Peeps Easter Garden Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Make cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool in pan on cooling rack until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.
• Spread chocolate frosting on top of cake; sprinkle with chocolate cookie crumbs. Use green icing to make garden rows, using photo as guide. Insert toothpick halfway into base of each PEEPS® marshmallow bunny. Insert bunnies, toothpick side down, into cake.
• Use orange and green icings to make carrots on cake, using photo as a guide. Cut into 4 rows by 3 rows to serve.

Steps:

• Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan plus a 1-quart and 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl. Make both cake mixes; divide the batter among the pan and bowls. Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes for the pan and small bowl, and 50 minutes for the large bowl.
• Let the cakes cool 15 minutes in the pan and bowls, then unmold onto racks to cool completely. Trim the flat sides of the bowl cakes with a serrated knife to make level. Using a chef's knife, cut the 4 corners off the rectangular cake, as shown; set aside 3 of the cake triangles for the tail and beak.
• Put the flat cake on a cake board or platter; use toothpicks to attach 2 cake triangles to a short end for the tail. Position the large bowl cake on the flat cake as shown, then top with the small bowl cake; insert a skewer through the cakes to secure. Trim another cake triangle to make a beak; attach to the small bowl cake with toothpicks.
• Make the frosting: Heat the sugar with the cream of tartar, salt and 2/3 cup water in a saucepan, stirring, until dissolved. Beat the egg whites with a mixer until frothy. Slowly beat in the hot sugar mixture, then increase the mixer speed and beat until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts and the food coloring.
• Cover the cake with a thick layer of the yellow frosting, using the frosting to sculpt a rounded chick shape. With the edge of an offset spatula, use some frosting to extend the beak and tail.
• Coat the cake with yellow sanding sugar. Refrigerate, uncovered, 15 minutes. Press the chocolate disks into the frosting for eyes. Remove the skewer and toothpicks as you cut the cake.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Place paper baking cup in 1 regular-size muffin cup.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, water, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in carrots.
• Spoon 1/4 cup batter into baking cup. Bake cupcake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely; remove baking cup from cupcake, and discard. Place cupcake in freezer until ready to frost. Divide remaining batter evenly between round pans (about 2 1/4 cups each). Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around edges to loosen. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Frost cake rounds using 2/3 cup frosting between layers. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting in small bowl. Frost side and top with remaining frosting to cover completely. Immediately attach 22 PEEPS® bunnies around bottom edge of cake, pressing slightly to attach to cake.
• Add red and yellow gel food colors to reserved 1/2 cup frosting to tint orange. Remove cupcake from freezer; frost bottom half of cupcake with orange frosting, and place frosted side down in center of cake. Continue frosting to cover cupcake completely.
• Using photo as a guide, sprinkle crushed cookie around base of frosted cupcake. Cut licorice twist in half crosswise; set aside one half for another use. Gently pull apart ends of remaining half, leaving one end intact, to look like a carrot top. Press intact end into top of cupcake to complete the carrot. Place remaining PEEPS® bunny next to carrot.