WREX Recipe: Robin's Egg Easter Cake - WREX-TV

ROCKFORD (WREX) — Just because you can't throw a big Easter party, doesn't mean you can't brighten up your table with this colorful spring cake!

I first attempted this cake last year and it was a hit at my family's Easter party. The best part? It's incredibly easy but your friends and family will think you've used your quarantine time to become the next Ina Garten. Don't worry - your secret is safe with me.

For this cake I wanted to recreate the little chocolate malt Easter egg candies I'd get in my basket as a kid (and as an adult - thanks Easter bunny)! That's why I added some malted milk powder to the cake batter.

For the parents out there -- this cake has some opportunities to get those little helping hands involved. Whether it's picking out the egg color, making the chocolate nest, or splattering the speckles on the cake: I recommend patience, aprons, and a gentle reminder that your counters, will in fact, be clean again.

Ingredients:

For the cake
1 box cake mix (along with the eggs, water, and oil the mix requires. Pick whichever flavor is your family favorite)
1/2 cup malted milk powder (optional)
For the frosting
1 cup softened butter
4 cups powdered sugar
Blue food coloring (or whatever color you'd like your Easter egg to be)
Pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the speckles
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Paint brush (I used ones that were about 1/2 inch wide)
For the nest
Vermicelli noodles (fine/hard rice noodles)
Baking chocolate (chocolate chips work great too!)

Directions:
1. Mix the cake batter as the box recommends - if you'd like to make a malt cake add the malted milk powder
2. Bake the cake as the box recommends and allow it to cool completely before frosting
3. Beat together the softened butter and vanilla and slowly sift in the powder sugar a little at a time
4. Add a pinch of salt to the frosting and mix well
5. Add food color until you reach your desired color - make sure to mix after each drop you add (a little goes a long way)
6. Once the cake is cool - frost it with a thin later of frosting. Put it in the fridge until the frosting sets up, about 30 minutes. (This helps to hold all the crumbs in before the *final frosting.

7. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting
8. Mix together the vanilla and cocoa powder for the speckles
9. Dip the paint brush into the mixture and using your fingers - flick it onto the cake to make the splatter pattern. Reload the brush and continue until you get the desired pattern. (I practiced into the empty frosting bowl to get the right consistency & pattern)
10. For the nest - take a big handful of the vermicelli noodles and put them into a big mixing bowl. You can break them up or cut with scissors into about 2 inch long pieces. (You don't want them to be uniform - think about how disheveled a birds nest looks)
11. Melt the chocolate - if using bars I started with about 4 squares.
12. Pour the chocolate over the noodles and use your hands to mix it all together. (There's no perfect science here just cover the noodles until they're the color you want for a convincing stick!)
13. Form the chocolate noodles into a bowl and form your nest
14. Put it in the fridge or freezer to set up (if you have extra noodles you can use them to cover the base of your cake).
15. Carefully take the nest out of the bowl using your hands or a spoon. Place it on your cake, fill it with your favorite Easter candies, and enjoy!