Easter Bunny Cake (Printable)

Moist vanilla cake shaped into an adorable bunny with buttercream frosting and coconut decoration.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake Components

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

→ Buttercream 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 Elements

15 - 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
16 - Pink food coloring
17 - Jelly beans or mini candies
18 - Pink and white fondant or marshmallows

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans thoroughly.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly distributed.
03 - Beat softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating fully after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
04 - Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the creamed butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
06 - Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually incorporate sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and 2-3 tablespoons milk until achieving a spreadable consistency.
07 - Keep one cake round intact for the bunny's face. Cut the second round into two oval shapes for ears and shape the remaining center into a bow tie.
08 - Arrange face, ears, and bow tie on a large serving tray. Apply a thin layer of frosting over all cake pieces as a crumb coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
09 - Spread remaining buttercream generously over the entire cake surface. Press shredded coconut firmly into the frosting to create a furry texture covering all exposed areas.
10 - Tint a small portion of coconut with pink food coloring and gently press onto the inner ear sections. Attach fondant or marshmallow ear details and position candies for eyes, nose, and whiskers.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cake cutting feels like playing with your food but in the most delightful way possible
  • Floating coconut over buttercream creates the fluffiest fur texture without any fancy techniques
  • It transforms ordinary vanilla cake into a showstopping centerpiece that makes everyone smile before they even take a bite
02 -
  • The cakes must be completely cool before frosting or the buttercream will melt and slide right off
  • Chilling the crumb coat is the difference between coconut that sticks beautifully and coconut that slides onto the serving tray
  • Cutting the ears works best when the cakes are slightly chilled since they hold their shape better
03 -
  • Use an offset spatula to press coconut into the hard-to-reach curves where the ears meet the face
  • If coconut slides off the bow tie, anchor it with an extra thin layer of frosting before pressing

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