Colorful Easter Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites.
• Divide batter among 3 small bowls. Add few drops yellow food color to 1 bowl; mix well. Add red food color to second bowl to make pink. Add red and blue food color to third bowl to make purple. Pour half of the yellow batter into cake pan. Carefully pour half of the pink batter over yellow batter. Carefully pour half of the purple batter over pink batter. Repeat layers (do not mix colors).
• Bake as directed on box until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Place cake on serving plate.
• Divide frosting among 3 small microwavable bowls. Microwave 1 bowl on High about 5 to 10 seconds; add few drops yellow food color and stir until frosting is smooth enough to drizzle. With spoon, drizzle yellow frosting back and forth over cake in striping pattern until all frosting is used (allow some frosting to drip down onto plate in middle of cake, if desired). Microwave second bowl of frosting; add red and blue food color to make purple. Drizzle frosting over cake in same striping pattern. Repeat with last bowl, adding red food color to make pink frosting. Decorate cake with sprinkles.
• Place coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag; add few drops green food color. Seal bag and toss until coconut is evenly tinted. Sprinkle coconut on serving plate around cake and in center for "Easter grass."

Steps:

• Cover the serving board with gift wrap, taping the wrap on the back side of the board. Cover the wrapped board with clear cellophane in the same way. Set the board aside. , Using two 9-in. round baking pans, prepare and bake the cake according to the package directions. Cool cakes for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks to cool completely. , Place on cake in the center of the covered serving board. Spread the top of the cake with frosting. , Cut a 6-in. circle from the center of the second cake. Remove the center circle and set aside for another use. Place the cake ring on top of the frosted cake layer, creating the basket. Frost top and sides of basket., For the handle, cover the 14x3/4-in. strip of lightweight cardboard with plastic wrap. Bend the cardboard strip into an upside-down "U" shape and insert the ends into the top of the cake about 1 inch from the outside edge. Frost the handle., In a large resealable plastic bag, combine three drops of green food coloring and 1/2 teaspoon of water. Add coconut, seal the bag and shake until coconut is evenly tinted. Sprinkle a portion of green coconut inside the basket. Reserve remaining coconut to sprinkle around the bottom of basket later., Fill the basket with candy of your choice. Press candy pieces onto the top of the handle where shown in the photo or as desired., When the frosting on the cake is firm, press the tines of a fork into the frosting on the sides of the cake to create a basket-weave pattern, alternating vertical and horizontal designs., Sprinkle the remaining tinted coconut around the bottom of the basket.