How to Make a Simple Easter Bunny Cake

Easter reminds me of my mother's best friend Cheryl. Cheryl showed me how to make simple Easter Bunny cakes that bring smiles all around. After Cheryl died from cancer at forty-two I always associated the fun of Easter to the day she showed me how to make an Easter Bunny cake.

Easter Bunny cake is the main attraction at an Easter party next to the treasures found during an Easter egg hunt. All you need for a simple Easter Bunny cake is:

2- 8 or 9 inch round cake pans

Candy for decoration (i.e. licorice strings, jelly beans, chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc.)

Frosting (pastel colors make pretty bunnies)

Shredded coconut

Green food coloring

Your favorite cake recipe or boxed cake

Long, sharp knife

Add food coloring to shredded coconut until it is grass green. Prepare cake according to directions and bake in round pans. If you want to make a moist chocolate cake from scratch here is a delicious recipe from Betty Crocker:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 tea. baking soda

1 tea. salt

1 tea. vanilla

1/2 tea. baking powder

2 eggs

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled (completely)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pans. Beat all ingredients in large bowl on low speed for 30 seconds scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Bake in round pans 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If you use 8-inch round pans you will have extra batter. This cake can be baked in a rectangular pan for 45 minutes.

Chocolate frosting (to use at the end):

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2/3 cup milk

1/2 tea. salt

2 tea. vanilla

Mix all ingredients except vanilla in 2 a quart saucepan. Heat to rolling boil stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute without stirring. Place saucepan in bowl of ice water. Beat until frosting is smooth and spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.

Let cakes cool completely. If they are not fully cooled your bunny will break apart. Remove cake from pans. Use sharp knife and cut along dashed lines as shown in Figure 1.

The smaller pieces will be used as bunny ears, and the center piece is the body.

Tip: To cut perfect bunny ears trace pan on wax paper. Use sides of pan to make proportionate ears, cut, and use as a cutting guide.

Arrange the pieces and remaining cake on a large tray as shown in Figure 2.

Your bunny now has a head, body, and two ears. Frost bunny and make eyes, nose, mouth, buttons and whiskers with candy. Spread green coconut around cake. Serve your bunny cake sitting on grass.

What if you want to make more than just a cute bunny? What if you want bunny 2K7? Here are a few variations to soup up your bunny:

Furry bunny has the look of soft, white fur. Use strawberry or chocolate cake. Frost with white frosting and cover with coconut. Red or pink jelly beans can be used for the eyes and nose. Make whiskers from red licorice. For a golden furry bunny cover chocolate cake with caramel frosting, and lightly toasted coconut. Chocolate chips, Hersheys Kisses, and black licorice make the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Tie dye bunny is a colorful version of the bunny cake. Choose 2-4 colors of Jell-O. Prepare according to instructions, but use half as much cold and boiling water as required. Let Jell-O cool, but do not refrigerate. Arrange white cake bunny and poke holes in cake with a fork. Pour Jell-O over cake until wet, but not soaking. Alternate the colors of Jell-O for a tie dye affect. Chill until dry, frost, and decorate. For a unique flavor substitute cold water in Jell-O with orange or pineapple juice.

To make a bowtie bunny turn the body sideways as in Figure 3. Place the body under the bunny's head and decorate.

Love bunnies require a little more work. You will need four cakes to make two bunnies facing each other. Cut two cakes as in Fig. 1. Give each bunny 1 ear for a side view. Decorate and place candy hearts around bunnies to show their amour!