Let me teach you how to make a beautiful lemon coconut Easter cake decorated like a nest! Top with silky lemon cream cheese frosting, fluffy feathery coconut, and, of course, chocolate Easter egg candies! You just need some basic baking staples, an electric mixer, and a standard Bundt pan to make this stunning springtime dessert that’s easy enough for cake decorating beginners.
Out of all the seasonal candy sold in stores throughout the year, I think Easter candy takes the cake. (See what I did there?) Easter bunny, you’ve got the right idea. Give me a basket full of peanut butter eggs, please!
Today I’m sharing a fun Easter cake dessert, a recipe I originally published back in 2017 and have served every Easter holiday since. This beautiful birds’ nest cake certainly makes an impression, but the best part is… decorating this Bundt cake couldn’t be easier! Definitely much simpler than a layer cake, though if you’re up for a challenge, my carrot cake and coconut cake recipes also make for a sweet finale to a springtime meal.
Here’s Why This Will Be Your Favorite Easter Cake
- Easy to make, easy to decorate—if you have young fledglings in your nest, they love to help!
- You’ll find coconut both inside and on top of this Easter cake—toasting some for topping adds color and texture variation.
- The cake and frosting aren’t overly sweet (save that for the Easter candy!), with a hint of tartness from lemon and tanginess from cream cheese frosting.
- Can prep the cake the day before.
- Decorating takes only about 10 minutes, tops.
- Makes enough for a crowd of your favorite “peeps.” 😉
- Cake with candy. You’re welcome; the end.
Start With the Bundt Cake
Let’s begin by constructing the interior of this nest: the cake. Cradling those precious pastel-hued chocolate eggs is a lightly sweet coconut-flavored cake with a hint of fresh lemon.
Here are the best ingredients to use for your Easter cake and why:
- Cake Flour: To keep this coconut Bundt cake soft, and prevent it from being too heavy, cake flour is a must. If you can’t find it, you can make this DIY cake flour substitute.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Both leaveners lift this cake up as it bakes.
- Salt: Always needed for flavor.
- Butter: For that unparalleled buttery cake flavor. You need to cream the butter, so make sure you’re starting with proper room temperature butter (it may be cooler than you think!).
- Sugar: We’re using granulated sugar to sweeten this Easter cake.
- Lemons: For the best flavor, use fresh lemons. You’ll use both the zest and the juice; remember to zest first, before slicing and juicing—much easier than trying to zest a squeezed lemon half!
- Vegetable Oil: Using oil helps keep the cake moist.
- Eggs: Key for binding the ingredients together, so the cake doesn’t fall apart (see below!). Use whole eggs here, for a denser-style cake. My regular coconut cake uses just egg whites, and is much lighter and fluffier.
- Vanilla + Coconut Extracts: Flavor and more flavor.
- Sour Cream + Whole Milk: A careful ratio of these 2 ingredients gives this cake the best balance of structure and moisture.
- Sweetened Shredded/Flaked Coconut: I recommend using sweetened shredded coconut, sometimes sold as sweetened flaked coconut. It’s moister than unsweetened coconut, and that makes a big difference in the cake’s texture. I reduced the added sugar in the cake batter to make up for the sweetness. A cup goes into the cake batter; save the rest for feathering the nest!
More Easter Recipes
I have plenty of Easter recipes, including roundups of my favorite Easter brunch recipes and Easter dessert recipes.
Recipe Testing This Coconut Easter Bundt Cake
For today’s coconut Bundt cake, my team and I went through 3 rounds of testing to land on perfection:
- I started with some of the same ingredients and ratios as this lemon coconut cake. Bundt cakes can have a tendency to turn out heavy and dry, and my first try at a coconut version was both. The texture was overly dense—even tough. I’m pretty sure mama bird would not deem this a suitably soft nest for her eggs!
- The second cake my team and I tested had better flavor and was definitely softer, but completely crumbled apart when we cut into it. (Did you see that on my Instagram stories the other week? The coconutty cake crumbles tasted delicious over a bowl of orange sherbet, though!)
- For the third try, I took a note from my cranberry orange Bundt cake and used a combination of sour cream and whole milk to achieve the right balance of structure and moisture. We also reduced the amount of coconut in the batter, which was causing excess crumbliness, and added one more egg, to help with binding the crumb together. The third time was indeed the charm, and that’s the recipe you’ll see here today.
This Easter cake is not as light and fluffy as this layered coconut cake, because a Bundt cake is always going to be more dense, with a tighter crumb. But that’s ok! The texture is similar to pound cake, and I just love how a Bundt cake gets that chewy golden crust on the exterior. LOVE!
Expect a thick and fluffy batter:
After baking, let the cake cool for 2 hours in the pan, then invert it onto a cake stand or serving platter to continue cooling, and eventually decorate.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Silky smooth cream cheese frosting is really easy to spread on a Bundt cake because it glides right on. In addition, it’s a fabulous “glue” for all the fluffy, feathery coconut on top.
