Christmas Lights Snack Cake
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This Christmas Lights Snack Cake is an incredibly easy and really fun festive way to celebrate the holidays! I use organic Giggles and activated charcoal to make a naturally colored holiday cake!
If you are looking for more organically decorated holiday treats, try my Vegan Christmas Tree Brownies, Tree Sugar Cookies, or my Christmas Tree Cupcakes.
Table of Contents
I am so excited to share this Christmas Lights Snack Cake with you guys today! This cake is so damn cute! And this is a Christmas Lights Cake with no artificial colors, so it’s one you can all get behind.
I made this naturally colored Christmas cake using one of our favorite candies — Giggles. And if you don’t know what Giggles are, they are basically organic Skittles. But they taste a million times better than Skittles — and the green one is not lime, it’s green apple!
In this naturally colored Christmas cake, I use Giggles turned on their sides to mimic Christmas lights. You’ve probably seen people make these before with M&M’s or mini M&M’s. I’ve seen cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more all over Pinterest. But this is a Christmas Lights Cake with no artificial colors!
Giggles are naturally colored with plant based dyes and they are organic! So, this naturally colored Christmas cake is a win all around. And the best part about this Christmas Lights Snack Cake is that it is a delicious gingerbread cake with a cream cheese icing.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
No Artificial Colors: This Christmas Lights Snack Cake is free of artificial colors as I use Giggles in place of the traditional M&M's. If you prefer a chocolate candy on top, try Unreal Milk Chocolate Gems as these are free of artificial colors and non GMO. But, their colors are a bit more pastel, so I don't like them as much for this cake as the Giggles have traditional red and green for Christmas.
Easy and Festive: I love holiday recipes that are both easy and festive and this checks both boxes! Kids can even help decorate this naturally colored Christmas cake.
Simple: This snack cake is a simple one layer cake that is no fuss. I use a 9×9-inch baking pan, but an 8-inch also works. I make this square, but you can also use a 9-inch or 8-inch round pan too.
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Ingredients
- Butter: Organic Valley Salted Butter is my fave!
- Light Brown Sugar: Homemade Organic Light Brown Sugar is what I always use. You can use store bought as well.
- Cane Sugar: Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar is such a deal during the holidays when you're baking!
- Vanilla Extract: My favorite is Simply Organic Vanilla Extract.
- Molasses: This is key for anything gingberbread, Wholesome Organic Blackstrap Molasses is my fave.
- Eggs: Love Organic Valley Large Eggs!
- Heavy Cream: I use Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream, but you can also use milk.
- Cake Flour: I like to use my Homemade Cake Flour.
- Spices: I use Frontier Co-Op Organic Korintje Cinnamon, Frontier Co-Op Organic Cloves, Frontier Co-Op Organic Ginger, baking powder, and sea salt.
- Cream Cheese: I use Organic Valley Cream Cheese.
- Powdered Sugar: Wholesome Organic Powdered Sugar is one of my faves.
- Giggles: I use YumEarth Giggles Organic in place of M&M's.
- Activated Charcoal: This Food Grade Activated Charcoal is perfect for making the black string of lights.
Tools Needed
- Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the most accurate results.
- Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer for this recipe for ease. But, if you want to use a hand mixer, then that's okay too.
- 9-inch Baking Pan: You'll need a 9×9-inch baking pan for this. If you only have an 8-inch baking pan, you can also use that too. I use square here, but round will also work too!
- Parchment Paper: I use parchment paper for ease. My favorite nontoxic parchment paper is from Kana. If you are not lining your baking pan with parchment paper, be sure to grease and flour it well.
- Piping Bag: You'll need a piping bag to pipe the strand of lights.
- Decorating Tip: This is completely optional. I've made this cake using Ateco tip #6 for really round light strand. But, I've also made this just with no tip at all, if you cut the piping bag very small, it works just fine!
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar, cane sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and the butter is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, cake flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking powder, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined. With the mixer on still mixing, slowly add in the heavy whipping cream. Continue to mix until you have a smooth cake batter.
Step 3
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pan. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Step 4
To make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 minute, or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle and mix again until light and fluffy.
Step 5
Reserve 2 tablespoons of icing in a separate bowl and add the activated charcoal to it. Mix together to combine until you have a black icing. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #6 (or you can use a piping bag or zip bag with no tip at all, just cut a very small hole).
Step 6
Frost the cake with the white icing and spread evenly. To decorate: Pipe a string of swirls and loops (get creative and freeform!) on the entire cake. Using the Giggles, place Giggles into the cake on the black lights string. Place the Gigles on their sides so they look like lights, do not place them flat as then they will look too round and they won’t look like lights.
FAQ's
Yes, if you don’t have food grade activated charcoal, you can use cocoa to color the Christmas lights string. It will just be a brown instead of black.
If you want a larger cake, such as a 9 x 13-inch pan you can double this cake recipe and then bake it in a 9 x 13-inch pan. You’ll have to bake it longer, about 35 to 40 minutes at sea level and 30 to 35 minutes at high altitude.
Yes, because this has a cream cheese icing this cake should be stored in the fridge.
Yes! You can make this cake ahead of time. This cake can be made a day in advance if you are making it for a holiday party or dinner. You can bake, frost, and decorate this cake the day before. Just be sure to store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. I would also recommend taking it out of the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes prior to serving so it comes to room temperature.
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Christmas Lights Snack Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Batter
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 113 grams light brown sugar (packed)
- 57 grams cane sugar
- 85 grams blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 212 grams cake flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (room temperature)
Icing
- 57 grams salted butter (softened)
- 57 grams cream cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 284 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar, cane sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and the butter is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, cake flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking powder, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined. With the mixer on still mixing, slowly add in the heavy whipping cream. Continue to mix until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pan.
- To make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 minute, or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle and mix again until light and fluffy.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of icing in a separate bowl and add the activated charcoal to it. Mix together to combine until you have a black icing. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #6 (or you can use a piping bag or zip bag with no tip at all, just cut a very small hole).
- Frost the cake with the white icing and spread evenly.
- To decorate: Pipe a string of swirls and loops (get creative and freeform!) on the entire cake.
- Using the Giggles, place Giggles into the cake on the black lights string. Place the Giggles on their sides so they look like lights, do not place them flat as then they will look too round and they won’t look like lights.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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