Coconut Easter Nest Cake
Welcome to the 1,000th post on Sally’s Baking Addiction!
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So let’s eat cake with candy! Honestly out of all the holidays in the year, Easter season is the BEST candy season. Easter bunny, you’ve got the right idea. Robin’s Eggs! Jelly Beans! Cadbury Creme Eggs! Reese’s Eggs! I wanted to put the pastel beauties of the season on display and while another piñata cake was tempting, I was inspired by Real Simple’s nest cake. It’s sort of the same, just a lot more festive (and easier, too). And how beautiful as the finale to your Easter meal?
While you can truly use any flavor bundt cake you desire, I went with my favorite lemon bundt cake. I typically add a lemon soaking syrup and poppy seeds to the lemon bundt cake, but since the focus of this dessert would be on the garnish– I kept it plain. But “plain” isn’t how I would describe it. Rather, this lemon bundt cake is soft, sweet, and moist. Smack dab in the middle between fluffy and dense with *just* the right amount of lemon zing.
Other cake flavors you can use:
- Carrot Cake
- Apple Bundt Cake
- Orange Bundt Cake
- Vanilla Cake (see note about turning into a bundt cake)
- Chocolate Bundt Cake (you can leave out the cheesecake swirl)
- or even Angel Food Cake
You have control over the flavor. Just use whatever your family will like best.
Transforming the cake into a bird’s nest easy. Cover it with frosting, then coconut, then pile candies in the center. 10 minutes, tops.
Like the cake flavor, you also have total control over the frosting flavor too. But I will say one thing: silky smooth cream cheese frosting is really easy to spread on a bundt cake because it glides right on. In addition, it’s a fabulous “glue” for all the toasted coconut on top. I add 1 teaspoon of coconut extract to the frosting to amp up the coconut flavor. On Easter weekend, I plan to make the frosting 1 day in advance so there’s one less task before the big meal. That’s the other thing about cream cheese frosting: it holds up well over a couple days. And speaking of preparing ahead, the lemon bundt cake is AWESOME for making ahead because it holds up beautifully overnight.
And now for the goodies + garnish:
Use sweetened shredded coconut. For a contrast of texture and color, I toasted only half of the coconut. You can leave the coconut plain or toast it all– the decision is yours. You can also use unsweetened coconut too.
Don’t like coconut? Use sliced almonds as the nest instead!
The eggs in the nest are, of course, Easter candies. Just pile them in the center of the bundt cake. When you cut into the cake, the candies spill down in a pastel sugar waterfall, total piñata cake style. Egg-cellent.
And you know what would launch the cuteness factor into overdrive? Adding chick PEEPS!
It’s basically double dessert because after you inhale the cake, you get a pile of Easter candies. 🙂
More Easter Dessert Recipes
- Carrot Cake
- Lemon Berry Trifle
- Jellybean Sugar Cookies
- Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
- No-Bake Cheesecake
- Lemon Bars
Coconut Easter Nest Cake
Prep Time: 35 minutes- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
Yield: serves 10
Category: Cake
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
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A stunning and easy dessert, this coconut Easter nest cake will impress everyone around the Easter dinner table!
Ingredients
- 1 baked and cooled bundt cake (lemon bundt cake*, carrot cake, apple bundt cake, orange bundt cake, chocolate bundt cake, vanilla cake, or even this angel food cake)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (224g) full-fat block style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1–2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Decoration
- 1 and 1/2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)*
- 1–2 cups Easter candy eggs
Instructions
- Invert the bundt cake onto a cake stand or serving platter.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon cream, vanilla and coconut extracts with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of cream to thin out, if desired. Taste. Add a pinch of salt if needed.
- Frost the cooled bundt cake. Top the entire cake with coconut. Fill the center with candies. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- I used this lemon bundt cake recipe. Left out the poppy seeds, soaking syrup, and glaze.
- If desired, toast some or all of the coconut in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 6-8 minutes or until browned to your liking.
- Inspired by Real Simple
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