You’ll flavor today’s cream cheese frosting with fresh lemon juice, but feel free to also add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract to the frosting if you’d like to amp up the coconut flavor.
How to Decorate This Easter Cake Like a Nest
Transforming this cake into a bird’s nest is quick and easy. Simply slather on the frosting (I use an icing spatula), then “feather the nest” by gently pressing the sweetened shredded coconut on top, so that it sticks to the frosting.
Finally, lay your eggs—er, I mean, fill the center of the nest with your favorite candy-coated chocolate eggs. Then be prepared to swat away any sneaky little hands this Easter cake will attract!
And you know what would launch the cuteness factor into overdrive? Adding marshmallow chick Peeps to your nest!
Optional: How to Toast Coconut for Topping
I like to toast a little bit of the sweetened coconut to add some color variation on top of this Easter nest cake. It also adds that delicious crispy texture and toasted flavor.
For a contrast of texture and color, I toasted about half of the coconut. You can leave the coconut untoasted or toast it all—the decision is yours.
Spread the coconut on an ungreased baking sheet, and toast in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 6–8 minutes, until it’s golden-brown. Let it cool completely before using. Super easy.
More Easter Dessert Recipes
- Carrot Cake
- Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies
- Easter Cookies (so fun to decorate!)
- Lemon Bars
- Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
- Easter Cupcakes
Easter Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This beautiful springtime nest cake is easy enough for cake decorating beginners. Top the lemon coconut Bundt cake with creamy lemon cream cheese frosting, feathery sweetened coconut, and, of course, candy-coated chocolate eggs!
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups (360g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 1 heaping Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (100g) sweetened flaked/shredded coconut
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1–2 Tablespoons (15–30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Topping
- 1 and 1/2 cups (150g) sweetened flaked/shredded coconut*
- 1–2 cups candy-coated chocolate eggs, such as Cadbury Mini Eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and beat on high speed for 3–4 minutes until creamed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the oil and mix on medium speed to combine. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add sour cream and the vanilla and coconut extracts. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Whisk the lemon juice and milk together. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the lemon-milk mixture and mixing after each addition until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. The batter will be thick and fluffy. Fold in the coconut.
- Spoon/pour evenly into Bundt pan and bake for 55–65 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. If you find the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil about halfway through bake time.
- Cool cake for 2 hours in the pan set on a cooling rack, and then invert onto a cake stand or serving plate. Cool completely before decorating.
- Make the frosting:Â In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of lemon juice to thin out, if desired. Taste. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
- Using an icing spatula or a knife, frost the cooled Bundt cake. Top with sweetened flaked/shredded coconut. Fill the hole in the center of the cake with candy-coated chocolate eggs. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours. If the cake has been refrigerated for longer than an hour, let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving, to soften up a bit.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I usually store frosted cakes in a cake carrier.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make and cool the cake 1 day before serving, store covered overnight, and decorate and serve the following day. You can also make and decorate the cake 1 day in advance; see step 8. To freeze, wrap unfrosted baked and cooled cake in 1–2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw (still in the wrapping) overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before frosting, slicing, and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10- to 12-cup Bundt Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester
- Cake Flour: For the best results, I strongly recommend cake flour. You can find cake flour in the baking aisle and I have many more recipes using it. If you can’t find it, try making this cake flour substitute.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: I recommend using sweetened shredded/flaked coconut in the cake and as the topping. It’s moister than unsweetened coconut and that makes a big difference in the cake’s texture. If desired, pulse the coconut shreds in a food processor to chop them up so they aren’t as long inside and outside of the cake. Chopping the coconut is optional.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Here is why room temperature ingredients are important in baking.Â
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream: Whole milk and full-fat sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. You can substitute full-fat plain yogurt for the sour cream, if needed. And if you don’t have whole milk, lower fat or nondairy milk work in a pinch.
- Toasted Coconut for Topping: If desired, you can toast some or all of the coconut for the topping. Spread the coconut on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 6–8 minutes, or until browned to your liking. Let cool before using.
- Can I Use Another Frosting? If you don’t want a cream cheese frosting, this lemon buttercream would be so tasty, and you can halve the recipe to make just enough for the Bundt.
- Can I Use Another Flavor Bundt Cake? Yes, you can use this frosting and decorating technique with another flavor Bundt cake such as cheesecake swirl carrot Bundt cake, chocolate marble banana Bundt cake, lemon berry yogurt cake, hummingbird Bundt cake, and cream cheese pound cake.
- Inspired by Real Simple.
The cake batter tasted so good. But the cake was crumbly and a bit dry. My husband said it tasted grainy. Not sure what I did wrong.. maybe over baked it?
