How to Make a Robin Egg Cake For a Happy Easter

Learn how to make this Speckled Robin Egg Cake that’s perfect for a Happy Easter! 

I’ve wanted to make this tutorial for several years, and I’m so excited to share this Robin Egg Cake with you finally. 

This Robin Egg Cake is made with soft orange almond cake layers with creamy vanilla buttercream, phyllo birds nest, and Cadbury chocolate eggs. 

The orange almond cake layers are insanely delicious. The delicate almond flavor is enhanced with the fresh orange zest. You’ll use gel food coloring to dye each cake layer with sky blue, soft pink, or lemon yellow. I love the reveal of beautiful cake layers as you cut into the cake. 

The orange almond cake is paired perfectly with a creamy vanilla buttercream colored to be the perfect shade of robin egg blue. Then it’s speckled with brown gel food coloring. 

The bird nest is so much fun to make. I’ll show you how to cut and bake the phyllo dough to create the crispy bird’s nest cradling the mini Cadbury chocolate eggs. 

This cake is simple and approachable for any baker at any skill level. This tutorial is made with a beginner mindset so anyone can make this exciting and delicious Robin Egg Cake! 

Tips for Success:

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• If you are in a rush for time or would like to break up the decorating, then make the fondant decorations the day before, so the fondant has plenty of time to dry.  
• In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. 
• You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three 8-inch cake layers.
• Food coloring gets darker in buttercream over time, so it’s best to gradually add the food coloring, which is best for lighter colors.  
• Serve the cake at room temperature. To get clean cuts of cake, run hot water over a sharp knife, wipe clean after each slice. Reheat the knife as needed. 

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake: 

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl, paddle & whisk attachments
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Baking Sheet Tray
• Silicone baking mat, optional
• Mixing bowls (small & medium)
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Sky blue gel food coloring 
• Soft pink gel food coloring 
• Lemon yellow gel food coloring 
• Brown gel food coloring 
• Clear extracts like lemon or Vodka
• Small paintbrush
• Cake Stand, optional

Here’s how to make this Speckled Robin Egg Cake for a Happy Easter! 

Let’s Get Baking! 

How to Make Orange Almond Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
5. Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated. 
6. Pour in the buttermilk, almond extract, and orange zest. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. Divide cake batter into three bowls, color each bowl into pastel pink, yellow and blue. Dye one bowl with pink gel food color, then color another bowl with yellow food color and the third bowl with blue food color. 
8. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
9. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 1-2 hours. 

How to Make Robin Egg Blue Buttercream 

1. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla. 
3. Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
4. Before using, turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles, or use a rubber spatula to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake). 

Phyllo Bird Nest 

1. On a cutting board, roll the five sheets of phyllo dough into a log. Then thinly slice the phyllo with a sharp knife creating long pieces. 
2. Pull the phyllo dough apart, revealing long strands of dough, and wrap the dough around your hand. Add more dough as you go creating a nest with a hole in the middle. Create one to two nests (one can be a backup just in case). 
3. Next, gently place the nest(s) on a baking tray lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Spoon the melted butter over the phyllo dough. 
4. Place into a preheated 400°F oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes. 

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the cakes’ dome to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Add a small amount of blue buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer the blue cake layer, cut side up onto the cake board. Pipe ⅔ cup of blue buttercream and use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream layer.  
3. Place the pink cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the yellow cake layer process — Crumb coat with blue buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes. 
4. Add a thicker layer of blue buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides and the top as smooth as possible. 
5. Mix 1-2 drops of brown gel food coloring and one teaspoon of clear extract (or Vodka). Then use a small paintbrush to speckle the buttercream. As you spin the cake on the turntable, hit the paintbrush on your hand to create droplets or speckles on the cake. 
6. Add phyllo dough birds nest on top and add the Cadbury chocolate eggs inside the nest. Serve the cake at room temperature and enjoy! 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Easter Bunny Cake (recipe & tutorial)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (online course)  

I’m so excited to see your Robin Egg Cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help! 

Happy Decorating! 

P.S. Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out cake Decorating for Beginners, my online cake program. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s essential to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there! 

Watch the How-To Video Tutorial 

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