Birdhouse Cake Recipes

Steps:

• In a saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and white chocolate until the chocolate is melted; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, cream butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the chocolate mixture. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth., Pour into two greased 8-in. square baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , Frosting: In a bowl, cream butter, shortening and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add milk; beat until fluffy. Place 1 cup of frosting in a bowl; tint yellow. Leave remaining frosting white., Assembly: Cut one cake in half. Cut the remaining cake in half diagonally. Place one rectangular cake half toward the back of a 9-in. square covered board. Spread with half of the jam. Top with the remaining rectangular cake. Spread remaining jam over the top of one of the diagonal cakes; top with remaining cake. Frost top and sides of rectangular cake with white frosting. Place the triangular cake, point side up, on rectangular cake. Frost front and back of triangular cake with white frosting., Cut a hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert petal tip #103. Fill bag with yellow frosting. Pipe frosting in slightly overlapping rows on rooftop. Along the roof peak, pipe two rows of frosting on front and back. With yellow frosting and round tip #9, pipe vertical stripes on each side and in each corner. Pipe frosting around base of birdhouse., For birdhouse opening, twist sandwich cookie in half; press cream side of cookie into cake. Remove bottom of marshmallow bird. Pipe frosting onto the back of the bird; attach to cookie. Pipe yellow frosting around opening. Insert Pirouette cookie below opening for perch., For bird's nest, in a saucepan over medium heat, melt marshmallows and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips until blended. Remove from the heat; stir in chow mein noodles until well coated. Using fingers, shape into a nest; press an indentation in center of next. Fill with jelly beans or candy eggs. Cool. Place in front of birdhouse.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (180°C) and grease and line the base of a 9½ inch round cake tin. (If making a double-layered cake, use 2 tins and double the quantity of cake mixture and frosting).
• Put the nuts and pineapple in a blender or food processor and pulse briefly until finely chopped.
• Sift all the dry ingredients, up to and including the salt, into a mixing bowl, then stir until combined and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the bananas, coconut oil or butter, reserved pineapple juice, vanilla, vinegar, and egg, if using. Whisk until combined, then add to the dry ingredients with the pecan and pineapple mix. Briefly stir until combined, but do not over-mix the cake batter.
• Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out of the tin onto a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Add the salt and vanilla, then stir in the icing sugar, a little at a time, to make a thick, spreadable icing. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake (or half over each cake if making 2). Sprinkle with the coconut flakes and pecans.

Steps:

• Cover bottom of 13x9-inch pan with waxed paper; spray bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; blend in dry pudding mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake as directed on package for 13x9-inch cake. Cool cake in pan 10 min.; invert onto wire rack. Remove pan and waxed paper; cool cake completely.
• Cut cake as shown in diagram 1. Arrange on tray or large platter as shown in diagram 2 and 3, turning piece B onto its side so it is higher than piece A, and placing pieces C and D over pieces E and F to form raised peak of roof, trimming corners of C and D where they meet at peak.
• Beat butter, milk and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition until well blended. Reserve 1/4 cup frosting; frost cake with remaining frosting.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup coconut onto center of birdhouse. Tint 1/2 cup of the remaining coconut with a few drops of yellow food coloring; sprinkle over bottom edge of house. Tint remaining coconut with few drops of red and blue food colorings; sprinkle over roof. Tint reserved frosting as desired; pipe onto cake to make bird. Add decorations to resemble photo.