Easter Nest Cake

Easter might just have the cutest desserts of any holiday. From bunny cinnamon rolls to a traditional lamb cake, there’s no shortage of adorable animal-themed sweets decked out in spring pastels. Our Easter nest cake is one of our most imaginative Easter desserts, portraying an entirely edible robin’s nest perched on a decadent chocolate cake with a homemade mousse topping. It takes a little time to fully assemble, but an Easter cake as cute as this will look spectacular among the Easter table decor.

Ingredients for Easter Nest Cake

• Chocolate cake: The base of our bird nest cake is a single layer of tender chocolate cake. We call for the usual cake ingredient staples for this one: butter, sugar, quality cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, eggs, baking powder and a little bit of salt.
• Mousse filling: Homemade chocolate mousse tops the chocolate cake layer, and its texture is ideal for holding the nest in place. Unflavored gelatin helps the mousse keep its shape, so the mousse doesn’t run down the sides of the cake. You’ll also need sugar, cornstarch, milk, chocolate and heavy whipping cream.
• Chocolate: Buy 15-ounces of the best semisweet chocolate chips or a nice baking bar. There’s a lot of chocolate work with this bird nest cake, so make sure there’s enough—no sneaky snacking!
• Candy Easter eggs: Whoppers and Cadbury make pastel-hued, chocolate-covered candy Easter eggs. Whoppers uses their famous malted milk filling, while Cadbury eggs simply have a milk chocolate filling.

Christine Ma For Taste Of Home

Directions

Step 1: Make the cake batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat them together well.

Step 2: Bake the cake

Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch springform pan and spread it out evenly. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cake cool in its pan at room temperature for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the inner edge of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides. Remove the sides and bottom of the pan. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

Step 3: Form the chocolate band

Before starting this step, be sure the chocolate cake has cooled completely to room temperature!

Cut a sheet of waxed paper into a 29×5-inch strip. Fold the strip in half lengthwise. Place the strip on a large sheet of waxed paper on a work surface.

With a mini offset spatula, spread the melted chocolate evenly along one long edge of the waxed paper strip. Spread the melted chocolate upward, making a wavy line, to within a 1/2 inch of the other long edge. Let the chocolate stand until it begins to set but is still pliable, 10 to 30 minutes.

Step 4: Wrap the band around the cake

Carefully lift the waxed paper strip and wrap the chocolate strip around the cake with the straight edge on the bottom and the wavy edge on top. Do not remove the waxed paper. Refrigerate the chocolate-wrapped cake until it’s chilled.

Editor’s Tip: The chocolate band should be pressed against the cake and the waxed paper side should be facing outward. This allows you to easily peel off the waxed paper later in the recipe.

Step 5: Create the chocolate twigs

Meanwhile, cover three baking sheets with waxed paper. Drizzle the remaining melted chocolate from a spatula over the waxed paper in both directions. Pop the trays into the fridge and let them chill for 10 minutes. Take these chocolate drizzles off the waxed paper and break the chocolate drizzles into 2- to 3-inch “twigs.”

Step 6: Whip up the mousse filling

In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Cook and stir the mixture over medium-high heat until it’s slightly thickened and bubbly. Reduce the heat, and cook and stir for two minutes longer.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Place the egg yolks in a bowl, and stir in a small amount of the hot filling into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so the yolks don’t turn into scrambled eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, and cook and stir the mixture for two minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Step 7: Add the gelatin

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let stand for one minute. Stir the gelatin mixture into the mousse filling until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the chopped chocolate, and stir until it’s smooth. Pour the chocolate mousse filling into a bowl, and place a piece of storage wrap directly on the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Let the mousse filling cool to room temperature.

Step 8: Spread the mousse onto the cake

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate filling mixture just until no streaks remain. Carefully spoon the mousse over the top of the chocolate cake. Carefully cover the cake, without breaking the chocolate band, and refrigerate the cake until it’s set, one to two hours.

Step 9: Assemble the cake

Remove the waxed paper strip from the chocolate band that’s surrounding the outside of the cake. Position the chocolate “twigs” around the top of cake to create a nest. Finally, arrange the candy Easter eggs in the center of the nest.

Snap a few photos of your creation, then serve and enjoy!

Christine Ma For Taste Of Home

Recipe Variations

• Use shredded coconut in place of chocolate twigs: To make this recipe a little easier, omit the chocolate twigs and use toasted coconut. You could also keep the shredded coconut untoasted and tinge it with a bit of green food dye, just as we do in our coconut nests recipe.
• Swap in frosting: Not a mousse fan? Omit it for a thick layer of chocolate frosting. Make sure the frosting layer is thick enough so the nest is propped up well in the chocolate band.

How to Store Easter Nest Cake

Store your Easter egg nest cake in the fridge for up to two days and try to cover it with a cake dome so the cake doesn’t absorb any funky fridge smells. Just keep in mind, though, that untempered chocolate might bloom from the temperature change. If you want to prevent that, temper the chocolate before molding it into the chocolate band and chocolate twigs.

Can you freeze an Easter nest cake?

The only component of this cake that can be frozen is the chocolate cake layer. Mousse does not thaw well after freezing, and thawing untempered chocolate will almost certainly cause chocolate bloom.

To freeze the chocolate cake layer, allow it to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap it in two layers of storage wrap. Find a level spot in the freezer so it doesn’t become misshapen. Freeze the cake for a maximum of two months and thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Easter Nest Cake Tips

Christine Ma For Taste Of Home

What is the best way to cut chocolate nest cakes into clean, precise slices?

Between the chocolate band, chocolate twigs, candy Easter eggs and the cake itself, there’s a lot to cut through! For the cleanest cuts possible, take a sharp chef’s knife and run it under hot water. Carefully wipe away the water, then make your first cut. Run your knife under the hot water again to remove any cake crumbs and repeat the same steps again for every cut. The process will feel a bit tedious, but after all that work making the cake, it’s worth it!

What else can you use if you can’t find the candy Easter eggs?

If you can’t find candy Easter eggs at the store, jelly beans or chocolate Cadbury eggs (with the cream filling) are great in a pinch. Although, our white chocolate Easter egg candies are a perfect direct replacement.

What else can I add to decorate this Easter egg nest cake?

Peeps would be a fun addition to the cake, as if a few baby birds pecked their way out of their shells already. A few edible flowers, candied flowers or fondant “leaves” can make the nest look more immersed in Mother Nature. I always love a small dusting of edible gold glitter, too, just to make everything feel even more special.