• Christmas tree decorationschristmas tree image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  The Christmas season is a popular time of the year for baking. Even those who do not bake regularly attempt at least one or two Christmas cookie recipes. More ambitious bakers, or people baking for a large gathering, make Christmas themed cakes and a Christmas tree cake is a festive choice. Decorate your Christmas tree cake to fit your theme or personality. You are limited only by your cake decorating skill level.
  
  

Assess Your Skill Level

• Before you plan out your Christmas tree cake design, assess how comfortable you are with cake decorating. If you are a novice cake decorator, plan a design with mostly ready-made items. If you are a more experienced cake decorator, plan to include more complicated icing techniques and colors. Don't be afraid to experiment with homemade candies to decorate your cake.
  
  

Icing

• For novice cake decorators, stick with the basic butter cream icing (you can make it or buy it), add green food coloring to make the cake look like a Christmas tree, and merely use it as a glue to hold decorations you add to the tree. If you feel brave enough, buy a set of icing tips. There are many different icing tips that will produce varying shapes and lines. Experiment with your icing tip set to decide how you want to decorate your cake before you actually begin. It takes practice to find the correct speed and force to get the icing to come out just right. You can even decorate the entire cake just using different icing colors and tips.
  
  For a smooth, professional look use fondant icing. But do not attempt fondant if you are not experienced with this type of icing; a Christmas tree shape is difficult to work with.
  
  

Candies

• Candy is an inexperienced cake decorator's best friend. This is especially true when decorating a Christmas tree cake because the cake's nature requires extensive ornamentation. Stroll down the candy aisle of any grocery store or pharmacy and let your imagination run wild. For example, red licorice strings look like garland and round chocolate candies work as ornaments. Keep your cake's size in mind. Don't buy candy that is too large or small relative to your cake's size. Minimize the amount of candy you buy by look in the cake decorating aisle and use the candies that are specifically made for decorating baked goods. However, these candies can be very small and may look disproportionate if you make a large Christmas tree cake.
  
  

Accent Your Cake

• Decorating your Christmas tree cake isn't limited to merely decorating the cake itself. Accentuate your cake by making the tree scene more complete. For example, decorate brownies with icing and candy to look like presents and place them under your tree. Be creative and construct an edible scene around your Christmas tree cake.