Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes (gluten & dairy free)
These copycat Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes are the perfect nostalgic treat if you’re gluten and dairy-free! Almond flour, dairy-free white chocolate, and sprinkles come together for the best treat.
Remember Little Debbie’s Christmas Tree cakes?! They’re a snack cake shaped like a Christmas tree, filled with marshmallow cream and covered with white chocolate and sprinkles. Not only are they yummy, but they’re so cute and aesthetic!
If you’re gluten and dairy-free like me, we sadly miss out on really cute snacks like this all too often. This version is gluten-free, dairy-free, and free from artificial food dyes.
Why you’ll love these Copycat Little Debbie Tree Cakes
- They’re nostalgic. These are such a Christmas classic that you can finally enjoy again!
- Festive perfection. Around the holidays, I love all the themed treats and this is a great addition to any holiday baking!
Recipe Ingredients
- Almond Flour and Arrowroot Starch. You can easily swap the arrowroot starch for tapioca starch.
- Eggs. I haven’t tried to make this recipe egg-free, but you can try to use a flax egg as a substitute.
- Avocado Oil and Coconut Oil.
- Maple Syrup. This sweetens the tree cakes without refined sugar.
- Vanilla Extract.
- Marshmallow Cream. I use this Organic Marshmallow Cream.
- White Chocolate. Dairy-Free White Chocolate
- Sprinkles. I use these Christmas Sprinkles for a festive look!
How to make Copycat Little Debbie Tree Cakes
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this recipe. Find full instructions in the recipe card.
Step one. Prep the cake batter in a bowl.
Step two. Pour the prepared batter into two pans.
Step three. Bake in the oven.
Step four. Cut out the Christmas tree cakes with a cookie cutter.
Step five. Sandwich the Christmas tree cakes together with marshmallow cream between them. Set in the fridge briefly.
Step six. Dip the cakes in melted white chocolate and transfer to a plate. Allow to set before topping with sprinkles.
Tips & Tricks
- Decorate to your heart’s content! I went with a non-traditional decoration to keep it a bit easier, but if you want to make it look like the real deal with the red icing and green sprinkles, go for it!
- Save the extra cake to make cake pops. There will be some extra cake leftover after you slice the trees. Combine the cake in a bowl with some of the marshmallow fluff until you can roll it into balls. Dip the balls in melted white chocolate and set in the fridge for easy cake pops!
Storage instruction
These need to be stored in the fridge and are best within 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to a month.
More Gluten-free Christmas Recipes to Try
Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes (gluten & dairy free)
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Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp arrowroot starch
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling & decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two small baking sheets (I used these) with greased parchment paper.
- Combine the almond flour, arrowroot, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. Add the eggs, avocado oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract and stir until a batter forms.
- Divide the batter evenly to fill the two cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cake is baked through. Allow to cool.
- Working with one sheet cake at a time, turn the cake onto a cutting board and cut out Christmas tree cakes with a cookie cutter. Repeat with both cakes.
- Spread marshmallow cream on one of the Christmas tree cakes and sandwich another on top. Repeat for all of the Christmas trees and set in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil together in a double boiler, or in the microwave at 30-second intervals.
- Dip the cakes in the white chocolate, spooning the chocolate over to evenly cover, and transfer to a parchment-lined plate. Top with sprinkles.
- Set in the fridge for 30-60 minutes or until the chocolate is set and enjoy!
I rarely ever leave a comment on a recipe but this was FIRE. Brought this to girls night and my friends all said they were so much better than the original little debbie tree cakes! Such a simple recipe too. I subbed arrowroot starch with corn starch which worked just fine
Thank you so much!!
I want to make these but I each a no starch diet. Is there a way to do this without the starch ingredient? Can I substitute something else?
Hi Lisa! Modifying gluten free recipes can be difficult, so I’m not sure it would work without testing it. Let me know if it works out!
Do you have a suggestion for replacing the coconut oil? Maybe palm or more avocado? I don’t want them to come out greasy which I’m afraid more avocado oil may do.
Another cooking oil like avocado should work!
Do you have recommended substitutes to make this completely free of added sugar?
That recipe would be really, really difficult to adapt for sugar free. I would find a recipe that’s sugar free from the start to ensure it works well!
Thank you so much for this fun recipe! They turned out so yummy.
The cake was stuck to the parchment paper that I oiled really well with avocado oil. Should I do less oil next time? The cake was stuck on the paper so the trees turned out a lil crumby and I couldn’t get them to be perfectly shaped
hmm that’s odd, mine peeled right off… you can maybe try setting it in the fridge to see if it peels better when there’s less moisture.
Thanks you for helping bring back childhood memories!! I’ve not had Little Debbie’s cakes in 10-15 years. I made these and I’m so satisfied!! Hubby said they taste pretty close to the terr>ble for you packages and these aren’t waxy like those other cakes!!
Yay, so glad!!
So fun, cute and delicious! I substituted Tiger Nut flour for the almond flour because of a sensitivity. I also ended up using just over a cup of the white chocolate chips in a double boiler which kept the chocolate warm and easy to work with. Would definitely make again.
Yay, so glad it worked!!
What can I use in place of almond flour? Tigernut flour maybe?
I haven’t tried anything else, but another read used tigernut flour and said it subbed 1:1, so could try that!
If I can’t do almond flour . What would you recommend for a swap?
I made these with Tigernut flour. I subbed it 1:1. They turned out great!