Hi Laura, because of the coconut, this is a crumbly cake. (Much better than some of the test batches I tried though!) It may have been over-baked as well. And make sure you are spooning and leveling your flour, and not scooping it/packing it into the measuring cup. Or use a kitchen scale for weighing.
This was an excellent cake. Moist, flavorful, delicious. I wish I had read the comments before I forced the cake out of bundt pan after 1 hour. I lost some of the top crumb – it stuck to the pan. I think next time I will let it cool, as instructed, for 2 hrs. Also maybe grease and flour the pan?
Made this cake exactly as written, it looked just like the photos, and turned out terrific. The chocolate mini-eggs didn’t hurt either . Because of the shredded coconut in the batter, the cake doesn’t have that stereotypic cake-like texture, which I feel is part of what makes this cake a stand-out. I did pulse the coconut to make the shreds finer, & toasted some of the topping coconut. I used the zest of 2 lemons (zested/stirred directly into the sugar) and did do the milk/lemon juice thing (vs using buttermilk); next time I’d zest 3 lemons. Other mods for next time:
— make the cake in a tube pan rather than a Bundt: I suspect it would be easier to get out of the pan, definitely easier to frost, and you don’t really see the bundt’s fluted shape once it’s frosted, anyway.
— let the cake rest in the pan for only 10 minutes (rather than 30) before unmolding.
— let the refrigerated cake come to room temp for longer than 30 minutes before serving. There was a pronounced improvement in flavor when the slices were actually at room temp, rather than still cold at the 30 minute mark.
I made this 2 years ago and I’m quite sure it was not lemon flavored… Do you have that recipe still? I believe it was chocolate
Hi Regina, you can use any flavor Bundt cake you prefer. Here is our chocolate Bundt cake recipe—feel free to leave out the cream cheese swirl if desired!
I don’t really like lemon– can i just leave the lemon completely out of this recipe?
Hi Kelly, you can use another flavor Bundt cake recipe instead. See recipe Notes for a few of our favorites!
I look forward to making this cake for Easter but have one question. The instructions say to cool cake in pan for 2 hours. All Bundt cakes I’ve made in past are between 10 to 15 minutes. Also Nordic recommends 10 minutes then allow to cool on rack. This cake doesn’t sweat inside the pan when leaving in for 2 hours?
Hi Shirley, I’ve found that inverting the cake any earlier causes it to crumble. The crumb is delicate with all of the coconut. It really needs to cool for longer before inverting.
Wonderful recipe! I baked this cake, the first time, over the weekend and followed all instructions – it turned out a smash hit! Sally’s recipes always have great notes and tips and provide insight to home bakers. Thank you, Sally!
This cake does take extra work. I recommend reading the recipe through a few times before you start. I’m kind of a one bowl, least amount of work baker. My family would rather have pie so we’re not a cake family. This was delicious. Everyone loved it and it was definitely worth the extra work. I loved the compliments.
Looking forward to trying this recipe for Easter! Out of curiosity, why does this cake need so many eggs?
Hi Christine, This is a very large cake and the eggs are key for binding the ingredients together, so the cake doesn’t fall apart.
Made this recipe with gluten free flour. I used 1.1 flour, following the instructions to add cornstarch to make cake flour
I am so pleased with the outcome. The cake was delicious! If I made this with regular cake flour, it could not be any better.
I have been experimenting with gluten free flour recently and this was my most successful attempt. Thank you so much. It will be served with my Easter Dinner!
Is the coconut flavor strong? Can I skip the coconut extract to get a lemon taste instead?
Hi Devin! You can use any bundt cake recipe as the base of this nest cake. You can leave out the coconut extract, or use our lemon bundt cake instead.
I am really excited to try this! However, I don’t currently have a standard bundt pan… would an angel food cake pan also work? TIA!
Hi Afton, that should work, just be best careful to generously grease the pan as angel food cake pans aren’t non-stick and Bundt cakes are prone to getting stuck.
Can this cake be made in a 13 x 9 pan? I don’t have a bundt pan. Also easier to cut, serve, store!
Thanks!
Hi Cam! This cake batter is best in a Bundt pan. Here are our single layer and sheet cakes you could use instead.
Hi Sally – I would like to make these as cupcakes. Are there any alterations you would recommend? How many minutes and at what temperature should I bake them if making them as cupcakes?
Hi Anna, this is a heavier-style cake so for cupcakes, I recommend using these coconut cupcakes and you can, of course, use the cream cheese frosting and coconut topping from this Bundt cake.
Would coconut flour work for this cake if you went through the DIY cake flour method?
Hi Jodene, coconut flour has very different baking properties than all-purpose flour, and it wouldn’t necessarily be a 1:1 swap in DIY cake flour. It would take some recipe testing to determine how best to incorporate it into this recipe.
