Easter Bunny Rabbit Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make, bake and cool cake as directed on box for two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans.
• Reserve 1 layer for another use or to make a second bunny. Cut 1 layer in half as shown in diagram. Put halves together with frosting to make body. Place cake upright on cut edge on tray.
• Cut out a notch about one-third of the way up one end of body to form head (small end) as shown in diagram. Attach half of cutout piece from tail with toothpicks. Frost with remaining frosting, rounding body on sides. Sprinkle with 1 cup coconut. Cut ears from construction paper; wrap ends that will be inserted into cake with plastic food wrap. Press into notch on top. Use jelly beans for eyes and nose.
• Shake 1 cup coconut and 3 drops food color in tightly covered jar until evenly tinted. Surround bunny with tinted coconut. Add additional jelly beans if desired. Remove ears, plastic wrap and toothpicks before serving. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease two 6-inch round cake pans, one 10-oz custard cup, 2 regular-size muffin cups and 1 mini-sized muffin cup with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray).
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour cake batter in custard cup, 2 muffin cups and 1 mini muffin cup filling about two-thirds full; divide remaining batter between cake pans.
• Bake 6-inch cake rounds and custard cup 21 to 26 minutes, cupcakes 17 to 21 minutes and mini cupcake 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from cake pans, custard cup and muffin cups; place rounded sides up on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Using serrated knife, cut off rounded portion of cakes.
• Place 6-inch cake, cut side down on tray; spread 1/3 cup frosting over cake. Top with remaining cake round, cut side up. Trim a small amount of edge off custard cupcake so it can stand on top of 6-inch cake round. Insert wooden skewer through top of head through cake rounds for stability; trim skewer as needed. Spread thin layer of frosting over side and top of layered cake and bunny head to seal crumbs. Use frosting to adhere cupcakes to front of 6-inch round cakes for feet. Use toothpicks to secure feet, if necessary; spread thin layer of frosting over feet to seal crumbs. Cut mini cupcake in half; place cut side down on top of cake for bunny arms. Cut 3 marshmallows in half lengthwise. Place 3 marshmallow halves, cut sides down, on top of each cupcake to make toes of feet. Place 1 full marshmallow behind cake to make bunny tail. Freeze cake 30 to 45 minutes to set frosting.
• Spread remaining frosting over cake. Unroll red fruit flavored snack. Cut 2 large circles and 12 small circles out of snack. Press onto bottoms of bunny feet and front paws.
• Place blue chocolate candies and red licorice on bunny face to make eyes and mouth. Cut remaining marshmallow in half crosswise. Using edible black pen, draw whiskers on each marshmallow half. Place on bunny face to make cheeks.
• Unroll punch berry fruit flavored snack; cut into 3 sections. Wrap around Bugles™ snacks to make carrot shapes. Cut green sour candies in half crosswise; press into large end of each carrot and cut exposed end lengthwise into thirds to make greens on carrot.
• Cut ears from construction paper; wrap ends that will be inserted into cake with plastic food wrap. Insert into cake. Remove ears, plastic wrap and toothpicks before serving. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• For the frosting: Combine the sugar, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand-held electric mixer). Mix on low speed until mostly incorporated. Add the vanilla, increase the speed to medium high and mix until smooth. Adjust the consistency with milk until the frosting is easy to spread.
• For the bunny: Spread a thin layer of frosting (about 2/3 cup) on the flat side of one cake layer and top with the flat side of the second cake layer. Measure 5 inches across the top of the cake and cut down through the layers, creating 2 layered pieces that are slightly different sizes.
• Place the larger piece of cake cut-side down on a large platter or cake board. If using a rectangular cake board, place the larger piece so that the long edges are parallel with the long edges of the board. This is the body of the bunny. Cut the smaller piece of cake in half crosswise, so you have 2 layered wedges. Place one wedge in front of the body, with one flat side on the board and the other flat side against the body. The curved side will be on top. Take a serrated knife and round off the sharp edges on top of the head. Cut the tip off (the nose) at a 45-degree angle. Reserve all scraps in a bowl.
• Separate the layers of the remaining wedge of cake. These will be the back legs. Round the sharp edges of the cake wedges with your knife and add to the scrap bowl. Place one piece on each side of the bunny, with one flat side down and the other flat side facing forward (the round side towards the back of the bunny), about 1 inch from the end of the bunny's body.
