Christmas baking is my favorite part of the season. This week, I made the cutest Christmas star cakes.
They are small, sweet, and sparkle like little stars on the table. Perfect for a holiday party, New Year’s dessert, or a cozy night in.
Sheet Pan Cake Stars
Did you know you can make any shape of mini-cake from a sheet pan cake?
After your cake cools completely, use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cakes.
Each one turns into a perfect mini star ready to decorate.
Star Christmas Cakes
Equipment
- Star shaped mold 4.5″ across, 1″ high
- 11×17 jelly roll pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow cake mix
- 2 Cups Cake frosting
- Various decorations icing gel, nonpareils, colored crystals, glitter gold, pearls, jimmies, peppermint snow, etc.,
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Mix cake ingredients according to box instructions. Fill jelly roll pan with batter; smooth and even it out with a spatula.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cake cool.
- Take your star mold and grease it lightly. Insert it into one corner of the cake and press down, creating a star shape. Remove the mold and carefully lift out the star-shaped cake.
- Repeat this process using as much of the cake as possible. We got 9 stars from an 11×17 pan. The amount of stars you yield will depend on the size of your mold.
Decorate With Frost & Stencil Words
Frost the stars with a light layer of icing. You can use piping gel to draw letters, add shimmer with sugar crystals, or place little candy pearls on top.
For a simple version, skip the frosting and use a stencil to dust powdered sugar over the top to spell out a word or make a pattern.
It looks simply pretty and tastes less sweet.
Sheet Pan Baking Hack
To get perfect parchment corners on your sheet pan cake, do this before baking:
- Cut a piece of parchment paper a little bigger than your pan, and fold the corners like you are wrapping a gift.
- Flip the pan over, shape the paper, then place it flat inside the pan.
- Spray lightly with baking spray.
It helps every cake bake evenly with no burnt edges, so it’s good every time!
Once your Christmas star cakes are frosted and ready, line them up on a platter and watch everyone’s face light up.
They are simple, fun, and festive, just what my Christmas table needs.
PS. Serve these up under the felt star garland for a simple holiday dessert table.
Photography by Athena Plichta.