I made this yesterday and the taste is perfect but the texture was off. Not sure where I went wrong but it was heavy and dense.
Mine too – shiny and chewy. I thought it was the amount of eggs with the additional 1/2 cup of fat. It didn’t rise evenly like bundt cakes usually do, and I generally like the crumb of a traditional bundt cake.
Good morning, would this recipe do well in loaf pans?
Hi Sue, it should turn out fine in loaf pans, though obviously wouldn’t look like a nest!
Hi Sally,
This cake looks so beautiful for Easter. Here in Canada we don’t have plain cake flour. We have a cake/pastry flour combo that they sell. Can I use that for cake flour?!
Thank you,
Brenda
Hi Brenda, our team doesn’t have experience with Canadian flour products, but that sounds to me like it should work! American cake flour typically has a 5-8% protein content, and is milled extra fine.
I can’t wait to make this, and the suggested variations. Do you think that I would need to do anything differently if I were to swap the flour with a GF flour like Cup4Cup? TIA.
Hi Sue, we haven’t tested this Bundt cake with any gluten free flours. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you give it a try.
Very much looking forward to trying this recipe! I always have buttermilk in the house. Is there a reason you are using milk + lemon juice instead of buttermilk?
Hi Barbara, I use lemon juice for flavor. Feel free to use buttermilk to replace both, if you don’t want as much lemon flavor. (It’s very subtle as is.)
Ahh. Thank you — will def use the milk + lemon juice, then.
Hi Sally! I have mini bundt cake pans. I was thinking about using those. What are your thoughts?
Hi Robin, mini Bundt pans usually work when using a full-size Bundt cake recipe. The bake time depends on the size of the mini Bundt pan. You’ll have a lot of them because this batter makes quite a bit!
Do you know if this recipe will work in a lamb mold ca Pam?
Hi Kim, we haven’t tested this recipe in a lamb cake mold. It will really depend on the amount of batter that your pan will hold. Let us know if you decide to give it a try.
Hi, I want to make this for Easter, however my house isn’t a fan of cream cheese frosting! Can you suggest another frosting that would pair well with this?
Hi Erica! This lemon buttercream would be so tasty, and you can halve the recipe to make just enough for the Bundt.
I made this coconut buttercream frosting a few weeks ago and it was the best thing I’d ever tasted. Needless to say, that is what I will be frosting my cake with
Forgot the link. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pina-colada-cupcakes/#tasty-recipes-75326
This was so tasty and the texture was lovely. Next time I won’t leave it in the pan for 2 hrs. Despite liberal greasing of the pan, some bits stuck. The crumb-ier texture plus the coconut made it harder to frost. But once you apply the coconut to the frosting, most of the mistakes disappear. Finally, I would check it at 45 or 50 min. I waited until 55 min and it turned out a little dry.
I was wondering if I could use canola oil instead of the melted coconut oil?
Absolutely.
What a pretty cake!
I love coconut cakes on Easter, but I’m not much of a fan of lemon flavored desserts. So, if I left out the lemon juice in the cake, would I need to substitute another liquid for it?
Hi Laura, you can replace the lemon juice with milk in both the cake and frosting.
I followed the recipe as directed and only added 1 tbls of milk to the cream cheese frosting and it was very soupy. I had to add a lot more confectionery sugar to get this frosting thicker. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Donna! What kind of cream cheese did you use? Make sure to use full fat cream cheese that comes in a block (not from a tub).
I’d love to make this cake for my grandchildren n daughter. However, they are gluten free! Any suggestions?
Hi Jan, we haven’t tested this Bundt cake with any gluten free flours. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you give it a try.
I just want to say I have made this every Easter for the past 4 years and it is always perfect.
Hi Sally, Congratulations on your 1000 post on your blog. I do love all of your recipes. I enjoy coming to your site to get ideas for what to make for holidays and special occasions. I’m in a culinary school and learning professional baking skills. I like seeing your technique for piping, making pies and cakes. I do plan on making this Easter cake that you have posted. It’s a beautiful cake and will be fun to make! Happy Easter!
Thank you so much, Debbie! We would love to hear how this Easter cake goes for you!
I made this today and wow it was a beautiful cake!
Life pro tip: Let’s face it, some people don’t like coconut. I had some leftover robin eggs and cream cheese frosting so I made Sally’s no bake oatmeal cookie recipe, molded them into a nest shape, piped cream cheese frosting into the center and nestled a few Robin eggs in each.
The cake and cookies were really remarkable to look at side by side.
As always, great recipes and inspiration from Sally. I wish I could share the pictures with you all.
I have been wanting too make this cake since you first posted it, and this year I finally got around to it. I followed the recipe exactly (lemon cake and coconut cream cheese frosting). It both looked and tasted amazing! I think this cake will have to become a new tradition in my family. Thanks a lot for inspiring photos and excellent recipes!