Bunny Cake

The most adorable springtime cake ever!

By Olivia Mack McCool and Mary RuppPublished: Feb 24, 2023

1 Rating

PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE AND MARY RUPP

Want to take your Easter dessert table to the next level? This impressive bunny cake looks like it came from a bakery, but is actually so straightforward to make. It starts with a super-moist carrot cake (what else?), creatively cut, frosted, and decorated with Easter candy to look like an adorable bunny. Allow yourself the time to really follow the steps and have fun with the decorations—you and your holiday guests will be so “hoppy” you did!

You’ll start by baking a sweet, savory 8" carrot cake. Don’t be tempted to buy pre-shredded carrots for this. The moisture that comes out of freshly grated carrots is needed to keep this cake tender. Once the cake is cooled, a few simple cuts, and you’ll have your basic bunny shape.

The best part? You don’t have to be a pastry chef to successfully frost and decorate this cake. Using shredded coconut here gives the illusion of bunny fur and will hide any frosting imperfections. To make frosting easier, we start with a light layer of frosting, refrigerate to set, then frost again. This keeps the butter in the buttercream firm, so it doesn't slide all over. But again, don’t stress if your application isn’t perfect—it will all get hidden by the fluffy coconut shred. For decorating, you can use almost any candy you'd like—we went with pink and black jelly beans, to great effect. Other jelly bean colors will look cute scattered around the platter too. Two pointy ovals cut out of store-bought Rice Krispies Treats make simple bunny ears. If you plan to make the cake ahead of time, keep the ears to the side, and add them on just before displaying or serving.

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below.

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Yields:: 6 - 8 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 30 mins
Total Time:: 2 hrs 30 mins
Cal/Serv:: 1681

Ingredients

Cake

Cooking spray
3/4 c.
(160 g.) packed light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
1/2 c.
neutral oil
1/4 c.
(50 g.) granulated sugar
2
large eggs
1/2 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c.
(150 g.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp.
baking powder
1 tsp.
ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp.
baking soda
1/2 tsp.
ground ginger
1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
1/8 tsp.
ground nutmeg
1 c.
(110 g.) grated carrots (from about 2 large)

Frosting & Decorating

1 1/2 c.
(3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 c.
(690 g.) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 c.
(or more) heavy cream, room temperature
2 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
4 c.
(340 g.) sweetened shredded coconut, divided, plus more if needed
2
store-bought or homemade Rice Krispies Treats
Pink sanding sugar, jelly beans, and green food coloring, for decorating

Nutrition Information

Per Serving (Serves 8)

Calories1261 Fat70 gSaturated fat39 gTrans fat1 gCholesterol148 mgSodium398 mgCarbohydrates155 gFiber3 gSugar133 gProtein6 gVitamin D1 mcgCalcium100 mgIron2 mgPotassium279 mg

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Directions

Cake
1. Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8" cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment.
2. Step 2In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar, oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined and no lumps remain. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to brown sugar mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in carrots. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
3. Step 3Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
Frosting & Decorating
1. Step 1In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed to just combine, about 30 seconds, then increase speed to high and beat, adding more cream if frosting looks dry, until very creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Step 2Remove cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut cake down the middle, creating 2 half-moons. Flip one half-moon round side down and frost flat side with buttercream. Top with second half-moon flat side down. Stand cakes upright to create bunny body. Transfer bunny body to a platter.
3. Step 3Cut out a 3" wedge about one-third of the way up from bottom of body, forming the head. Trim head with a sharp or serrated knife to form a more rounded shape, if desired. Place wedge on opposite end of head and secure with 2 toothpicks, creating the tail and trimming, if desired.
4. Step 4Frost entire bunny with a thin coat of buttercream (it doesn’t have to be perfect, as the coconut will hide any imperfections). Refrigerate to set, 15 to 30 minutes. Generously frost cake again with buttercream. Sprinkle entire bunny with 2 cups coconut, using more if needed, to cover and create fur.
5. Step 5Carve out 2 ears from Rice Krispies Treats. Frost with buttercream and sprinkle inside of ears with sanding sugar. Sprinkle ears with 1 cup coconut for fur. Using toothpicks, press ears into head. Using jelly beans, create eyes and a nose.
6. Step 6In a tightly covered jar or container, shake remaining 1 cup coconut with a drop of green food coloring, adding more food coloring if needed, until coated and desired color is reached. Sprinkle around bunny and decorate with more jelly beans.

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preview for Celebrate Easter With This Adorable Carrot Cake Cheesecake

PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE AND MARY RUPP

Olivia Mack McCool

Contributing Recipe Developer

Olivia is a food stylist, recipe developer & cookbook author living in NYC. Her work has appeared both on the pages of magazines and on billboards in Times Square. Helping people cook with more confidence is her #1 passion.

Mary Rupp

Contributing Recipe Developer

Mary Rupp is a food writer and recipe developer who contributes, tests, and styles recipes for Delish. After graduating from the International Culinary Center in New York, she earned her stripes at restaurants like Per Se and The NoMad. When she’s not cooking Caramel Pecan Pie and Creamy Corn Pasta in the Delish test kitchens, you can find her traveling abroad and hunting for the next great food trend.