Christmas Tree Cake Macarons
The first tray of these macarons can look promising right up until a shell cracks or sticks to the parchment. The small details matter here: a smooth batter, a dry…
By Ava
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Reading time: 10 min
Tip: save now, make later.
The first tray of these macarons can look promising right up until a shell cracks or sticks to the parchment. The small details matter here: a smooth batter, a dry surface before baking, and enough patience to let the shells cool completely. Once those green shells are filled with buttery Christmas Tree Cake crumbs, the payoff is a festive little sandwich with a soft, cake-scented center and a crisp finish.
I like how the filling makes these feel familiar without turning them into ordinary frosted cookies. The crumbled cakes blend into the butter mixture, while vanilla and a little salt keep the sweetness in check. A white chocolate drizzle and red nonpareils give each macaron its holiday finish, and the overnight rest lets the shells and filling settle together into one tender bite.
Kitchen Note
Start with a clean mixing bowl when you whip the egg whites. Grease left in the bowl can keep the meringue from becoming stiff and glossy, and that structure is hard to recover once you begin folding.
Save these Christmas Tree Cake Macarons for a festive bake: green shells, a cake-crumb filling, and a white chocolate finish.
Why the Shells Need a Dry Skin Before They Go in the Oven
Macaron batter is delicate, but the shells don’t go straight from the piping bag into the oven. Resting gives the piped rounds time to form a dry outer layer. As the shells bake, that surface helps them rise upward into their familiar feet instead of splitting across the top.
Think of the touch test as a better guide than the clock alone. A shell that still feels tacky hasn’t formed the surface you’re waiting for, so give the tray more time at room temperature. The full rest can take 30 to 60 minutes; humidity and the conditions in your kitchen affect where your batch lands in that range. Rushing this pause is a common reason macarons crack, even when the meringue and batter look right.
This is also why I prepare the baking sheets and finish piping before the rest begins. Once the rounds are sitting on parchment, leave them undisturbed until their tops feel dry. A little patience here matters more than trying to fix the shells after they’ve gone into the oven.
What Almond Flour and Christmas Tree Cake Crumbs Each Do
- Almond flour — Fine, evenly milled flour gives the shells their smooth surface and tender bite. Sifting it with the powdered sugar catches larger pieces before they reach the batter. Almond meal is coarser and won’t give the same polished shell, so I stick with almond flour rather than swapping in another nut flour.
- Powdered sugar and granulated sugar — Powdered sugar goes into both the shells and the filling, but it has a different job in each. Granulated sugar is beaten into the egg whites to build the meringue. Sift the shell portion with the almond flour; the filling portion can go straight into the butter mixture.
- Egg whites — Room-temperature whites whip more readily than cold ones, which helps them reach stiff, glossy peaks. Separate them carefully so no yolk gets into the bowl. There isn’t a dependable whole-egg substitute for this macaron shell structure.
- Green gel food coloring — Gel gives the shells color without adding much liquid. Use gel rather than liquid coloring here; extra moisture can change how the batter behaves.
- Butter and Christmas Tree Cakes — Softened butter makes a smooth base for the filling, and finely crumbled cakes distribute through it without leaving large chunks that interfere with piping. You don’t need a specialty butter, but it should be soft enough to beat smoothly.
- Vanilla and fine salt — Vanilla rounds out the cake filling, while salt keeps the sweetness from feeling one-note. Keep the fine salt in the mixture so it blends evenly.
- White chocolate, neutral oil, and red nonpareils — The oil helps the melted white chocolate drizzle smoothly. Stir between short microwave bursts so the chips melt evenly, then add the nonpareils while the drizzle is still wet so they stay in place.
From Glossy Meringue to Filled Christmas Tree Cake Macarons
Sift the Dry Ingredients Together
Heat the oven to 300°F and line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift the almond flour and the shell portion of the powdered sugar into a bowl, then set it aside. Sifting now helps keep the mixture light and reduces the chance of coarse bits showing on the finished shells.
Whip and Fold Without Deflating the Batter
Beat the room-temperature egg whites until foamy, then add the granulated sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in the green gel coloring. Fold the sifted almond flour mixture into the meringue in three additions, stopping when the batter falls from the spatula in a thick ribbon and settles back into itself within about 10 seconds. If it stays in stiff clumps, it needs more folding; if it pours too freely, the batter has been folded too far.
Pipe, Rest, and Bake the Shells
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Tap each sheet firmly on the counter and use a toothpick to pop visible air bubbles. Let the rounds stand at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, until their surfaces feel dry and aren’t tacky when lightly touched. Bake one sheet at a time for 14 to 16 minutes; look for risen feet and tops that don’t shift when gently touched, then cool the shells completely on the sheets.
Fill, Drizzle, and Let Them Settle
Beat the softened butter with the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy, then beat in the finely crumbled cakes and transfer the filling to a piping bag. Pipe about 1 teaspoon onto the flat side of half the shells and top each with another shell, pressing gently to make sandwiches. Microwave the white chocolate chips with the neutral oil in 15-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth; drizzle it over the macarons and add the red nonpareils while it’s wet. Let the drizzle set, then refrigerate the macarons in an airtight container for 12 to 24 hours and bring them to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Three Ways to Change the Look or Batch Size
Make the shells without green coloring
Leave out the green gel coloring and keep the rest of the shell method unchanged. The macarons will be pale rather than green, with the same almond shell and cake-crumb filling; they’ll still look festive with the white chocolate and red nonpareils.
Leave off the chocolate decoration
Skip the white chocolate, oil, and nonpareils for a simpler finish that puts the green shells and cake filling front and center. The macarons won’t have the added chocolate decoration, so keep the filled shells chilled until serving.
Make a half batch
Halve each ingredient to make about 10 macarons. Weigh the egg whites rather than relying on half of a whole egg white, and halve the shell and filling portions of powdered sugar separately. The smaller batch keeps the same look and flavor without leaving you with as many to store.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Keep the macarons in an airtight container. Chill them for 12 to 24 hours before serving so the shells and filling can settle together.
- Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing these; the shells and chocolate finish can soften or turn tacky as they thaw.
- Reheating: Don’t heat macarons. Let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving, as heating can melt the filling and soften the shells.
Questions That Come Up While Making These Macarons
Christmas Tree Cake Macarons
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 300°F.
- Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift the almond flour and 3.5 ounces of the powdered sugar together into a bowl, then set aside.
- In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Beat in the green gel food coloring.
- Fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue in three additions until the batter flows from the spatula in a thick ribbon and settles back into itself within about 10 seconds.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Tap each sheet firmly on the counter and pop visible air bubbles with a toothpick.
- Let the shells stand at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, until their surfaces feel dry and are not tacky when lightly touched.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 14 to 16 minutes, until the shells have risen feet and their tops do not shift when gently touched.
- Cool completely on the sheets.
- Beat the softened butter, remaining 4 ounces powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl until smooth and fluffy.
- Beat in the finely crumbled Christmas Tree Cakes until evenly combined, then transfer the filling to a piping bag.
- Pipe about 1 teaspoon of filling onto the flat side of half the shells.
- Top with the remaining shells and gently press to form sandwiches.
- Microwave the white chocolate chips and neutral oil in a small bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring between intervals, until smooth.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the macarons and add the red nonpareils while the chocolate is wet.
- Let the drizzle set.
- Refrigerate the macarons in an airtight container for 12 to 24 hours.
- Let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.