• Mix the cake scraps in the bowl with a fork until mashed and then pack into a ball with your hands. Place the ball behind the bunny's body and adhere with a dab of frosting. This is the bunny's tail.
• Frost the entire bunny, tail and all, using 2 to 3 cups of the frosting, keeping some definition with the bunny parts and frosting more generously around any sharp edges to give a rounded look to the bunny parts. Sprinkle the bunny with the coconut to fully cover. Gently pat to adhere.
• Insert the biscotti between the head and body, pressing into the cake to secure them. These are the ears. Place the base of the ears close together at the center of the head and angle them out. Frost the front of each biscotti with some frosting. Then, using the pink decorating icing, frost a smaller strip in the center of each biscotti, going down to where the ears meet the head but not going all the way to the top.
• To make the face, press a black jelly bean into each side of the head for the eyes. Cut one of the marshmallows into 3 circles, discard the middle piece and press the 2 end circles, cut-sides in, into the front of the face for the bunny cheeks. Push the white jelly bean halves into the face below the cheeks, round-sides out, for the teeth. Place the pink jelly bean above for the nose.
• Unroll the licorice wheel and cut 2 pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches long. For each piece, peel the strips apart halfway down and then cut each separated strip in half lengthwise so you end up with a piece looking a bit like a broom. Repeat with the second piece of licorice. Tuck each piece, with a dab of frosting, behind a marshmallow cheek, with the cut ends facing out for the whiskers.
• Cut the second marshmallow in half lengthwise. Make 3 slits in each half, going about halfway through (these are the toes), and place in front of the legs for the bunny's feet. Adhere the bottom of the feet with frosting if necessary.

Steps:

• Mix and bake cake according to package directions, using two greased and floured 9-in. pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For bunny's head, place one cake on a 20x14-in. covered board. Cut remaining cake into two ears and one bow tie (see Fig. 1). Place ears 4-in. apart on top of head. Place bow tie so it fits in curve of head (see photo). , Frost top and sides of head, ears and bow tie. Sprinkle 1-1/4 cups coconut over head and ears. Divide remaining coconut between two resealable plastic bags; add red food coloring to one bag and green to the other. Seal bags and shake to coat. Place pink coconut on ears to within 1/2 in of the edges. Place green coconut around the cake. , Use jelly beans for eyes, nose and to decorate bow tie. Cut the licorice into seven 2-in. pieces and seven 3/4-in. pieces. Place six 2-in. pieces next to nose for whiskers. Bend the remaining 2-in. piece into a semicircle and place 3/4 in. below nose for mouth. Connect nose to mouth with one 3/4-in. pieces. Place three 3/4-in. pieces above each eye for eyelashes.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter the sides of a 25 x 35cm baking tray and line the base. Melt the rest of the butter in a small saucepan and take off the heat. Mix the milk, yogurt, vanilla and eggs and stir in the butter.
• Tip the dry ingredients plus ¼ tsp salt into a large bowl. Stir through with a whisk and then pour in the wet ingredients, whisking gently as you do so. Keep whisking to a smooth, silky batter. The batter will start to make bubbles straight away so pour it into the tin and shake it to level the top. Bake for 20-25 mins or until risen and golden, and remove from the oven. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then carefully invert the cake onto a cooling rack.
• Make the buttercream by tipping the butter into a large bowl and sift the icing sugar on top. Add the vanilla and milk and a pinch of salt then beat carefully for a few mins with an electric whisk until it is creamy, pale and spreadable. If the icing is too stiff add a little more milk.
• Invert the sponge onto a serving board. Cut a bunny head from the sponge using a sharp knife. Cut a nose with a round cutter from the excess, cut the round in half and cut a small oblong to fit between the semi circles to make an oval. Use a little buttercream to stick the nose onto the sponge, ice the outside of the nose with a layer of buttercream. Scoop ¾ of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
• Pipe rows of buttercream around the outside of the cake and all over the face. Make a row of buttercream stars around the ears leaving some space in the middle for a different colour. Colour the remaining ¼ of icing with pink and pipe the centre of the ears. Make a nose shape and two eyes from the fondant and stick them on the face. Paint the nose pink and the eyes blue and black. This cake will keep for 3-4 days somewhere cool. Freeze the offcuts to use in a trifle.