Multi Textured Winter Tree Cake Tutorial

Embrace the winter wonderland aesthetic with this multi textural, multi technique buttercream cake. This cake is decorated using buttercream carving, palette knife techniques, and also some classic piping. Read through to find out how to make it!

This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

Something about using a monochrome neutral color palette makes my heart swoon. I love how it gives the textures and dimension a chance to really shine.

First things first, let’s talk buttercream. For this cake I used my Swiss Meringue Buttercream that I’ve been fine tuning the recipe for. Stay tuned for the posted recipe! In the mean time, you can totally do these techniques with your favorite buttercream.

To set your cake up for the carving technique, make sure to frost it with a decently thick layer so the cake layers won’t peak through when you carve the trees.

Once you have a smooth base, allow your cake to chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes or until the buttercream is firm.

Carved Buttercream Trees

Next, you’re going to create your first layer of trees using the carved buttercream technique. The tool you’ll need for this step is a pottery carving tool similar to the ones listed below. Just make sure they are clean and don’t have any hazardous coatings on them!

S & E TEACHER’S EDITION 6 Pcs Pottery & Clay Sculpting Tools, Double-Sided, Smooth Wooden Handles.

Check Price

Use a small pottery tool to create indents shaped like the tree in the photo. Tap the excess buttercream off into a bowl and clean off as needed. If the frosting becomes too soft, pop the cake back in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.

Pipe 3-4 Trees spaced evenly around your cake.

Palette Knife Trees

The second set of trees will be created using the palette knife technique. I use palette knives from Sleeping Makes Me Hungry. Amazon also has similar products (Linked below).

CONDA Palette Knife Painting Stainless Steel Spatula Palette Knife Oil Paint Metal Knives Wood Handle (Red 5 Piece)

Check Price

Palette Knife Tree Steps

1. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on a cutting board.
2. Using a palette knife roughly 2 inches long, scrape your knife back and forth along the buttercream at a 45 degree angle to allow the buttercream to accumulate on the under side of the knife.
3. The palette knife trees will be placed on either side of the carved buttercream trees, slightly overlapping, and slightly shorter in height. With the tip of the palette knife pointing towards the edge of where you want the branch to be, gently press down and pull the knife towards the center of your tree. The more buttercream you have loaded onto the knife, the more raised the edges will be.
4. Repeat the process, layering branches towards the top of your tree.

Piped Trees

These trees are the most simple of the bunch. You’ll want these trees to be placed in between the palette knife trees, and be the shortest.

Use a piping tip with a lot of “teeth” such as a #21.

Wilton Cake Decorating Tip Pkg Open Star #21

Check Price

Pipe branches starting at the tip, applying pressure and pulling the branches up and towards the middle of the tree. Create a row of piped branches as the base. Overlap two to 3 more layers, decreasing in width to create a tree shape, until you reach the top.

1M Piped Border

For the top of the cake, use a large start tip like the 1M to create a swirl all the way around the rim.

Tip: Make sure you have a full piping bag and have twisted the end where you hold it tight so you can pipe as long of a continuous line as possible. If you are running out of tension to pipe and must stop, stop the swirl when you are on the bottom so when you restart you can cover the end point when you overlap to continue the swirl.

Sprinkle Decorations

To finish off the cake, sprinkle on sparkling sanding sugar and small non pariels on the top of your 1M border.

Wilton Sparkling Sugar Decorating Sprinkles, 8 oz., White

Check Price

Wilton White Nonpareils Cake Decorating Supplies, 3 Ounce (Pack of 1)

Check Price

Last, place larger white edible pearl sprinkles along the base of the cake.

Wilton Sugar Pearls, White, 5 Oz, Non Toxic

Check Price

And that’s it! Hope you enjoyed this Winter Tree Cake tutorial as we explored a variety of buttercream techniques. If you end up trying it out I’d love to hear how it goes!