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Christmas Wreath Cake

Christmas wreath cake is a festive Bundt cake topped with green cream cheese frosting and red cinnamon candies. The tender sour cream cake is baked until a tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, then decorated with piped frosting stars.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
cooling and chilling 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cake
  • 1 nonstick baking spray with flour as needed for the pan
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp table salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs large, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting and decoration
  • 1 package (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 green gel food coloring as needed
  • 0.33 cup red cinnamon candies

Equipment

  • 1 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan
  • 1 electric mixer
  • 1 piping bag fitted with a star tip

Method
 

Make the cake
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Thoroughly coat a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and table salt.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
  5. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
  6. Mix in the vanilla extract.
  7. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions and beginning and ending with the flour; mix just until combined.
  8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
  9. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  10. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
  11. Invert the cake onto a rack and cool completely.
Make the frosting and decorate
  1. Beat the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.
  2. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar on low until thick and smooth.
  3. Mix in green gel food coloring until the frosting is the desired shade.
  4. Refrigerate the frosting for 20 minutes.
  5. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe stars around the cooled cake to resemble a wreath.
  6. Arrange the red cinnamon candies on top.

Notes

For neat frosting stars, make sure the cake is completely cool before piping. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days; freezing is suitable, preferably before decorating. For a gluten-free variation, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.