How To Make A Bunny Cake This Easter Recipe

I made an Easter Bunny Cake that looks impossibly intricate but hides a clever shortcut I used to get those perfect ears and fluffy fur.

Ive been playing with a white cake mix and a pile of sweetened shredded coconut to turn a simple pan into a cheeky bunny that somehow looks pro, yet is way easier than it seems. The secret isnt fancy piping, its texture and a couple of silly shortcuts that make the fur pop and the face read cute from across the room.

It lives right between show-off Easter Desserts and a playful Easter Bunny Cake, the kind of thing that makes kids squeal and adults do a double take, wondering how you pulled it off with almost no fuss.

Ingredients

• Boxed cake mix: convenience, carbs and sugar, gives structure and sweet flavor.
• Eggs: add protein, moisture and lift, but theyre high in cholesterol for some.
• Butter: mostly fat and calories, rich creamy taste, helps make tender crumbs.
• Powdered sugar: pure sweetness, mostly carbs, helps smooth silky frosting.
• Shredded coconut: adds texture, mild sweetness, some fiber but lots of calories.
• Heavy cream: makes frosting rich and creamy, adds fat and smoothness, can thin.
• Chocolate chips: sugar and fat, tiny chocolate bites that make eyes and charm.
• Pretzel sticks: salty crunch, contrast to sweetness, simple candy anchor for whiskers.

Ingredient Quantities

• 2 (15.25 ounce) boxes white cake mix (or yellow if you prefer)
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) unsalted butter, softened (room temp)
• 8 to 10 cups powdered sugar, sifted (start with 8 and add more if needed)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream or whole milk, plus more if needed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 to 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut (for fluffy fur)
• Gel food coloring, pink (a few drops, gel works best)
• 24 mini chocolate chips (eyes and little mouth dots)
• 1 small pink candy or jelly bean for the nose
• 6 to 8 thin pretzel sticks for whiskers
• 2 large marshmallows for ear bases (or about 4 ounces pink fondant instead)
• Optional: 1/4 cup assorted pastel sprinkles or small candies for decoration
• Optional: 2 to 3 tablespoons corn syrup or piping gel (to help candies stick)
• Cooking spray or butter for greasing pans (a little goes a long way)

How to Make this

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease two 9 inch round pans with cooking spray or butter. In a large bowl whisk together both 1
5.25 ounce cake mixes, 6 room temp eggs, 2 cups water and 2/3 cup vegetable oil until smooth. Divide batter between pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.

2. Make the buttercream: beat 1 1/2 cups softened unsalted butter until light. Add 8 cups sifted powdered sugar gradually, then 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. If it’s too thin add more powdered sugar (up to 10 cups) until pipeable; if too stiff add a splash more cream. Taste and adjust. Reserve a small bowl of frosting and tint that with a few drops of pink gel for cheeks and inner ears.

3. Level the cakes and stack them with a thick layer of buttercream between. Use leftover cake scraps to carve small ear shapes if you want extra cake ears, or skip to using marshmallows for ear bases. Chill the stacked cake 20 to 30 minutes so it firms up, this helps with carving and frosting later.

4. Carve the stacked cake into a rounded bunny head shape if desired: trim a slight oval and make two small shallow notches at the top where ears will go. Don’t overthink it, imperfect shapes look cute. Reserve crumbs for nibbling.

5. Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the whole cake and chill 15 to 20 minutes to set. Then coat again with a final thicker layer of white buttercream, smoothing as best you can with an offset spatula or a flat knife.

6. Press 3 to 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut into the frosting all over the cake to create fluffy fur. Do this gently with your hands or a spoon so the coconut sticks. For denser fur press more coconut into any bare spots.

7. Make the face: use two mini chocolate chips for the eyes, place a small cluster of mini chips or a few in a V for a tiny mouth or whisker dots. Press a small pink candy or jelly bean for the nose. Attach 6 to 8 thin pretzel sticks as whiskers, using a dab of frosting or a little corn syrup or piping gel to help them stick if needed.

