Bird’s Nest Easter Cake

Can you believe it’s almost Easter?!?!?! This is our last one before the ???? arrive!! We’re having lots of family over this year. I’m super-excited to see everyone BUT let’s just say the pressure is definitely on! ?  We have some guests coming with dietary restrictions. To accommodate them, I need to come up with some vegetarian options and dairy-free options. Anyhow, I’ve been wanting to make a bird’s nest cake for a while now so I whipped up a little chocolate cake, some chocolate buttercream and some of my favorite, Easter candies. Super easy and pretty cute, if you ask me! But I’m not sure if it’s a mini-cake or a mega-cupcake!! What do you think? ????

Cut the cake down into a nest shape.Cover cake in buttercream and smooth.  Pipe the “twigs” with a #4 tip. You can also use shaved chocolate, spin sugar or even toasted coconut.  

Place eggs in the nest. I used malted chocolates as they are larger than the mini chocolate eggs.

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Bird's Nest Easter Cake

Moist chocolate cake covered in a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with a gaggle of chocolate eggs. Perfect for an Easter treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 cakes

Calories 169 kcal

Author jkanell

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder not dutch processed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil, or melted coconut oil
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed strong, hot coffee

For the Frosting

• 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5-6 tbsp heavy cream
• 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
• 1/2-3/4 tsp salt to taste
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate melted and cooled

Instructions

For the Cake

1. Butter and flour 6 four inch pans. (You can use larger pans and just cut the cakes down to size if you don't have 4 inch pans.) Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and soda.

3. Beat the eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla together in a separate bowl.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in the hot coffee last.

5. Distribute the batter evenly to the pans. and bake for about 25 minutes or until the centers are baked.

For the Buttercream

1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar, cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and melted chocolate. 

For the Assembly

1. Cut the cake down into a nest shape. Cover with buttercream and smooth. Pipe "twigs" with a number 4 tip. Place the chocolate eggs in the nest and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Bird's Nest Easter Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 169

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.