Chocolate Pine Tree Cake
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
A rich chocolate cake shaped like a pine tree. Uses cake flour and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Leavens with baking powder and baking soda. Incorporates buttermilk instead of sour cream. Butter and granulated sugar creamed with eggs and vanilla. Baked in a 24 cm tube pan or pine tree mold on baking sheet. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Takes about 1 hour total. Serves 8 slices.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
55 min
Total:
Servings:
8 servings
#chocolate
#winter desserts
#holiday baking
#pine tree shape
#buttermilk
#baking tips
Chocolate and trees. Winter vibes. Cut into pine shapes. No nuts here. Cake flour makes it tender. Dutch cocoa for deeper color. Butter, sugar, eggs — the base. Buttermilk adds tang instead of sour cream. Easier on fridge space too. Mixing dry and wet alternately keeps batter light. Bake in a tube pan for that ring shape or pine mold. Watch it bake. Toothpick test. Cool, then dust with snow-like sugar. Adds chill. Slice it thick or thin. Great with warm chocolate sauce if feeling extra. Simple decorations keep focus on chocolate. Kids love the shape. Adults appreciate the texture. It’s sturdy yet soft. A winter table centerpiece.
Ingredients
- 400 ml cake flour (about 1 2/3 cups)
- 150 ml Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted (about 2/3 cup)
- 10 ml baking powder (2 teaspoons)
- 8 ml baking soda (1 1/2 teaspoons)
- 350 ml buttermilk (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 100 ml crème fraîche
- 200 ml unsalted butter, softened (about 7/8 cup)
- 200 ml granulated sugar (about 7/8 cup)
- 8 ml pure vanilla extract (1 1/2 teaspoons)
- 3 large eggs
- powdered sugar for dusting
About the ingredients
Swapping cake flour instead of all-purpose lowers gluten for softness. Dutch-processed cocoa powder used for mellow acidity and deep color; avoid natural cocoa powder if you want smooth bitterness. Baking powder + baking soda balance rise and color. Buttermilk in place of sour cream offers a fresher tang and slight moisture difference. Crème fraîche adds fat and richness without heaviness. Butter softened, not melted, for proper creaming with sugar. Vanilla extract enhances, not dominates. Eggs bind moisture but also help fluff texture. Powders sifted to avoid lumps—no gritty pockets. Sifting cocoa makes color uniform, prevents clumps that dry out parts of cake. Grease molds well to avoid sticking, especially intricate pine shapes. A baking sheet stabilizes fancy shapes to prevent topple or spill in oven.
Method
- Position oven rack in middle. Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Grease a 24 cm (9.5 inch) tube pan or pine tree shape mold well. If using pine tree mold, place on baking sheet to stabilize during baking.
- In medium bowl, sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk buttermilk and crème fraîche together. Set aside.
- In large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until creamy and light, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until smooth and pale.
- Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter mix, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap lightly to level surface. Bake 50-55 minutes, or until center tests clean with a toothpick.
- Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert onto wire rack and cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.
- Serve slices dusted with powdered sugar. Optional: chocolate sauce on the side.
Cooking tips
Oven centered rack gives even heat around pan. Preheat fully for proper rise. Grease pan thoroughly; no parchment—too fragile for pine molds. Sift dry ingredients together for homogeneity. Mix buttermilk and crème fraîche until smooth, no lumps. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed for aeration. Add eggs slowly to prevent curdling. Vanilla added at egg stage for aroma integration. Alternate dry and wet in 3 parts: dry-liquid-dry-liquid-dry. Fold gently to preserve air bubbles yet avoid unmixed pockets. Pour batter carefully; no overfilling or underfilling pans to avoid uneven baking or collapse. Bake about 50-55 minutes; oven variations mean check early at 45, then every 5 min. Toothpick clears clean, not wet batter. 15-minute cool in pan prevents cracking when unmolding. Full cool on rack prevents soggy bottom and crumbling. Powdered sugar dusting last step, just before serving, avoids absorption or melting. Chocolate sauce optional, served separately to keep the snowy look. Store leftovers wrapped tightly to preserve moisture. Reheat gently wrapped in foil for warmed slices.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Use softened butter, never melted or cold. Achieve light, fluffy texture by beating at medium speed 3-5 minutes. Adding eggs slowly prevents curdling—add one at a time, beat until smooth before next. Vanilla at egg stage, not before. Sift dry ingredients including cocoa for uniform color, avoid lumps. Alternate adding dry and wet in parts to maintain batter airiness, start and end dry. Folding technique important – gentle but full incorporation. Overmixing kills rise and texture.
