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Christmas Chaos Cake

A fun and colorful holiday sheet cake that celebrates the mess of the season with a vanilla or chocolate base topped with frosting and an assortment of candies, cookies, and sprinkles.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Holiday
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pantry basics
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cups neutral oil or melted butter
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk Use 1 tablespoon lemon juice in 1 cup milk if buttermilk is not available.
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup sour cream (optional) For extra moisture.
Chaos toppings
  • 1 to 1.5 cups frosting (vanilla buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or chocolate frosting) Cream cheese frosting is recommended for its tang.
  • 1 cup mixed chocolate candies (M&M’s, chopped chocolate bars, mini peanut butter cups)
  • 1 cup cookie crumbles (Oreos, shortbread, sugar cookies, ginger snaps)
  • 0.5 cup salty crunch (crushed pretzels, potato chips)
  • Festive sprinkles and mini marshmallows
  • Drizzles (melted chocolate or store-bought caramel)

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In another bowl, whisk oil or melted butter with eggs, vanilla, milk, and sour cream if using.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
Baking
  1. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
  2. Bake for 26 to 32 minutes, starting to check for doneness at 25 minutes.
  3. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.
Frosting and Decoration
  1. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the cooled cake.
  2. Scatter the cookie crumbles, candies, and pretzels evenly over the frosting.
  3. Add sprinkles, mini marshmallows, and drizzle with melted chocolate or caramel.
Serving
  1. Chill for 20 to 30 minutes to help set the frosting and toppings.
  2. Slice with a warm knife for clean edges and serve.

Notes

Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate if using cream cheese frosting. This cake is flexible; experiment with toppings you have on hand.