8. Make ears with marshmallows: slice two large marshmallows in half lengthwise so you have flat bases, tint the reserved frosting pink and spread a little on the marshmallow inner halves, then press the pink side onto the white side and stick them into the notches on top of the head. If you used fondant instead, shape and insert the fondant ears. Use toothpicks or extra frosting to anchor if they wobble.

9. Add finishing touches: sprinkle optional pastel sprinkles around the base or on the cheeks with a touch of corn syrup for sticking. Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes to set everything before serving. Slice carefully and enjoy, and hey, any fallen coconut makes a great snack.

Equipment Needed

1. Two 9-inch round cake pans, greased with spray or butter
2. Large mixing bowls (one for batter, one for buttercream)
3. Electric hand mixer (or a whisk and lots of elbow grease if you wanna)
4. Measuring cups and spoons
5. Rubber spatula and an offset spatula for spreading and smoothing
6. Serrated knife or cake leveler plus a cutting board
7. Cooling rack(s) and toothpicks for anchoring ears
8. Piping bag or a small bowl and spoon for tinting/piping frosting
9. Small bowl or plate and a spoon to press shredded coconut, plus a bench scraper or flat knife to tidy edges and dont forget some paper towels

FAQ

How To Make A Bunny Cake This Easter Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Unsalted butter (1 1/2 cups) > Use vegetable shortening or a 1:1 vegan butter substitute for a more stable frosting in warm weather. If you only have salted butter, use the same amount but skip the 1/4 tsp salt in the recipe, easy fix.
• Powdered sugar (8 to 10 cups) > Make your own by blitzing granulated sugar with cornstarch in a high speed blender. Approx: 1 cup granulated + 1 tbsp cornstarch = ~1 cup powdered sugar, then sift. Works great if you run out.
• Heavy cream or whole milk (1/2 cup) > Swap with full fat coconut milk or coconut cream for dairy free, or use half and half or evaporated milk for extra richness. Coconut will give a mild coconut taste, so keep that in mind.
• Sweetened shredded coconut (3 to 4 cups) > If someone has a coconut allergy or you want a different look, pipe “fur” with white buttercream stars using a small star tip, or press white chocolate shavings or white sprinkles into the frosting. For less sweet, use unsweetened or desiccated coconut instead.

Pro Tips

1) Make the cake extra moist and stable: add one packet instant vanilla pudding to the dry mix or swap 1 cup of the water for 1 cup sour cream. Use room temp eggs for a smoother batter, if theyre cold put them in warm tap water for 5 minutes to speed it up. These little changes keep the cake from drying out when you carve it.

2) Chill before you carve or frost: pop the stacked layers in the fridge or freezer for 20 to 30 minutes so the cake firms up, then trim with a serrated knife for cleaner cuts. If you use toothpicks to anchor marshmallow or fondant ears, poke them in so the point faces down and tell people theres toothpicks in the slices before serving.

3) Get perfect buttercream texture and color: beat the butter till its super pale and fluffy before adding sugar, add powdered sugar slowly till pipeable, and use gel color drop by drop so you dont overdo it. If the buttercream looks greasy or split, chill the bowl for 10 minutes then rewhip, or add a spoonful of meringue powder for extra stability in warm kitchens.

4) Make the fur and face look professional: press shredded coconut on with a light clap of hands or a flat spatula so it sticks without ripping the frosting, and reserve a little plain/tinted frosting in a piping bag to fix gaps or make tiny tufts. Use melted chocolate or a dab of piping gel to glue eyes and sprinkles for better hold, and add toasted coconut sparingly for contrast. Pretzels get soggy over time so insert them right before serving if you want crunchy whiskers.

How To Make A Bunny Cake This Easter Recipe

Recipe by Tina Braven

0.0 from 0 votes

I made an Easter Bunny Cake that looks impossibly intricate but hides a clever shortcut I used to get those perfect ears and fluffy fur.

