Easter Nest Cake

For Easter a few years ago, husband and I were going to meet my family for an outdoor picnic. And, me being me, I decided I wanted to bake something for the occasion.

As is usually the case, I didn’t have the time to do something super complicated. I wanted something quick and easy, but still fun and cute. I will admit, this was a little more time consuming than I initially thought, but it was still easy.

So how does one go about making a bird nest cake?? Well first, you need a cake. I used a simple box cake mix, and I made 2 round cakes. It honestly doesn't matter what type of cake you make: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, you name it. I let the cakes bake and cool fully.

Once cooled, I took the first cake and leveled off the top. By this, I mean that I cut a thin sliver of cake off the top, so that it was flat and not rounded. We want the top to be flat so that the cakes can stack well. Spread a layer of chocolate frosting over the top of this cake. For simplicity, I just used store-bought frosting, but you can always make your own, if desired. I used chocolate because I wanted the brown for the nest. But really, any frosting will do fine.

Now, for the most complicated part: We need to cut out a portion of the second cake. I recommend doing this on a separate plate, to prevent crumbs and mess by your finished product. So how do I make the cut out? Take a good knife (I like to use a long paring knife, but any will do), and cut a ring surrounding the center of the cake, making the ring’s diameter about half the diameter of the cake. Be sure not to cut all the way through the cake. You should only go about half way down. We want to still have a layer of cake remaining underneath. Gently slide the knife into the cut ring and toward the center of the cake, working to separate the middle from the outer ring. Do not remove too much cake - you can always cut out more if necessary.

Once the middle of the cake was removed, I used my knife to smooth out the edges a little, so that I was left with a smooth edge, instead of a sharp one. Now you can move your second cake layer to place on top of the first. Move it gently and carefully, as the middle is now more fragile than the rest of the cake.

Now, it's time for the frosting. Spread a layer of frosting over the entire cake. It does not need to be a thick layer, as you will be adding more to create the nest effect. Place the remaining frosting in a pastry bag, fitted with a decorating tip. I chose to use a small round tip, so that the frosting could come out looking like twigs. But you can use a fancier tip is desired. Rotating around the cake, squeeze the frosting in a mostly random pattern. I ended up going around the cake a few times, so that I could put the base layer of "nest", and then add more to create a layered effect, making it look more realistic. It was a little time consuming, but it was not difficult.

Finally, you get to add the finishing touches. I bought some candy eggs from the grocery store. As I was buying them the day before Easter, there weren’t many options left. I ended up having to buy some shimmery ones, but they worked just fine. And I also found some cute chocolate chicks to accompany the eggs. 😊

All in all, my Easter cake was a success. I was happy with it, and I received compliments from my family, which always makes me feel good.