Homemade Birdseed Cakes
Sometimes when I’m coming up with my list of recipes to test and share on this blog I think to myself, “What would I be making today even if there was no blog to write?” Several times the answer to the question has been Homemade Birdseed Cakes.
I think there are plenty of other folks out there who like to feed the birds too, especially during the winter months. The recipe I’m sharing here is easy to do and makes six birdseed cakes.
Ingredients To Make Homemade Birdseed Cakes
This birdseed cake recipe uses lard as the fat to hold the cake together. Lard is my preference for the birds because it’s an animal fat rather than a vegetable fat (like Crisco). If you have any trouble finding lard in a grocery store, try looking by Hispanic foods where you might find a nice large tub of it labeled as “Manteca”, but on the other side of the tub it is labeled as “Lard”.
In addition to the lard, this birdseed cake recipe uses a mix of birdseed and sunflower seeds, some raisins, and some cornmeal and/or flour. I used the amounts shown below:
- 2 cups Birdseed Mix
- 2 cups Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
- 1 cup Raisins
- 2 cups Cornmeal or Flour (I did one cup of each)
- 3 cups Lard
How To Make Your DIY Birdseed Cakes
To make your DIY birdseed cakes, you’ll begin by mixing in a large bowl, the birdseed mix, the sunflower seeds, the raisins, and the cornmeal and/or flour and stirring until everything is well mixed together.
Next, you’ll place the lard in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in the microwave until melted. This took 2 minutes and 30 seconds for me. There were just a few chunks still not melted, but I just stirred them around and they quickly dissolved.
Then pour the melted lard over the birdseed mixture and stir until everything is well moistened with the melted lard.
To turn make this mixture into cakes, you’ll line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the lined pan and spread it around evenly, making sure to get it spread out well to the edges too. Put the pan in the refrigerator for several hours to cool and harden.
After several hours the birdseed cakes should be hard enough to cut. Lift the parchment paper out of the pan and cut the block into six cakes that should be the perfect size to fit in most birdseed cake wire cages.
Save any of the little crumbles that happen when you’re cutting your cakes too. I scatter them under my feed and the birds enjoy them down there too!
You might also like to make:
- Homemade No Melt Suet Cakes For Birds
- Homemade Birdseed Bells
- Homemade Birdseed Cakes (4 cake recipe)
Homemade Birdseed Cakes (6 cake recipe)
Equipment:
- large mixing bowl
- 9×13 pan
- Parchment Paper
Materials:
- 2 cups birdseed mix
- 2 cups sunflower seed (striped, black oil, or a mix of both)
- 2 cups cornmeal or flour (or a mix of both)
- 1 cup raisins
- 3 cups lard
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine the birdseed mix, the sunflower seeds, the raisins, and the cornmeal and/or flour and stir until everything is well mixed together.
- Place the lard in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in the microwave until melted. This took 2 minutes and 30 seconds for me. If there a few chunks still not melted, you can stir them around a bit and they quickly dissolve.
- Pour the melted lard over the birdseed mixture and stir until everything is well moistened with the melted lard.
- Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the lined pan and spread it around evenly, making sure to get it spread out well to the edges too.
- Place the pan in the refrigerator for several hours so the mixture can cool and harden.
- After several hours the birdseed cakes should be hard enough to cut. Lift the parchment paper out of the pan and cut the block into six cakes that should be the perfect size to fit in most birdseed cake wire cages.
I really don’t like Brown Headed Cow Birds, they come in and take over the yard and feeders, and cause smaller birds like the blue birds to disappear. I found out that the BHCB’s do not like Safflower seeds, but all the other birds do! Also, squirrels don’t like Safflower seeds, a bonus! Now I have all the beautiful birds in my yard! One question is, does anyone make Safflower seed cake???I found a recipe to make seed cakes using unflavored gelatin to hold them together.
I want to use gelain, do you have a recipe? thanks
My homemade birdseed bell recipe uses gelatin. You can also make this recipe in rectangle shapes if you wish. https://www.themakeyourownzone.com/make-your-own-birdseed-bells/
Hi Sharda,
Empty 1 package of unflavored gelatin into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Let this sit for 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup of boiling water to the gelatin, stirring for a few minutes or until the gelatin is dissolved. This is the binder that keeps seeds together.
Good luck!
Cynthia
I just made my first birdseed cake. I had bought the first one which was expensive and I was glad to find your recipe for these. I had no trouble finding the Armour Lard at Walmart. It’s in the freezer so we shall see how it turns out. I didn’t use the peanut butter as we have plenty of squirrels but I did use the cornmeal. I’m sure it will be fine. Thanks so much for the recipe. Janet
I mixed the poultry seeds, mealworms and general feed into a single bowl and mixed all the ingredients in a large bucket. Finally, use a wooden spoon to mix well. That’s how I prepare the birdseed cake.
