Easterbunnycake Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare cake mix according to directions on box for 2 round 9" layers.
• Tint 1/4 cup of the coconut pink (I'm guessing at the amount) for the center of ears and feet.
• Tint 2 tablespoons of the frosting brown for decorating face and feet ( or you can buy one of those prepared decorating icing tubes).
• When cake is cool, cut layers as shown in diagram (see other photo).
• Take 4 of the 8 outer ring pieces and frost the tops. Place 1 of the remaining 4 on top of each and frost top and sides. These will make the feet of the bunny.
• Place round-cut center piece next to the top edge of the square, keeping them both flat, to form body and head.
• Assemble the 4 side pieces in twos, flat sides together (you can use a little frosting to hold them together) to form the ears and arrange at the top of the head.
• Frost entire cake and attach the completed feet, 2 on each side of the body.
• Sprinkle coconut over entire cake and decorate with jelly beans/gumdrops for eyes, nose, etc. as desired, using pink-tinted coconut for center of ears and feet.
• Here's where you can really have fun and get creative! You can tie the ribbon in a bow and place on the cake as a bowtie, make buttons out of the candy, add a hat, etc.
• ** Tip for using frosting to decorate without a pastry bag: Spoon the frosting into one corner of a small plastic sandwich baggie, twist tightly and snip off the tip of the corner. Voila!
• Note: The finished cake is almost 2 feet long so be sure to have it on a large enough cookie sheet or platter!
• Servings vary on how you decide to divide up the body (er, bunny) parts -- .

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:

• 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.

Steps:

• Leave 1 cake whole. Use serrated knife to cut remaining cake into 3 pieces as shown in video. Arrange on large foil-covered board or platter to resemble a bunny's head and bow tie, using small amount of COOL WHIP to attach pieces to each other.
• Frost cake with remaining COOL WHIP.
• Sprinkle with coconut. Decorate with remaining ingredients as shown in photo. Keep refrigerated.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. Prepare cake mix as directed for 24 cupcakes, substituting milk for water and adding vanilla extract to batter. Bake and cool completely as directed.
• Spoon 2 cups frosting into a bowl and tint yellow, light blue, pale green or pink with food coloring (or make different colors in separate bowls). Frost Spoon a dollop of remaining white frosting onto center of each cupcake for bunny faces. (I pipe with a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with the corner cut off) To make ears: Cut each marshmallow in half crosswise with kitchen shears, then cut each piece in half diagonally to form 2 ears, flattening slightly with your fingers. Press in pink decorating sugar. (I have also used pink icing.) Stick 2 ears into each of white frosting mounds.(Stick them into the icing well so they don't fall off!).
• Use pink candies to make noses, blue candies for eyes and chocolate sprinkles for whiskers.

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:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 30 individual muffin cups or line cups with paper liners.
• Beat 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter and white sugar in a large bowl with an electric blender until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
• Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream and mix well into a thick batter. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool, about 20 minutes.
• Prepare the frosting while cupcakes are cooling. Cream together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter and vanilla extract with an electric blender. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in milk and continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy.
• Spread out marshmallow halves on a clean surface, cut-side down. Spread a little bit of frosting in the center of each marshmallow half. Sprinkle with pink decorating sugar to make the bunny ears.
• Spread an even layer of frosting over each cooled cupcake. Place 2 of the prepared marshmallow halves on each cupcake for the ears. Place a chocolate piece in the middle of each cupcake for the nose and draw eyes and whiskers with black decorating gel.