This cake is a must make if you love vanilla. It is so moist and easy to make that I have a feeling it will become your new go to cake recipe. If you love coconut like me you can sprinkle the toasted flakes between each layer so every bite has a little.
How to Make an Easter Cake
1. Sift the flour, baking soda and powder, salt and sugar into a bowl then whisk together and set aside.
2. Whisk together the milk, sour cream, vanilla, eggs and butter. You can use very soft room temperature butter or melted and cooled butter.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry.
4. Mix until just combined then pour batter into your three buttered and floured six inch pans. I always use cake strips for FLAT layers, if you’re not familiar with them check this post out!
5. Cream the butter and salt then sift the powdered sugar in batches, mixing until combined before adding the next batch. Finish off by beating in the blue food coloring. If you used a yellow butter for your frosting then adding blue will give you a nice Robin’s Egg color. You may beet to add a drop of yellow if your butter was exceptionally white.
6. Pipe buttercream between each layer as you assemble. If desired you can add a sprinkling of toasted coconut as well for added taste and texture.
7. Cover the cake completely in buttercream.
8. Smooth the cake’s top and side, then use an offset spatula to pull in the corner while slowly rotating the cake. Clean the tool off after each pass.
9. Mix the cocoa powder and vanilla in a small bowl to create a slurry then dip a clean brush in and use your finger to flick it onto the cake and chocolate eggs. You can practice on a piece of paper first to get the hang of how much of the liquid to add you your brush as well as the distance to hold your brush from the cake and eggs and overall technique. Lay some paper towels down or be prepared to clean up stray chocolate splatters.
10. Pipe a buttercream ring on top of the cake, gently press in the toasted coconut to make a nest, and finally place the chocolate eggs.
I wish you could reach through the screen and grab this piece now. So moist and the vanilla was just right. I chose blue for the buttercream but you can leave it white or dye it any color you’d like! This recipe makes three six inch layers. If you’re making an eight inch cake double the batter and if you’re making nine inch layers triple the batter recipe.
Pro Tips for the BEST Robin’s Egg Easter Cake
- If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
- If you think American buttercream is too sweet then try mixing up a batch of silky Italian meringue buttercream, you might just fall in love!
- You can assemble and decorate most of the cake ahead of time and chill it then add the nest on closer to the serving time. If you’re concerned about the eggs and coconut shifting around you can “glue” it all together using some caramel or buttercream.
- You can assemble and decorate most of the cake ahead of time and chill it then add the nest on closer to the serving time. If you’re concerned about the eggs and coconut shifting around you can “glue” it all together using some caramel or buttercream.
- These also make great cupcakes if you want a smaller set of treats. Just top with buttercream and then roll in the toasted coconut to create the nest then place the eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make robin egg blue icing?
For this cake I used a turquoise blue which mixed with the light yellow frosting for a perfect robin’s egg blue but you can use a mixture of blue and a drop of green to achieve the same color. Mix in SMALL increments until you have the correct color.
Can you make this cake in advance?
Yes! You can make the cake and freeze it, top with the coconut nest and chocolate eggs before serving.
Where can I Find Robin’s Egg blue chocolate eggs?
While Cadbury mini eggs are the most commonly found, Hershey’s mini eggs come in bright pastel colors including the blue seen in these photos.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Easter Egg Cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Easter Egg Cake
Video
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 213g
- 1 cup sugar 228g
- 1/4 tsp baking soda 2g
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 6g
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 176g, room temperature
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream 133g
- 1/2 cup whole milk 113g
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 2 lbs confectioners sugar 907g
- 1 lb butter 456g, unsalted, room temperature
- 3 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- Blue food coloring
For the Assembly:
- ½ cup coconut 40g, toasted, sweetened
- 2 tsp cocoa powder nice quality
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 chocolate eggs mini
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Spread coconut flakes out on a baking sheet. Cook for about 5-10 minutes mixing once in between, they will toast quickly. Set aside to cool.
- Increase temp to 340 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use cake strips on my pans for more even baking as well.
- Sift the dry ingredients (including sugar) together in a large bowl.
- Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans.
- Bake at for about 25-30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, and milk. Mix.
- Add blue food coloring until you get robins egg blue.
- Transfer to a piping bag. Snip off the tip.
For the Assembly:
- Pipe buttercream between each cake layer.
