We have been making this carrot cake bird’s nest every year for Easter for the past 5 years. It has become a family favourite and it’s something we look forward to every year! I hope you’ll enjoy it too – both for it’s simplicity and for how it tastes.


Bird's Nest Carrot Cake
A simple to make show stopper perfect for Easter dessert
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup plain yogurtÂ
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots (about 4 medium carrots)
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
- 1/2 chopped pecans (optional)
Icing
- 1 250g block of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/3 cups icing sugar
Decoration
- Approx 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup chocolate mini eggs
Instructions
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350F
Prepare bundt pan by greasing and flouring.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix all wet ingredients until well incorporated.
Stir in sugar.
In a separate bowl, mix sifted flour with all other dry ingredients.
Slowly add dry ingredients to the mixer and stir until incorporated.
Fold in carrots, raisins, (optional) and nuts (optional)
Pour batter into a prepared bundt pan and bake in pre-heated oven for 35 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool completely before decorating.
Icing:
With hand beaters whip cream cheese, butter and milk until smooth. Add vanilla and mix. Slowly add icing sugar until incorporated and continue beating until slightly fluffed up. Your icing should be a little thinner than standard buttercream but thicker than a glaze. If too thin, add more icing sugar.
To Decorate:
Spread coconut on a sheet pan and toast in 350 degree oven until slightly browned. Watch closely as it can burn quickly if left un-attended. Allow coconut to cool.
Spread icing along the top ridge of the cake and allow it to drip down the edges and center of the bundt cake.
Sprinkle toasted coconut on top of icing pressing slightly to adhere.
Fill center cavity of the cake with mini chocolate eggs. Slice and serve!
Notes
Easily adapt this cake to be gluten free by substituting your favourite gluten free flour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 425Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9.6gCarbohydrates: 45.9gNet Carbohydrates: 40.2gFiber: 1.7gSugar: 26.7gProtein: 5.7g
This mini egg topped carrot cake bird’s nest is so simple to make in that bundt pan that hardly sees the light of day. You know the one you curse at for taking up so much room in your cupboard? Get it out and make it earn it’s keep! It produces such a stunning cake with almost no effort aside from making sure the coconut doesn’t burn as you toast it. My 12 year old made this all on her own last year and it was every bit as pretty as the one’s I’d made in past years. Give it a shot.

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