Hi- I love this idea and want to make some. I also want to send some to a friend of mine in Florida. And even though I’m going to wait until Fall to send them, it still doesn’t cool off all that much there. So I’d like to add a little beeswax to these. Is beeswax safe for birds?
Thanks.
I looked through some of my bird books that have recipes for suet cakes and could not find any that used beeswax. I have never seen that ingredient used for birds either so I would think it best to not use it. Perhaps you could use a little more lard and a little less seed if you want to have a finished product that holds together a little more securely.
Is it ok to use a few peanuts in this? I have about 1/2 of 8oz jar left from christmas?
Peanuts should not be added if they are salted, seasoned, smoked, or have any kind of sugar or chocolate coating. So if you have a jar of nuts leftover from Christmas, they are probably the salted or flavored variety that aren’t best for birds.
So glad you stopped using peanut butter. Salt is toxic to wild birds. If you grind your own plain peanuts, that could work. No salt!
coconut oil is good for cats and dogs,so just wondering if so with birds as well
It’s usually recommended to use animal based fats (like lard or tallow) for homemade bird cakes rather than vegetable based fats (like crisco or coconut oil). I believe the animal based fats provide a little more energy for birds.
My squirrels will tear up any bird feeder and suet feeder I put out. I’ve learned that safflower is one seed they will not eat. I’ve found this to be fairly accurate. Have you found a recipe which squirrels do not favor? I don’t mind feeding them but they don’t leave the birds one to access freely. Thanks
The squirrels love to get into anything I put out for the birds too. I think the only solution is to try to use feeders with baffles or in locations they can’t get to.
Are these kind of messy in the summer heat? I’m looking for seed cakes that won’t melt or get stuck on their beaks and feathers. Thank you!
I have never used this recipe in the summer but I suspect it could melt in summer heat. You can try this recipe I use for No Melt Cakes for warmer weather: https://www.themakeyourownzone.com/no-melt-suet-cakes-for-birds/
Enjoyed your blog very much and gonna make this recipe today. Thankyou for taking the time to post. There are alot of us bird watchers out here. 😊❤😊
I like to save any dried goods I come across i.e.;crackers, cereal, nuts, dried berries and instead of throwing it away, save it for my suet cakes. I do this with any beef or pork fat trimmings also. Once a year in the fall I make a big batch that last all winter. Usually four or five sheet trays which I score so they fit my feeders.
I love the idea of saving your dry goods for the cakes. I’ll have to remember that!
I save coated paper half gallon juice containers. Fill with my suet recipe, let harden and set, pull or cut off paper, slice. They fit perfectly in suet holders.
I love that idea for molding the cakes Yvette!
I love this recipe! No corn syrup or gelatin! Nothing that could potentially harm our winged friends. Maybe I will add some peanut butter anyway – just because it’s so nutritious, especially for the winter months.
I agree, I think peanut butter could be a nice addition to this recipe!
I’ve been using your birdseed cake recipes for about a year, with tweaks here or there depending on what seed mix I am using, and the season. For the hottest summer months, I use gelatin as the binder. I use lard the remainder of the year. The gelatin is expensive, and I get a larger yield when I use lard, so lard is what I use except when hot weather will melt lard.
My tip is, for the square cakes, I found plastic storage containers at Dollar tree. One container has two compartments that make 1 perfect sized suet cake for standard suet cages, and one half-cake. The container has a snap-on lid. I mix the seeds and some flour as binder. Then melt suet in the microwave. Mix it together. Spoon it into the Dollar Tree containers, pack it well using fingers and the back of a large stainless tablespoon. Chill it in the fridge. Then I just pop out a full cake or 2, or a full cake and 2 halves, and load my feeder. These dishes are sold 2 and sometimes 3 for $1.00. They stand up to the heat of microwaved lard, but stovetop melting is too hot.
My seed cakes are mostly for woodpeckers. Thus, I use a lot of sunflower seed, nuts, meal worms if I can get a deal on them, and less of the smaller grains like millet and cracked corn. Tractor Supply always has gray striped sunflower in stock. I have a local garden center that always stocks high-end bird seed in bulk bags, and also sells by the pound, so it’s easy for me to find cracked sunflower and peanuts and such to buy just for a batch of seed cakes.
I love those tips Amy! I always like finding frugal solutions for homemade things too. I will be checking my dollar store 🙂 I also find that lard is usually my “suet” of choice and that the woodpeckers are the birdfeeder visitors that seem to like these cakes the best.