Bird Nest Cakes

Make a Bird Nest Cake:

As we wrap this week before Mother’s day (and my Birthday) I wanted to leave you with one more little idea to surprise Mom and anyone else that may visit your kitchen this weekend.

You will need:

• White or coconut flavored sheet cake
• Caramel Topping
• Circle cookie cutters
• Bag of milk chocolate morsels
• Bag of coconut (toasted)
• Chocolate eggs
• Large pretzel sticks

Bake a white or coconut flavored sheet cake from scratch or from a box, it does not matter. You do not want to fill your cake pans very full and may even want to use two. I cut my cake in half horizontally because it baked up too tall. Let the cake cool before cutting.

Cut out your large circles first.

Use your smaller circle to cut through the center of every other circle while the larger circle is still in place. You want to have one big circle for every one ring. Each circle and each ring should measure about 1/2” in height.

Keep the center pieces and any other scraps in a cake-scrap pile. Wrap them tightly and securely in cling wrap, then wrap them again in tin foil and freeze them for later. I will have a cake scrap recipe post you will like in the coming weeks.

Drizzle warm caramel over each large cake circle (base).

Place cake ring (top) in the caramel. Place in the freezer (covered) no less than an hour preferably over night. You want the cake and the caramel to be firm before dipping.

Melt the milk chocolate morsels on low/medium continuously stirring. If chocolate becomes too thick add shortening a teaspoon at a time. 

Remove the cakes from the freezer and begin dipping. As you can see I used dipping tools. You can use a fork and a spoon if you do not have them, but they are worth their very small investment of something like $3.00. Coat the cake completely as possible. If you notice the cakes begin falling apart in the chocolate remove the chocolate from the burner for a bit and return the undipped cakes to the freezer to harden.

Immediately following the chocolate bath place the covered cake in toasted coconut flakes. Work quickly before the chocolate hardens. Cover the chocolate well.

Your cake should look like this post coconut dip.

Add a drop of warm chocolate in the center of the nest. Place the chocolate eggs in the chocolate to secure them.

I know you still have an Easter candy stash and if you choose to deny you still have Easter candy stash there may still be some clearance chocolate eggs at the supermarket. I saw quite a bit of 50% off candy earlier in the week. (Of which I will likely ration until sometime in oooh…October.)

Place your edible bird nest on an edible pretzel limb and Voila! A bird nest cake.