Posted by Tastefully Simple on March 22, 2016
Robin’s Nest Cake: An Easter dessert idea … and a reason to (finally) use my Bundt® cake pan.
Rewind eight or so years to when my husband, Rick, and I were selecting items for our wedding registry. I insisted on adding a Bundt cake pan to the registry, much to Rick’s objection. I believe my words were something to the effect of, “For sure we need it; I’ll use it all the time.” So “all the time” may have been a bit of an overstatement, since so far I think I’ve used it once. But I found a recipe to help me use it all the time from now on – well, at least every spring. The Robin’s Nest Cake is decadent, delicious and hard-to-believe-it’s-homemade. It is a fun Easter dessert that is sure to generate some smiles at your celebration.
At first glance, this Easter treat looks like it might be a little complicated to pull off. Trust me, you can do it. I am not a cake decorator by any means and I was excited with how it turned out!
The recipe provides easy-to-follow instructions. Start by mixing up the Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix according to package directions. Place half of the cake batter in your greased Bundt pan. On top, dollop a mixture of ½ cup Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread and 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (softened) like this:
Pour the remaining batter over the mixture and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool as directed. Now comes the fun part – the decorating!
Start by frosting the cake with a thin layer of chocolate frosting. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth; actually, the more textured the better to help you achieve the next effect. Unless you’re a frosting fanatic, I recommend a thin layer to start with as you’ll be adding more frosting when creating the next effect on your cake.
To create the look of twigs on your cake, pipe 2- or 3-inch lines of chocolate frosting onto the cake. I was a little nervous about getting this to look right, but honestly there is no wrong way to do it. Just keep adding pipe lines of chocolate all over the cake until you reach your desired look. This step took me about 15 minutes.
Finish the cake by filling the center with malted milk eggs or other egg-shaped candy.
So dust off your Bundt pan and try this recipe. I think you’ll be glad you did!
Enjoy!
Laura
Robin’s Nest Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) melted butter
- 1 (16 oz.) container chocolate frosting
- 1 (9.1 oz.) bottle decorative chocolate cupcake icing with tips
- 1 (10 oz.) pkg. malted milk robin eggs candies
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread; using an electric mixer on medium, mix until well combined. Prepare Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix™ according to package directions using water and butter.
Place half the pound cake batter in a greased Bundt® pan. Dollop with cream cheese mixture. Pour remaining batter in pan. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan; cool completely. Frost cake with chocolate frosting. Using the straight drawing tip on the decorative icing, draw lines all over cake, creating the look of a nest. Fill center of cake with robin eggs candies. Makes 12 servings.
Tips and Hints
- Don’t have a piping bag? No worries. Create your own using a quart-sized plastic storage bag. Fill the bag with chocolate frosting. Push the frosting to one bottom corner of the bag and then twist the top of the bag around the frosting. Use a scissors to snip off the very corner of the bag. (Cutting farther away from the corner will create a larger hole and larger “twigs.”) to pipe your twigs, squeeze the bag gently. I recommend practicing a few twigs on a plate or piece of parchment paper before starting the cake.
- For the best consistency of your filling, use room temperature cream cheese and Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread. If either are too cold, they will not blend smoothly and create a somewhat lumpy filling.
- Before frosting your cake, place it on the tray or platter you plan to use for serving. Place small strips (approximately 3″ x 5″) of parchment paper around the outside edge of the cake. When you’re finished frosting, remove the parchment paper for a perfectly clean serving tray.
- Add a marshmallow or chocolate bird next to the eggs for a little extra cute factor.
- This recipe will also make 12 cupcakes. Place 2 tablespoons of prepared cake batter in the bottom of a paper-lined cupcake tray, add 1 tablespoon of the filling to each, then divide the remaining cake batter between the 12 cupcakes. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Frost and top with egg-shaped candy. (If making cupcakes, you will have leftover filling. Try it as a bagel spread – yum!)