Make a bird-day cake! | A recipe for a bird-themed ice cream cake
Do you have a birder in your life with a birthday or special occasion coming up? Surprise them with a bird-themed, homemade ice cream cake! Complete with happy, sugary birds that won't fly away the moment you try to take a photo.
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Keep in mind that this cake does take a bit of time to make, so plan ahead if you are making this for a birthday or other event. It's super easy to make though, the hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!
You will need a springform pan (I used a 9" pan) to make this cake. If you don't have a springform pan and enjoy baking, I highly recommend purchasing one because they are very useful for other recipes!
Making the Bird-themed Cake
Supplies for the bird-themed cake:
Ingredients for the bird-themed cake:
Two 1.5 qt containers of ice cream (Chocolate and vanilla is the classic combo)
1 package of Oreo cookies
1 jar of fudge sauce
Recipe for a bird-themed Cake:
Lightly butter or use an oil spray in the springform pan.
Let the first ice cream flavor (that will be on the bottom) sit out and soften. Once softened, spread ice cream into the pan to the halfway point. Even out until flat.
Freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Spread an even layer of fudge over the first ice cream layer.
Chop up about 15 Oreos into small chunks and sprinkle evenly onto fudge. Lightly press into fudge.
Freeze for 30 minutes. Set out the next ice cream flavor to soften.
Spread the second layer of ice cream into the pan. Flatten out as evenly as possible.
Freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
To serve, take the cake out of the freezer 30 minutes before serving. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. After 15 minutes carefully unlatch the pan and let the cake sit until soft enough to cut and serve.
Bird-day Cake Decoration Ideas
There are endless ways you can decorate this cake, for any theme or occasion. Here are two easy, bird-themed ideas for you to start with.
American Goldfinch Nest Cake
Ingredients and supplies for American Goldfinch bird-themed cake:
Chocolate frosting
White frosting (buttercream, vanilla, etc.)
Small bowl
Directions for American Goldfinch Nest Cake
Take your ice cream cake out of the freezer so it starts to slightly thaw. Once the outside has softened, gently press your bowl into the center until it forms a shallow dip for your nest. Smooth out the edges and return the cake to the freezer.
Fill the piping bag with chocolate frosting, and cut a very small corner off the bag (or use a small piping tip). Holding the tip slightly above the cake, squeeze the bag and let the frosting twirl itself onto the cake. Repeat until the cake is covered, then return to the freezer.
Fill another piping bag up with white frosting. Using both frostings, decorate the Peeps to look like Goldfinches (see photo above).
Shortly before serving, remove the cake and set the "eggs" in the dip, and set the two birds on top.
Red Crossbill Feeder Cake
Ingredients and supplies for Red Crossbill bird-themed cake:
*These red Peeps are the Fruit Punch flavored version. They are no longer for sale on the Peeps website, so I bought some from a third-party seller because I was set on making Red Crossbills. Use whatever color you would like though! Yellow for American Goldfinches, blue for bluebirds, or pink for...overweight flamingos maybe?
Directions for a Red Crossbill bird-themed cake:
Remove the cake from the freezer and let it thaw slightly.
Press chocolate wafers vertically onto the outside of the cake until the cake is completely surrounded by the wafers. If they start to slip off, return the cake to the freezer for 15 minutes before continuing.
Fill the top of the cake with sunflower seeds. Lightly press them down.
Using kitchen shears, cut each Peep's beak in half horizontally. Twist one half over the other to create the crossed bill.
Push a sunflower seed into a few of the beaks, and fill your "feeder" with Peeps.
I would like to note that your bird-lover may criticize the crossbill cake because "crossbills aren't all red." If someone gives you a hard time because the birds on their birthday cake aren't Sibley-approved, they might be too into birds.
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I do have a birthday coming within the week, but rather than a cake, lets set up some mist nets and see what we have missed!