Tree Stump Cake (Easy Recipe Tutorial)

Woodland tree stump cake! A perfect Christmas dessert is made with vertical cake layers, whipped cream, and chocolate ganache and decorated with a captivating design resembling actual tree bark.

It's easier than you think! Whether you celebrate Christmas or host a woodland-themed party, this cake is the ultimate showstopper.

Woodland tree stump cake

Tree stump cake, tree trunk cake, or gâteau souche d'arbre in French is a Christmas vertical layer cake made with rich buttercream or chocolate ganache and covered with chocolate bark.

Also known as woodland tree stump cake, it is decorated with meringue mushrooms, edible moss, sugared cranberries, rosemary sprigs, etc.

If you have made a Swiss roll cake in the past, you will succeed with this cake, too! It is just a giant Swiss cake roll created in a different way: this cake stands upright, revealing vertical layers when sliced. It is like a beautiful twist on a French Yule log or Bûche de Noël.

My guests were amazed at how I managed to keep the rolled cake upright. We all know how stubborn roll cakes can be!

But how long does it take to make this cake? You can make it in one day or split the process over two days. Here is my easy-to-follow step-by-step tutorial.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature.
• Cake flour, store-bought or homemade.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: My favorite one is by the Valrhona brand.
• Sugar: You will need vanilla, granulated, and icing sugar. Make icing sugar with a coffee grinder or purchase powdered (confectioners') sugar.
• Whole milk or low-fat milk.
• Butter: Use European-style unsalted butter with 82% fat. To make the sponge, melt it and cool it to room temperature. To make the chocolate frosting, use softened butter.
• Heavy or heavy whipping cream with at least 30% fat content.
• Condensed milk, store-bought or homemade sweetened condensed milk.
• Dark chocolate: Use top-quality dark chocolate such as Valrhona dark chocolate or Scharffen Berger dark chocolate (70% cocoa). And please avoid chocolate chips to make chocolate ganache. This doesn't work!
• Decoration: Meringue mushrooms, chopped pistachios, edible moss, sugared cranberries, or rosemary sprigs.

How to make tree stump cake step-by-step

Step 1. Prepare a silicone 12 x 16 inch (30 x 40 cm) non-spill baking sheet or a large baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Step 2. To make a chocolate sponge cake, preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Mix cake flour with cocoa powder by sifting them in a large bowl and set aside.

Step 3. Pour milk and add butter into a small bowl. Place the bowl over a larger container filled with hot water and let the liquids reach the temperature of 122-150°F (50-60°C) by using a cooking thermometer to check.

Step 3. Place whole eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar in a heat-proof bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat a few times with a hand whisk.

Step 5. Bring the bowl over a bain-marie or water bath and beat with a hand whisk until it reaches a warm 104°F (40°C).

Step 6. Remove the bowl from the water bath, and whip the mixture until perfection in just 6-7 minutes using an electric or stand mixer with a whisk attachment.

Step 7. Reduce the mixer speed once the batter triples in volume, turns whitish, and flows like a thick ribbon from the beaters. Whisk at the lowest speed for 2 minutes to adjust the batter's texture (photo 1).

Step 8. Sift the dry ingredients over the bowl with batter and gently mix with a silicone spatula. Start from the bottom, work your way up, and give the container a gentle counterclockwise turn.

Step 9. Take two tablespoons of the chocolate mixture and combine it with warm milk and butter in a bowl. Use a spatula to mix everything together.

Step 10. Return the mixture to the main preparation and mix it thoroughly, starting from the bottom and moving upwards (photo 2).

Step 11. Pour the cake batter into the silicone baking sheet (photo 3) from 8 inches (20 cm) above the pan to remove large air bubbles.

Pro tip: Alternatively, spread the batter onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make a 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm) rectangle with ½ inch (1 cm) thickness.

Step 12. Use a bent spatula or a dough scraper to smooth the surface, but don't overdo it in the same area.

Step 13. Bring the baking pan to the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature from 390°F (200°C) to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 10-12 minutes (photo 4).

Pro tip: Don't overbake the cake. Check for doneness with a toothpick: it should come out dry.

Step 14. Remove the sponge cake from the oven, and while it is hot, flip it on a clean tea towel dusted generously with icing (powdered) sugar.

Step 15. Carefully peel off the silicone baking sheet (photo 5) or parchment paper. Trim the cake edges on all sides with a long serrated knife, aiming for the thinnest edge possible. Cover the cake with a fresh piece of parchment paper.

Step 16. Roll the cake with parchment paper inside and towel outside (photo 6), and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then, unroll it and allow the cake to cool at room temperature for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Step 17. To make the sweetened whipped cream, place all the cream ingredients in a cold mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until firm (photo 7).

Pro tip: Consult the Chantilly cream recipe for step-by-step photographed explanations, helpful tips, and tricks.

