Let me educate you find out how to make a wonderful lemon-hinted coconut Easter cake embellished like a nest! Prime with silky lemon cream cheese frosting, fluffy feathery coconut, and, in fact, chocolate Easter egg candies! You simply want some primary baking staples, an electrical mixer, and a typical Bundt pan to make this gorgeous springtime dessert that’s simple sufficient for cake adorning rookies.
Out of all of the seasonal sweet bought in shops all year long, I feel Easter sweet takes the cake. (See what I did there?) Easter bunny, you’ve bought the precise thought. Give me a basket filled with peanut butter eggs, please!
As we speak I’m sharing a enjoyable Easter cake dessert, a recipe I initially printed again in 2017 and have served each Easter vacation since. This lovely birds’ nest cake actually makes an impression, however the very best half is… adorning this Bundt cake couldn’t be simpler! Positively a lot easier than a layer cake, although for those who’re up for a problem, my carrot cake and coconut cake recipes additionally make for a candy finale to a springtime meal.
Right here’s Why This Will Be Your Favourite Easter Cake
- Simple to make, simple to embellish—when you’ve got younger fledglings in your nest, they love to assist!
- You’ll discover coconut each inside and on high of this Easter cake—toasting some for topping provides shade and texture variation.
- The cake and frosting aren’t overly candy (save that for the Easter sweet!), with a touch of tartness from lemon and tanginess from cream cheese frosting.
- Can prep the cake the day earlier than.
- Adorning takes solely about 10 minutes, tops.
- Makes sufficient for a crowd of your favourite “peeps.” 😉
- Cake with sweet. You’re welcome; the tip.
Begin With the Bundt Cake
Let’s start by establishing the inside of this nest: the cake. Cradling these valuable pastel-hued chocolate eggs is a frivolously candy coconut-flavored cake with a touch of contemporary lemon.
Listed below are the very best components to make use of in your Easter cake and why:
- Cake Flour: To maintain this coconut Bundt cake delicate, and forestall it from being too heavy, cake flour is a should. When you can’t discover it, you may make this DIY cake flour substitute.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Each leaveners carry this cake up because it bakes.
- Salt: At all times wanted for taste.
- Butter: For that unparalleled buttery cake taste. You’ll want to cream the butter, so be sure you’re beginning with correct room temperature butter (it might be cooler than you assume!).
- Sugar: We’re utilizing granulated sugar to sweeten this Easter cake.
- Lemons: For the very best taste, use contemporary lemons. You’ll use each the zest and the juice; keep in mind to zest first, earlier than slicing and juicing—a lot simpler than making an attempt to zest a squeezed lemon half!
- Coconut Oil: Utilizing oil in muffins helps to maintain the cake moist; and right here you have got the additional advantage of a bit additional coconut taste, too.
- Eggs: Key for binding the components collectively, so the cake doesn’t collapse (see beneath!). Use complete eggs right here, for a denser-style cake. My common coconut cake makes use of simply egg whites, and is way lighter and fluffier.
- Vanilla + Coconut Extracts: Taste and extra taste.
- Bitter Cream + Complete Milk: A cautious ratio of those 2 components provides this cake the very best steadiness of construction and moisture.
- Sweetened Shredded/Flaked Coconut: I like to recommend utilizing sweetened shredded coconut, generally bought as sweetened flaked coconut. It’s moister than unsweetened coconut, and that makes an enormous distinction within the cake’s texture. I diminished the added sugar within the cake batter to make up for the sweetness. A cup goes into the cake batter; save the remainder for feathering the nest!
Extra Easter Recipes
I’ve loads of Easter recipes, together with a roundup of my favourite Easter brunch recipes.
Recipe Testing This Coconut Easter Bundt Cake
For in the present day’s coconut Bundt cake, my group and I went by 3 rounds of testing to land on perfection:
- I began with among the similar components and ratios as this lemon coconut cake. Bundt muffins can generally tend to end up heavy and dry, and my first strive at a coconut model was each. The feel was overly dense—even powerful. I’m fairly certain mama chicken wouldn’t deem this a suitably delicate nest for her eggs!
- The second cake my group and I examined had higher taste and was undoubtedly softer, however fully crumbled aside after we minimize into it. (Did you see that on my Instagram tales the opposite week? The coconutty cake crumbles tasted scrumptious over a bowl of orange sherbet, although!)
- For the third strive, I took a observe from my cranberry orange Bundt cake and used a mixture of bitter cream and complete milk to realize the precise steadiness of construction and moisture. We additionally diminished the quantity of coconut within the batter, which was inflicting extra crumbliness, and added yet one more egg, to assist with binding the crumb collectively. The third time was certainly the appeal, and that’s the recipe you’ll see right here in the present day.
This Easter cake isn’t as mild and fluffy as this layered coconut cake, as a result of a Bundt cake is at all times going to be extra dense, with a tighter crumb. However that’s okay! The feel is much like pound cake, and I simply love how a Bundt cake will get that chewy golden crust on the outside. LOVE!
Count on a thick and fluffy batter:
After baking, let the cake cool for two hours within the pan, then invert it onto a cake stand or serving platter to proceed cooling, and ultimately embellish.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Silky easy cream cheese frosting is very easy to unfold on a Bundt cake as a result of it glides proper on. As well as, it’s a wonderful “glue” for all of the fluffy, feathery coconut on high.
You’ll taste in the present day’s cream cheese frosting with contemporary lemon juice, however be at liberty to additionally add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract to the frosting for those who’d wish to amp up the coconut taste.
