This Easter cake is for the birds! Well sort of. A subtle lemon bundt cake is covered in frosting, toasted coconut, and filled with little candy eggs!

I was talking to a friend of mine about Easter. She was telling me how she is in possession of the very cake mold her mother used as she was growing up. She said that every Easter her mom would serve a bunny-shaped cake.

At that moment I felt a mixture of tenderness and jealousy. I thought it was so sweet that her mother insisted on making a bunny cake every year regardless of the age of her children. I was jealous because I always wanted a bunny cake when I was a kid.

Now that I am an adult and I make my own desserts, I find I care less about the shape of my cakes and more about the flavor. And this lemon bundt cake recipe has LOTS of flavor!

How To Make Lemon Bundt Cake From Scratch

This recipe starts with a basic flavored bundt cake. I’m a huge fan of bundt cakes. Bundt cakes look deceptively impressive.

This Mimosa Bundt Cake and this Frosted Sugar Cookie Bundt Cake are excellent examples. The truth is they are rather simple to prepare.

STEP ONE – Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

STEP TWO – In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar and light and fluffy. Add salt. Slowly beat in eggs one at a time, taking care to incorporate each egg into the batter before adding the next. Mix in baking powder and flour in a small bowl. Add the flour, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat in lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.

STEP THREE – Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Carefully invert the cake to rest onto the cooling rack.

How To Prepare The Lemon Glaze

To prepare the simple syrup, combine the water and the sugar together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir and cook until sugar has dissolved and the mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Add lemon slices and cook an additional 1-2 minutes on low.

Poke holes into the bundt cake while the cake is still a bit warm. Brush glaze over the cake. Allow the cake to stand for 10 minutes to absorb the syrup before brushing syrup the second time.

How To Decorate This Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

Prepare the buttercream frosting by creaming butter and shortening together in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Carefully add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Beat in melted white chocolate until the frosting is spreadable, adding in heavy cream as necessary. Spread frosting over cake using an offset spatula. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as you will be covering the frosting with coconut,

Press toasted coconut into the frosting taking care to cover the top and the sides. Arrange candy eggs in the center of the cake.

Does This Bundt Cake Need to Be Refrigerated?

The bundt cake itself does not need to be refrigerated. However, the frosting is a different story.

You can allow this cake to sit out for a few hours, but you will get more shelf life from this cake if you refrigerate it until needed.

How To Store Lemon Bundt Cake

This cake is best when consumed within a day or two, as cakes can easily dry out once they are cut.

Store the cake covered in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Once the cake is cut, however, cover the cut ends with plastic wrap and then keep the whole cake covered. This will help with dryness. A cut cake can last 3-4 days when kept covered.

Can I Freeze Bundt Cakes?

Wrap an unfrosted (and cooled) bundt cake in plastic wrap then cover the cake in foil. Allow the cake to thaw before frosting.

This is such a great recipe for Easter, however, by removing or replacing the candies in the center, this cake can be used any time of year. This recipe does take some time, but the method is simple. Everyone loves this cake for its look and its bright flavors!

Recipe Tips

While I used buttermilk in this recipe (for texture and flavor), any fattier milk like whole milk or even half and half will do. If you do not have buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a measuring cup and then fill with milk. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a baking rack for just 5 minutes (any longer and your risk the cake sticking to the pan), then grab the rack and flip the baked cake so that it falls out onto the wire rack.

Lemon buttercream or coconut buttercream would taste wonderful!

To toast coconut, place shredded coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet and place in a 300-degree oven. The coconut will take about 15-20 minutes to turn golden brown. Be sure to turn your coconut over every 5 minutes to prevent burning.

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Yield: 12

Bird's Nest Lemon Bundt Cake Cake

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A fun Easter cake that captures the essence of spring!

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 buttermilk
• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• For the Glaze:
• 1/4 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 small lemon, sliced
• For the Frosting
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup shortening
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 oz white chocolate, melted
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 2 cups toasted coconut
• Egg shaped candy

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. In the bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar and light and fluffy. Add salt. Slowly beat in eggs one at a time, taking care to incorporate each egg into the batter before adding the next. Mix in baking powder and flour in a small bowl. Add the flour, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat in lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
3. Pour batter into bundt pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Top pan with a cooking rack. Hold the bottom of the bundt pan with one hand while holding the cooling rack with the other, carefully invert cake to rest onto the cooling rack. Combine the water and the sugar together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir and cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Add lemon slices and cook an additional 1-2 minutes on low.
4. Poke holes into the bundt cake while the cake is still a bit warm. Brush glaze over the cake. Allow the cake to stand for 10 minutes to absorb the syrup before brushing syrup on the second time.
5. To prepare the frosting, cream butter and shortening together in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Carefully add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Beat in the white chocolate until the frosting is spreadable, adding in heavy cream as necessary.
6. Carefully spread the frosting over the top of the cake.
7. Press toasted coconut into the frosting taking care to cover the top and the sides. Arrange candy eggs in the center of the cake. 

 

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 905Total Fat 44gSaturated Fat 26gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 150mgSodium 563mgCarbohydrates 123gFiber 3gSugar 95gProtein 8g

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