a great snack with milk, hot chocolate, or even coffee. You can also enjoy them for breakfast alongside your other favorites, such as Ambrosia Salad and this Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole with Sausage.

💭 Tips

Here are a few tips that you can use to help you make this delicious recipe.

  • Don’t overmix the batter; you want to mix until combined; otherwise, you will have tough and dry donuts.
  • We’ve found it easier to pipe the batter into the donut molds. It makes less that way.
  • Watch the donuts closely while they are in the oven so that they don’t burn.
  • Don’t forget to spray or grease your baking dish so the donuts come out easily and don’t stick to the pan.
Christmas tree cake donuts on a wooden cutting board.

⁉️ FAQ

Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Are little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes the same as zebra cakes?

No, their recipe is similar, but it is not exactly the same.

Can I make these ahead?

Yes, these donuts can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

Do I need a box of Christmas tree cakes to make these donuts?

No, these donuts don’t contain Christmas tree cakes. They look like them.

🍽 More Christmas Recipes

Do you enjoy Christmas recipes? If so, try these delicious recipes:

🧾Recipe Card

Want to make this Christmas tree cakes donut recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.

Homemade donuts on a plate.

Christmas Tree Cake Donuts

These Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Donuts are soft, tender, and coated in a delicious candy coating, and finished off with a festive drizzle.
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Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 24 Donuts
Calories: 183kcal

Equipment

  • large bowl
  • mini muffin mold
  • Piping bag
  • Microwave Safe Bowl 
  • baking sheet lined with parchment paper
  • Ziploc bag or piping bag

Ingredients

  • 13.25 ounces yellow cake mix
  • 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 pound white almond bark
  • Green sprinkles
  • ½ cup red candy melts

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Melt the butter.
  • In a mixing bowl combine the cake mix, eggs, egg yolk, milk and melted butter.
  • Stir until combined.
  • Pipe or spoon the batter into a mini muffin mold.
  • Bake for 12 minutes or until colder and cooked through.
  • Repeat with the rest of the batter.
  • Let the doughnuts cool.
  • In a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals melt the almond bark until smooth and melted.
  • Dip the top of each doughnut in the almond bark and set on a parchment lined tray.
  • Sprinkle with green sprinkles.
  • In a small microwave safe bowl melt the red candy melts until melted and smooth.
  • Place the red candy melts in a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.
  • Drizzle the red chocolate over the doughnuts.
  • Set aside to set up.
  • Serve!

Notes

Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Donut | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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