Find out how to Enhance This Easter Cake Like a Nest
Reworking this cake right into a chicken’s nest is fast and straightforward. Merely slather on the frosting (I exploit an icing spatula), then “feather the nest” by gently urgent the sweetened shredded coconut on high, in order that it sticks to the frosting.
Lastly, lay your eggs—er, I imply, fill the middle of the nest together with your favourite candy-coated chocolate eggs. Then be ready to swat away any sneaky little palms this Easter cake will appeal to!
And you recognize what would launch the cuteness issue into overdrive? Including marshmallow chick Peeps to your nest!
Non-obligatory: Find out how to Toast Coconut for Topping
I wish to toast a bit little bit of the sweetened coconut so as to add some shade variation on high of this Easter nest cake. It additionally provides that scrumptious crispy texture and toasted taste.
For a distinction of texture and shade, I toasted about half of the coconut. You’ll be able to go away the coconut untoasted or toast all of it—the choice is yours.
Unfold the coconut on an ungreased baking sheet, and toast in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 6–8 minutes, till it’s golden-brown. Let it cool fully earlier than utilizing. Tremendous simple.
Extra Easter Dessert Recipes
And for those who love Easter sweet as a lot as I do, make sure you do that Easter bunny bark.
Coconut Easter Cake
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 1 hour
Whole Time: 4 hours (consists of cooling)
Yield: serves 10-12
Class: Cake
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
This lovely springtime nest cake is straightforward sufficient for cake adorning rookies. Prime the frivolously candy coconut Bundt cake with creamy lemon cream cheese frosting, feathery sweetened coconut, and, in fact, candy-coated chocolate eggs!
Cake
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
For Topping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously grease a 10–12-cup Bundt pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on excessive pace till easy and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and beat on excessive pace for 3–4 minutes till creamed. Scrape down the edges and up the underside of the bowl as wanted. Add the melted coconut oil and blend on medium pace to mix. With the mixer operating on low pace, add the eggs one after the other, then add bitter cream and the vanilla and coconut extracts. Beat on medium-high pace till mixed. Scrape down the edges and up the underside of the bowl as wanted.
- Whisk the lemon juice and milk collectively. With the mixer operating on low pace, add the dry components in 3 additions, alternating with the lemon-milk combination and mixing after every addition till simply integrated. Don’t over-mix. The batter might be thick and fluffy. Fold within the coconut.
- Spoon/pour evenly into Bundt pan and bake for 55–65 minutes, or till the perimeters are golden brown. When you discover the highest is browning too shortly, loosely cowl with aluminum foil about midway by bake time.
- Cool cake for two hours within the pan, after which invert onto a cake stand or serving plate. Cool fully earlier than adorning.
- Make the frosting: In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter collectively on medium pace till easy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and vanilla extract with the mixer operating on low. Enhance to excessive pace and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 extra Tablespoon of lemon juice to skinny out, if desired. Style. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
- Utilizing an icing spatula or a knife, frost the cooled Bundt cake. Prime with sweetened flaked/shredded coconut. Fill the outlet within the middle of the cake with candy-coated chocolate eggs. Serve instantly or refrigerate till able to serve, as much as 24 hours. If the cake has been refrigerated for longer than an hour, let it sit out at room temperature for about half-hour earlier than serving, to melt up a bit.
- Cowl leftover cake tightly and retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days. I normally retailer frosted muffins in a cake service.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You may make and funky the cake 1 day earlier than serving, retailer coated in a single day, and embellish and serve the next day. You can too make and embellish the cake 1 day upfront; see step 8. To freeze, wrap unfrosted baked and cooled cake in 1–2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for as much as 3 months. Permit to thaw (nonetheless within the wrapping) in a single day within the fridge, then deliver to room temperature earlier than frosting, slicing, and serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Bundt Pan | Icing Spatula | Cake Service
- Cake Flour: For the very best outcomes, I strongly suggest cake flour. You’ll find cake flour within the baking aisle and I’ve many extra recipes utilizing it. When you can’t discover it, strive making this cake flour substitute.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: I like to recommend utilizing sweetened shredded/flaked coconut within the cake and because the topping. It’s moister than unsweetened coconut and that makes an enormous distinction within the cake’s texture. If desired, pulse the coconut shreds in a meals processor to cut them up so that they aren’t as lengthy inside and out of doors of the cake. Chopping the coconut is non-obligatory.
- Room Temperature Components: All refrigerated gadgets must be at room temperature so the batter mixes collectively simply and evenly. Right here is why room temperature components are necessary in baking.
- Complete Milk & Bitter Cream: Complete milk and full-fat bitter cream are strongly really helpful for the very best style and texture. You’ll be able to substitute full-fat plain yogurt for the bitter cream, if wanted. And for those who don’t have complete milk, decrease fats or nondairy milk work in a pinch.
- Toasted Coconut for Topping: If desired, you’ll be able to toast some or all the coconut for the topping. Unfold the coconut on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven for six–8 minutes, or till browned to your liking. Let cool earlier than utilizing.
- Can I Use One other Frosting? When you don’t desire a cream cheese frosting, this lemon buttercream could be so tasty, and you may halve the recipe to make simply sufficient for the Bundt.
- Can I Use One other Taste Bundt Cake? Sure, you should utilize this frosting and adorning approach with one other taste Bundt cake comparable to cheesecake swirl carrot Bundt cake, chocolate marble banana Bundt cake, lemon berry yogurt cake, and cream cheese pound cake.
- Impressed by Actual Easy.
Key phrases: Easter cake, nest cake
