Keto Christmas Tree Cakes
Published December 9, 2023 • Updated February 2, 2026
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A homemade, low-carb version of Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes, featuring a sweet sugar free swiss meringue filling in between soft cake layers and finished with a white chocolate candy coating and sprinkles.
With layers of spongy cake surrounding a light, cream filling, it’s easy to enjoy a childhood favorite with these Christmas Tree Cakes. Like I did with my low-carb oatmeal crème pies, I took a Little Debbie snack cake recipe and made it low carb!
I remember these cherished cakes from my childhood, like it was yesterday. Let’s go back to December 1990.
The school cafeteria buzzes with the usual chatter as my best friend Rachelle opens her brown paper lunch bag to pull out the crown jewel of her midday feast: a Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake. Like a beacon of Christmas magic, the chatter at the table stops as we dart our hungry eyes to the tiny cake shaped like a festive tree. My eyes widen as my friend unveils this seasonal treasure and sinks her teeth into the soft, tender cake. For a brief moment, I envied her.
Rachelle always had a Little Debbie snack cake in her lunch bag. My mom always told me they contained too much sugar. It wasn’t until 20 years later that I realized she was right. Each Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake contains 32 g carbohydrates!
With this recipe, I no longer have to miss out on this classic snack cake. It’s easy to make your own Christmas Tree cake using a boxed keto cake mix, sugar free Swiss meringue buttercream frosting and melted white chocolate. And each cake is only 3 g carbs!
Macros for this recipe were calculated based on the brands of ingredients used in the recipe card and reflect only half of the cake used since roughly half of the cake is discarded.
Explore 679+ keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Keto Cake Ingredients
1 box keto cake mix -
ingredients to make cake as listed on box (3 eggs, 1/2 cup water, 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
-
2 quarter sheet pans
-
3 inch tree cookie cutter
Sugar Free Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients
-
4 egg whites
-
3/4 cup sugar free sweetener
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
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1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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instant read thermometer
Candy Coating Ingredients
-
7 oz sugar-free white chocolate chips
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1 tablespoon coconut oil
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red food coloring
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green sprinkles
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Mix cake batter
Prepare keto cake batter according to package instructions with ingredients needed to make the cake batter. For this recipe, I used Ducan Hines Yellow Keto Cake Mix along with 3 eggs, 1/2 cup water and 3 tablespoons coconut oil.
Pour cake batter into baking sheets
Spray two quarter sheet baking pans with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Add roughly equal amounts of cake batter to both sheet pans, smoothing the batter out to fill the entire pan and to ensure even baking and a uniform cake.
Bake the cake
Bake the cake according to the recommended temperature on the back of the box. For this recipe (using King Arthur Keto Cake mix), I bake the cakes at 375 °F for 10-12 minutes. Let cake cool for 1-2 minutes after removing from the oven. Slide a knife around the edges to loosen the cake the sides. Either remove the cake and transfer to a wire rack after 5 minutes to cool completely or let cool completely in the sheet pans.
Swiss meringue filling: mix ingredients
Pour an inch of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Select a heat proof, glass bowl that will fit over the saucepan without the bottom submerging into the boiling water. Add egg whites, sweetener and salt to the bowl and mix until combined.
- 4 egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar free sweetener (measures cup for cup with sugar & will dissolve)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Swiss meringue filling: heat meringue
Place the bowl over the saucepan ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the mixing bowl. Stir mixture with a spatula until the sweetener dissolves and the mixture reaches a temperature of 160 °F (about 5 minutes).
Whip to stiff peaks
Carefully remove the bowl from heat. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, whisk on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. They will be glossy. This can take up to 10 minutes.
Make it a buttercream frosting
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter at a time making sure to mix in thoroughly after each addition. After all the butter is incorporated, add vanilla extract and beat on low until incorporated.
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cut out trees
Using a cookie cutter, cut out as many trees as possible from each sheet cake. Start at one end and work to the other alternating between punching the tree upright and upside down. (see video)
Slice trees in the middle
Using a serrated knife, slice each tree through the middle to reveal two trees from each.
Pipe or spread the frosting
Add frosting to a piping bag and pipe or spread 2-3 tablespoons of frosting on one of the tree halves. Top with the other half to form a sandwich. Repeat with remaining trees.
Melt white chocolate
In a small bowl, melt white chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted and thin & running in consistency.
- 7 oz sugar-free white chocolate
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Coat the snack cakes
Dip the sides of each tree into the melted chocolate. Let excess chocolate run off over the bowl of chocolate to collect and save. Place tree on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining trees. Use a spoon to pour melted chocolate over the top of each cake to completely coat. Before chocolate dries, sprinkle with green sprinkles and pipe red frosting lines over the top. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cakes to a parchment lined tray. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
Thank you sooo much for this recipe!, my 4 yr old is autistic and doesn't understand that they are seasonal, so I used this recipe just in case she didn't want to try them, I didn't want them to go to waste, but instead of the white chocolate chips, I used sugar free white melting wafers, I definitely didn't trust myself making the heated swiss meringue so made faux swiss meringue buttercream, they came out so delicious, Christmas all year round now!!! :)
Carcinogenic food coloring isn't very kid friendly. Try to find a natural food source for the coloring in your recipe. Even if it tastes like cranberry or pomegranate, that would be more kid friendly and it would give the little Debbie Christmas cake a full upgrade besides using keto cake mix.
Totally hear you, and I appreciate you caring about what goes into your food 🤍 Everyone approaches keto (and ingredient choices) a little differently, and this version was designed to keep things simple, accessible, and familiar for families who already use these products.
The good news is, you can absolutely swap in natural coloring sources like beet powder, cranberry, or pomegranate if that’s your preference, and it still works great. That’s one of the things I love about recipes, you can always tweak them to fit what feels best for your kitchen.
You just made my wife very happy with this recipe. As we were watching my first thought was about cake pops for the scraps. Then I thought I could make fool or trifle to use the egg yolks. Even putting the cake bits in your keto ice cream. Thanks.