- 💡 Use Dutch-processed cocoa not natural for mellow, deep flavor and smoother bitterness. Natural cocoa powder changes pH, affects baking soda reaction and color. Cake flour lowers gluten, makes crumb tender versus all-purpose. Grease molds thoroughly to prevent sticking, especially intricate pine shapes. No parchment in molds; too fragile, crumbs stick and tear. Stabilize pine mold on baking sheet to prevent tipping during bake. Oven rack placement centralizes heat; consistent rise depends on it.
- 💡 Baking times vary—start checking at 45 minutes then every 5. Toothpick test must come out clean but not too dry. Cooling in pan 15 minutes avoids cracking when unmolding. Then full cool on wire rack prevents soggy bottom and crumbled edges. Powdered sugar dusted last second before serving to keep snowy effect. Chocolate sauce always serve separately to maintain dry surface, avoid melting sugar. Leftover slices wrapped tightly, stored cool or fridge, reheat gently wrapped in foil to keep moistness without drying.
- 💡 Mix buttermilk with crème fraîche until smooth, no lumps. Keeps moisture balance. Buttermilk brings tang without heaviness compared to sour cream alternatives. Crème fraîche adds richness with less weight, no greasiness. Substitute crème fraîche with light coconut cream for tropical undertone, careful impact on structure. Swap butter with mild avocado oil for dairy-free fat option, adds moistness subtly without flavor dominance. Keep batter consistency same when swapping fats.
- 💡 Dusting with green matcha and powdered sugar adds pine dimension with bittersweet contrast. Adds visual depth without sugar overload. Work quickly after cooling to avoid sugar melting. Use tube pan for ring shape or pine mold for holiday touch. Both impact final bake time slightly; monitor closely. Don't overfill pans to prevent uneven rise or spilling. Tap pan gently to level batter, remove air bubbles but avoid overmixing.
Common questions
Why use cake flour instead of all-purpose?
Cake flour lowers gluten which makes crumb tender and soft. All-purpose flour makes denser crumb. Cake flour sifts finer, blends better with cocoa. Gluten affects texture. For pine shapes, softer crumb holds but doesn’t get tough. Not big rise difference but noticeable feel in mouth.
Can I substitute sour cream for crème fraîche?
Sour cream is heavier, more tangy. Crème fraîche lighter fat, richer but less dense. Using sour cream might make cake denser, moister but less fluffy. If using sour cream, reduce buttermilk slightly because it adds moisture too. Coconut cream can substitute for dairy-free, but affects texture and flavors tropical. Watch mixing times to adjust for liquid variations.
Cake sticks to mold or breaks when unmolding?
Usually greasing is not thorough or mold not prepared right. Pine mold edges require careful grease application. No parchment paper – it’s fragile with shapes. Let cake cool 15 minutes before unmolding. Cooling too fast or too cold causes cracking. Tap pan to loosen edges if needed. Try silicone molds if sticking repeats. Light dusting with flour on grease helps sticky issues.
How to store leftover cake properly?
Wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap or in airtight container. Keeps moisture in but cake still breathes. Refrigerate if warm climate; cake can dry out, so double wrap helps. Freeze in layers separated by parchment. Thaw wrapped at room temp. Reheat slices in foil at low oven temperature or microwave wrapped briefly, avoids drying. Avoid open air storage; cake texture degrades quickly.