Step 18. To roll the cake, remove the parchment from the top of the cake. Cut it equally into four parts horizontally (along the cake's long edge) to obtain four strips of sponge cake. They will be approximately 2.8 x 14.5 inches (7 x 37 cm).

Step 19. Keep the strips close to each other. Spread the cream in an even layer over four cake strips using an offset spatula (photo 8).

Step 20. Start rolling the first strip with your hands, making a tight cake roll's core. Continue rolling and tighten the roll as you go (photo 9).

Step 21. Connect the short side of the roll with the short side of the second sponge strip and roll. Firmly roll the cake, preventing the rolled cake and cream from protruding to one side.

Step 22. Carefully flip the cake roll upright, placing it on a cake board or a serving platter. The spiral ends will become exposed at the top (photo 10).

Step 23. Take the next strip, the third cake layer, join it where the second strip is finished, and continue to roll. Tight it and finish rolling the log cake with the fourth cake layer. Spread the protruded cream on top.

Step 24. To get a tidy vertical cake, use an acetate cake collar to cover the cake sides. Then, wrap the cake with a mousse ring to keep it in place. Adjust the ring for a secure fit (photo 11) and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Pro tip: Alternatively, simply cover the sides and the top of the rolled cake with plastic film to prevent it from drying. Refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 25. To decorate the tree stump cake, first, make chocolate ganache with butter. Chop a dark chocolate bar or use chocolate callets. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to crush the chocolate.

Step 26. Place chopped chocolate in a small saucepan and bring it over a water bath. Melt chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon. Allow the melted chocolate to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Step 27. Add softened butter, cut into medium-sized cubes, and whip with an electric mixer until creamy and homogeneous (photo 12).

Step 28. Take the rolled cake from the refrigerator, place it on a turntable, peel off the plastic wrap, or remove the cake ring and acetate collar. Spread the chocolate ganache on top of the cake.

Step 29. With a small offset spatula, create a swirl while spinning the cake. Alternatively, use a fork or a toothpick to make lines resembling the rings of the tree.

Step 30. Use a rubber spatula to evenly coat the sides of the cake, working from the bottom to the top. Try to mimic the tree bark, making it slightly higher than the tree rings.

Step 31. Use a small offset spatula or a fork to draw the vertical lines around the cake to represent the bark of the tree (photo 13).

Pro tip: Create a realistic tree bark effect on chocolate buttercream by attaching chocolate shards instead of using a fork or spatula. You need to stick the chocolate bark onto the chocolate frosting before it has fully set.

Step 32. Decorate the top and sides of the tree stump cake with meringue mushrooms, chopped pistachios, sugared cranberries, edible moss, rosemary sprigs, etc. (photo 14). Dust the cake with icing sugar or shredded coconut to give the effect of snow, and serve right away.

If serving the cake later, refrigerate it. However, bring it to room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving for the chocolate ganache to soften.

Expert Tips

1. Read about how to roll a cake to master the rolling technique.
2. If using a jelly roll pan, recalculate the recipe ingredients using this simple cake pan converter. You may need to make two sponge cakes to create the same cake, like in the recipe.
3. Cut the tree stump cake with a hot knife: doing so will result in a clean slice of the cake for each guest.
4. Make-ahead option: Make meringue mushrooms, frosted cranberries, edible moss, chocolate bark, etc., one or two days ahead. Bake, roll, and wrap the cake in plastic wrap or mousse cake ring in the fridge overnight. On the day of serving, spread the chocolate ganache and add your decorative touches.

Storing and freezing

Store the tree stump cake under a glass cake dome refrigerated for up to 1 day, but the fully assembled cake is best consumed on the day it is decorated.

To serve, bring the cake to the kitchen counter for at least 1 hour for the chocolate buttercream to soften.

Can you freeze it? You can freeze unfrosted cake wrapped in plastic for up to one month. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then frost and decorate.

Recipe variations

• Cake: If you are uncomfortable making a cake roll, you can create a woodland tree sump cake out of a simple chocolate sponge cake. Simply cut it into three layers, filling each with cream. Then, decorate the cake like a whimsical tree stump with fun decorations.

• Filling: Fill the cake roll with your favorite cream, from Chantilly cream, chocolate whipped ganache, vanilla buttercream, and cream cheese filling.

• Frosting: Replace chocolate ganache with chocolate buttercream.

• Decoration: You can leave the top of the cake bare or cover it with chocolate ganache in the recipe.

Love Christmas desserts? Try these next!

The magical time of the year brings an endless number of Christmas desserts, from Gingerbread mini men cookies to classic Buche de Noel.

• Christmas Pavlova Wreath
• Japanese Christmas Cake
• French Gingerbread Loaf
• Mandarin and Gingerbread Pavlova

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.