Bunny Cake for Easter Spring (Printable view)
Adorable vanilla bunny cake with coconut fur and buttercream, perfect for Easter spring celebrations.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
07 - 3 large eggs
08 - 1 cup whole milk
09 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
→ Frosting
10 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
12 - 2–3 tablespoons milk
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - Pinch of salt
→ Decoration
15 - 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
16 - Pink food coloring
17 - Jelly beans or mini candies
18 - Pink and white fondant or marshmallows
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in vanilla.
04 - Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the creamed butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just incorporated.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 22–25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
06 - Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely before decorating.
07 - Beat butter until smooth. Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and enough milk to achieve a spreadable consistency.
08 - Keep one cake round whole for the face. Cut the second round into two equal ovals for ears and trim the remaining center into a bow tie shape.
09 - Arrange the face, ears, and bow tie on a large serving tray in the classic bunny configuration.
10 - Spread a thin layer of frosting over all cake pieces to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
11 - Frost the cake completely with remaining buttercream. Press shredded coconut generously over the entire surface to create a furry texture.
12 - Tint a small portion of coconut with pink food coloring. Gently press the pink coconut onto the inner sections of the ears.
13 - Use fondant or marshmallows to accent the ears. Place candies for the nose, eyes, and additional decorations as desired.
14 - Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The coconut fur makes it look like you spent hours, when it's actually quite forgiving
- Watching faces light up when you bring this to the table is absolutely worth the effort
02 -
- A chilled crumb coat is the difference between coconut sticking nicely and sliding right off
- The second cake round can be tricky to cut into ear shapes, so move slowly and use a sharp knife
03 -
- Place your serving tray on a spinning cake stand or lazy Susan for easier frosting application
- Use kitchen shears to trim the ear shapes, it gives you more control than a knife