Pin

Servings

24

servings

Calories

503

kcal

Equipment: 1. Two 9-inch round cake pans, greased with spray or butter
2. Large mixing bowls (one for batter, one for buttercream)
3. Electric hand mixer (or a whisk and lots of elbow grease if you wanna)
4. Measuring cups and spoons
5. Rubber spatula and an offset spatula for spreading and smoothing
6. Serrated knife or cake leveler plus a cutting board
7. Cooling rack(s) and toothpicks for anchoring ears
8. Piping bag or a small bowl and spoon for tinting/piping frosting
9. Small bowl or plate and a spoon to press shredded coconut, plus a bench scraper or flat knife to tidy edges and dont forget some paper towels

Ingredients

• 2 (15.25 ounce) boxes white cake mix (or yellow if you prefer)

• 6 large eggs, room temperature

• 2 cups water

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) unsalted butter, softened (room temp)

• 8 to 10 cups powdered sugar, sifted (start with 8 and add more if needed)

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream or whole milk, plus more if needed

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 3 to 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut (for fluffy fur)

• Gel food coloring, pink (a few drops, gel works best)

• 24 mini chocolate chips (eyes and little mouth dots)

• 1 small pink candy or jelly bean for the nose

• 6 to 8 thin pretzel sticks for whiskers

• 2 large marshmallows for ear bases (or about 4 ounces pink fondant instead)

• Optional: 1/4 cup assorted pastel sprinkles or small candies for decoration

• Optional: 2 to 3 tablespoons corn syrup or piping gel (to help candies stick)

• Cooking spray or butter for greasing pans (a little goes a long way)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F and grease two 9 inch round pans with cooking spray or butter. In a large bowl whisk together both 1
• 25 ounce cake mixes, 6 room temp eggs, 2 cups water and 2/3 cup vegetable oil until smooth. Divide batter between pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
• Make the buttercream: beat 1 1/2 cups softened unsalted butter until light. Add 8 cups sifted powdered sugar gradually, then 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. If it’s too thin add more powdered sugar (up to 10 cups) until pipeable; if too stiff add a splash more cream. Taste and adjust. Reserve a small bowl of frosting and tint that with a few drops of pink gel for cheeks and inner ears.
• Level the cakes and stack them with a thick layer of buttercream between. Use leftover cake scraps to carve small ear shapes if you want extra cake ears, or skip to using marshmallows for ear bases. Chill the stacked cake 20 to 30 minutes so it firms up, this helps with carving and frosting later.
• Carve the stacked cake into a rounded bunny head shape if desired: trim a slight oval and make two small shallow notches at the top where ears will go. Don’t overthink it, imperfect shapes look cute. Reserve crumbs for nibbling.
• Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the whole cake and chill 15 to 20 minutes to set. Then coat again with a final thicker layer of white buttercream, smoothing as best you can with an offset spatula or a flat knife.
• Press 3 to 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut into the frosting all over the cake to create fluffy fur. Do this gently with your hands or a spoon so the coconut sticks. For denser fur press more coconut into any bare spots.
• Make the face: use two mini chocolate chips for the eyes, place a small cluster of mini chips or a few in a V for a tiny mouth or whisker dots. Press a small pink candy or jelly bean for the nose. Attach 6 to 8 thin pretzel sticks as whiskers, using a dab of frosting or a little corn syrup or piping gel to help them stick if needed.
• Make ears with marshmallows: slice two large marshmallows in half lengthwise so you have flat bases, tint the reserved frosting pink and spread a little on the marshmallow inner halves, then press the pink side onto the white side and stick them into the notches on top of the head. If you used fondant instead, shape and insert the fondant ears. Use toothpicks or extra frosting to anchor if they wobble.
• Add finishing touches: sprinkle optional pastel sprinkles around the base or on the cheeks with a touch of corn syrup for sticking. Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes to set everything before serving. Slice carefully and enjoy, and hey, any fallen coconut makes a great snack.

Notes

• Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.

Nutrition Facts

• Serving Size: 135g
• Total number of serves: 24
• Calories: 503kcal
• Fat: 24.8g
• Saturated Fat: 12.6g
• Trans Fat: 0.06g
• Polyunsaturated: 2.8g
• Monounsaturated: 7.8g
• Cholesterol: 82.5mg
• Sodium: 112mg
• Potassium: 91mg
• Carbohydrates: 87.3g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 74.4g
• Protein: 4.4g
• Vitamin A: 494IU
• Vitamin C: 0.5mg
• Calcium: 41mg
• Iron: 1.25mg