Easy Chocolate Shredded Wheat Easter Nest Cakes

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The ultimate Easter egg nest cake. These easy no bake chocolate nest cakes made with shredded wheat and pretzels are the perfect salt sweet twist to the classic Easter cakes. If you're looking for a quick treat this Easter season, give them a try!

Easter nest cakes are key to springtime in Britain. In my time here, I've come to learn that the type of cereal used is a contentious debate. Some people prefer Cornflakes, others might go for Rice Krispies. I have a friend who is very firm in her belief that Shredded Wheat is the only acceptable cereal for making Easter nests. All other cereals will produce lacklustre versions and fundamentally pale in comparison. Having tried enough varieties to now consider myself a chocolate nest cake connoisseur, I'm inclined to agree. Shredded Wheat Easter nests are the superior version!

Ingredients for Shredded Wheat Easter Nests

• Shredded Wheat - as you might have suspected, one of the key ingredients is Shredded Wheat cereal. This recipe calls for two of the shredded wheat biscuits, crushed. This recipe makes 6 Easter nests, but it can be easily doubled if you need more.
• Salted Pretzels - for a touch of salt, crushed pretzels. I used a small snack pack of mini salted pretzels, amounting to about half a cup, pre-crushed.
• Marshmallows - I had some standard sized Jet Puffed marshmallows from my mom in the cupboard. If you're in Britain, you can sometimes buy Jet Puffed online. If you don't have access to these, any fairly standard sized (non-mini) marshmallow would do.
• Dark chocolate - I used Guittard's Extra Dark Chocolate, but you could substitute with a lighter variety if preferred.
• Butter - unsalted butter is best in these.
• Vanilla extract
• And Mini Eggs - Cadbury's classic candy is the star of the Easter season sweet show.

Easy Chocolate Nest Recipe

To make these Easter nests, you only need three pieces of equipment:

• A sealable plastic bag
• A medium saucepan
• A spoon (or spatula)

Some additional implements may be useful, like a rolling pin or other heavy device to help crush the pretzels and cereal biscuits, and some cupcake cases to help shape your nests. These are all optional extras though. You could smash the biscuits with the bottom of your pan before using it. And, the mixture will hold together in a reasonable shape even left to its own on some parchment paper or a plate.

Crushing Shredded Wheat and Pretzels

Your first step towards Easter nest success is to crush your biscuits and pretzels.

• Pop both of these ingredients into the plastic bag - they can be mixed in together, without any issue.
• Use a heavy implement (such as a rolling pin or meat tenderiser) to beat these and break them up into small pieces. You don't want them crushed to a fine powder, but you also don't want larger pieces that are difficult to mix.

Quick Tip for Smashing Cereal

Using the plastic bag will help keep the fractured pieces of cereal and pretzel all together in one place. This avoids a mess in the kitchen from exploding bits. But, strictly speaking, this isn't necessary - you can make this recipe by crushing the cereal in a large bowl using a measuring cup or the end of a rolling pin.

Mixing Everything Together

Once you have your crushed cereal and pretzels, set these aside while you mix together your other ingredients.

In a saucepan, place the marshmallows, chocolate and butter. Over a medium heat, stir this occasionally as your marshmallows start to melt and break down.

Once this is all melted and smooth, add in the vanilla, stir and remove from the heat. Immediately add in your crushed shreddies and pretzel mixture and stir to combine.

Shaping No Bake Chocolate Easter Nest Cakes

You'll want to work relatively fast once you've added the dry ingredients. Much like Rice Krispie treats, these start to set up fairly fast and become steadily more sticky to deal with.

• Dollop out the mixture as evenly as possible into 6 cupcake cases.
• Then, using a spoon or your hands, try to make a bit of an indent in the centre to form a shape of a nest.
• Once shaped, add a few Cadbury's mini eggs to the top and press down lightly so that these stick to the cake. I opted for three in each nest, but you could go for more or less - make it an artistic chocolate choice.

You may find it helpful to grease your fingers or a spatula with some flavourless oil to avoid too much stickiness.

I would recommend letting these nests set for at least an hour to solidify a bit before serving. Honestly, though, that's optional and you can happily eat them at any stage!

FAQs

If you like this recipe, give these a try:

• No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies without Peanut Butter
• Easy Nanaimo Bars
• Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cones