Easy Easter Bunny Cake Recipe

I made an Easter Bunny Cake that looks like a simple centerpiece but reveals a playful surprise when you slice into it.

I’ve always loved making goofy desserts, and my Easy Easter Bunny Cake started as a last minute idea when I only had a vanilla cake mix and a handful of mini chocolate chips. What I love about it is how silly and unexpected it can be, kids laugh and grown ups smile, even if the ears flop.

It’s colorful and playful and people always want to know where the idea came from. I won’t lie, sometimes it ends up a little messy, but that makes it more fun and somehow even more memorable.

Ingredients

• Mostly carbs, adds sweetness and rise, little fiber or protein.
• Eggs: good protein, adds moisture and structure, makes cake richer.
• Butter gives flavor and tenderness, high fat and calorie dense though.
• Powdered sugar makes frosting sweet and smooth, basically no nutrition.
• Shredded coconut adds texture and subtle sweetness, provides some fiber and healthy fats.
• Jelly beans mostly candy, very sugary, used for colorful nose and decorations.
• Mini chocolate chips give small chocolate bursts, add fat and sugar.
• Pretzel sticks add crunch and salt, small carbs that contrast sweetness nicely.
• Vanilla extract packs big flavor, tiny amount, no calories really.
• Marshmallows sweet and spongy, mostly sugar, used for cheeks, no real nutrition.

Ingredient Quantities

• 1 box (15.25 oz) vanilla cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, more if needed
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut for “fur” optional
• Pink gel or paste food coloring a few drops
• Pink sanding sugar or pink sprinkles about 2 tablespoons
• Mini chocolate chips about 12 to 18 for eyes and mouth
• Jelly beans or small candies about 1/2 cup for nose and decorations
• 6 marshmallows, halved optional for cheeks
• Pretzel sticks or thin licorice about 6 to 8 for whiskers

How to Make this

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease two 8 or 9 inch round pans or line with parchment; in a bowl mix 1 box vanilla cake mix, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 3 large eggs until smooth, scrape bowl and beat 1 to 2 minutes more so batter is well combined.

2. Divide batter between pans and bake 22 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; cool 10 minutes in pans then turn out onto a rack and cool completely before decorating.

3. Make the buttercream: beat 1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter until creamy, add 4 cups sifted powdered sugar a cup at a time, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and a pinch of salt; add 2 to 3 tablespoons milk (start with 2) until spreadable, add more milk if needed; tip: start mixer slow so powdered sugar doesn’t fly everywhere.

4. Reserve about 1/2 to 1 cup of frosting and tint it with a few drops of pink gel or paste food coloring for ears and cheeks, keep the rest white for the fur.

5. Level the cakes if domed, then stack them with a layer of frosting between; cut the top round into two ear shapes by halving it and trimming the halves to look like ears, use any scraps to patch the body or make a tail.

6. Apply a thin crumb coat of white frosting all over the stacked cake, chill 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat, then spread a final thicker layer of white frosting; use a fork or the back of a spoon to pull little lines and create a fur texture.

7. If using, press 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut into the frosting to give fluffy fur, or sprinkle toasted coconut for more flavor; tip: press gently so the coconut sticks but doesn’t tear the cake.

8. Use pink frosting to fill the inner ears and dot cheeks; sprinkle pink sanding sugar or pink sprinkles into the inner ear area while the pink frosting is still wet so it sticks.

9. Add facial features and decorations: place mini chocolate chips (12 to 18) for eyes and a small mouth, press a jelly bean in the center for the nose and scatter jelly beans around the platter for extra color, attach 6 marshmallows halved for puffy cheeks if you like, and insert pretzel sticks or thin licorice (6 to 8) for whiskers.

10. Chill the cake briefly so decorations set, serve at room temperature within a day or refrigerate leftover slices; quick tip: bring chilled cake to room temp 20 minutes before serving so the buttercream tastes silky.

Equipment Needed

1. Oven (set to 350 F)
2. Two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans (grease or line with parchment)
3. Mixing bowls (one large for batter, one small for tinted frosting)
4. Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with beaters
5. Measuring cups and spoons
6. Rubber spatula and a stiff spatula for scraping and spreading
7. Cooling rack and a plate or cake board for assembling
8. Offset spatula or butter knife plus a fork or the back of a spoon to create fur texture

FAQ

Easy Easter Bunny Cake Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Eggs → Flax “eggs”: mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water per egg (for 3 eggs use 3 tbsp flax + 9 tbsp water), let sit 5 to 10 minutes until gelled. Cake will be a bit denser, but it works well for this quick mix.
• Unsalted butter (for frosting) → margarine or vegan butter, 1:1. If you use solid coconut oil instead use the same amount but chill and re-whip the frosting if it gets greasy, it will taste faintly of coconut.
• Powdered sugar → make your own by blending 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until powdery, then sift. Quick and accurate when you run out of store-bought icing sugar.
• Pink gel food coloring → beet powder, freeze-dried strawberry powder, or a few drops of strained beet juice. Start tiny, natural colors are weaker and can change slightly while baking.

Pro Tips

– Pro tip 1: Let the cakes cool completely before you touch the frosting, seriously. If you frost a warm cake the buttercream will slide right off, so chill the layered cake after a thin crumb coat for at least 10 minutes to set it, then do the final coat. Level any domes with a serrated knife for even layers, and save the scraps to make ears or a tail so nothing goes to waste.

– Pro tip 2: Make the buttercream silky — start the mixer on low so powdered sugar doesn’t fly everywhere, sift the sugar first, and use room temperature butter. Add milk one teaspoon at a time until it spreads easily, if it gets too soft pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes then rewhip, and if it seems grainy just beat it a little longer at low speed.

– Pro tip 3: For bright pink without watering down the frosting use gel or paste coloring, add a little at a time and mix well, you can always add more but you cant take it out. Press shredded coconut on gently so it sticks but don’t rub hard or youll tear the frosting, or toast some coconut for extra flavor if you like.

– Pro tip 4: Small details last longer if you set them into slightly chilled frosting, so add chocolate chips, jelly beans and marshmallow cheeks after you chill the cake briefly. If whiskers need to stay put, insert them at a slight upward angle into the cake not straight in, and for extra moisture brush layers with a light simple syrup before stacking.