- Pipe an outer layer and smooth out with a bench scraper.
- Mix cocoa powder and vanilla or alcohol. Using a paint brush, splatter the cake and chocolate eggs to create a speckled look.
- Chill for about 10-15 minutes.
- Pipe a ring of buttercream on the cake. Press toasted coconut flakes onto ring. Create a nest shape.
- Add eggs to the inside of the nest.
Notes
- If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.
- If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
Nutrition
Lewis Johnson says
This is so cute. It also can be used for a boy baby shower.
John K. says
Hey Lewis,
That’s an adorable idea!
Best,
John
Lance says
Does anyone know if this 6-inch 3 layer cake would work as an 8-inch 2 layer without any changes to the recipe?
John K. says
Lance,
I would double the recipe just in case! Use the extra batter for cupcakes!
John
Caroline says
Hi John!
I used this cake recipe this weekend (and used cake strips 🙂 ) – two of the cake layers baked great, while the third did not rise as much, dark edges (even with cake strips) and was buttery and a little doughy tasting. Hm.
Is this because of pan placement in the oven? All ovens can be different, but how do you recommend placing the three 6in cake pans in an oven for best results? Ex) Rotating the pans or baking the third pan separately?
John K. says
Caroline,
Yes! I always rotate my pans because my oven is uneven! If you are using the wilton cake strips, one has an extender with more fabric. Leave that one in the oven for a bit longer! Hope you liked the cake!
John
Caroline says
Thanks for the strip tip!
Tried the recipe again last night and shifted their position halfway through. The cake was much more consistent across all three pans this time around. Yay!
Rachel says
Hi, John! Question… in your video, you add kosher salt into the sifted ingredients, but the written recipe calls for baking soda. Are they interchangeable? Which should I use? Thank you!!!
Mandi says
I am so excited to try this cake! Question, if doubling the recipe for pan size, should I double the icing recipe as well?
Thanks!
John K. says
Mandi,
I think you should be fine! I’m pretty sure I had left over buttercream when I was done! Hope you enjoy the cake!
John
Mandi says
I appreciate the quick reply, John! I am so excited about this! Thank you!
Carol says
I followed your directions measured all dry ingredients with a scale – when I was mixing the dry ingredients with the wet the butter did not seems to mix thoroughly and the cake had no taste. What did I do wrong? How soft Should the butter be?
John K. says
Carol,
I let all of my ingredients come to room temperature before I start baking! Sometimes warming up the milk will even help the batter to be smoother! Even if the batter is lumpy from the butter, it’s okay!
John
wjm says
I was in charge of dessert for our family Easter celebration, and as soon as I saw this cake I knew it would be perfect. First I made 6″ layers, but I was impatient and didn’t mix it properly and ended up with dense cakes. I decided I better try again and make 9″ layers so there would be enough cake. I watched the video and gave my ingredients plenty of time to come to room temperature. These cakes turned out much better and the cake came together beautifully. I was not talented enough to get my buttercream as smooth as yours, but I thought it looked pretty good and I received many compliments. I used the Hershey’s chocolate covered eggs and they looked perfect once speckled. Thanks for the tip about baking strips. I thought they really helped. Thanks also for helping to make me the Easter dessert hero this year!
sophie says
Hi,
Am wondering if ”bake convection” is better for cooking my cake or I can use ”bake” only.
John K. says
Sophie,
I’m not sure! I never use convection when baking cakes! Hope you enjoy!
John
Jasmin Davis says
Hi John, is this your vanilla cake recipe as well? Or do you have a post specifically for your vanilla cake recipe?
Also, can you please do a pineapple coconut cake? Pineapple filling coconut buttercream and shredded coconut ? Would love to see how your recipe for this comes out.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Can it be made very far ahead of time?
John K. says
Vanessa,
You can make this cake a few days in advance! Cover it with plastic wrap and it should be fine!
John
Maryam says
Going to try this recipe now. Would this recipe be enough if I use in 2- 8” pans? Also can I use the whole egg instead of the egg white only?
John K. says
Maryam,
Double the recipe for 8-inch pans and use the extra for cupcakes! The yolks make the cake more yellow! I like a very white cake, but you can definitely use the whole egg! Hope you enjoy!
John
Maryam says
So I doubled the recipe and felt it was very dense and not moist at all. Any tips for that?