This Cake Is For The Birds - A Recipe for Handmade Suet Cakes

Thursday morning I looked out my front door and there was a beautiful black and white Downy Woodpecker happily munching on my suet feeder.  I quickly snapped a couple of pictures and  knew I had to figure out a legitimate way of posting this magnificent creature onto my blog.  Voila, I decided to make a suet cake just for her.  Years ago my children gave me a recipe book for birds.  Most of the recipes called for a combination of suet and bird seed.  I dashed to the grocer but had to settle for a pound of lard instead of the raw suet.  If you are feeling generous you could add some dried fruit or additional nuts.  I'm saving mine to make more granola this weekend so the birds will get peanut butter.

If you are looking for something children can make and give as gifts this Christmas season - these little cakes carefully wrapped in parchment and tied with twine would make a great gift for grandma or a favorite teacher.  The basic recipe couldn't be simpler.  Melt the lard, mix it with bird seed and other goodies, refridgerate and serve.  I used a plastic container and chilled it overnight.  This morning I popped out the cake and then cut it with a large round aluminum can to make a perfect circle.  The birds seem very happy with the peanut butter combination.  I would recommend storing these in the refridigerator until you are ready to use them.  Also lard has a lower melting point (it will get soft at 60 degrees) so if you live in a warmer climate you may want to find real suet.  Here is what I put together.

Bird Cake

1 Cup Lard melted in microwave
2 Cups Bird Seed
1/2 Cup Chunky Peanut Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Sand

Mix all the ingredients and pour into a heat proof dish.  You could also line small boxes with parchment paper or use the bottom of cardboard milk cartons for molds.