I created an Easter Bunny Cake with a playful hidden surprise that appears when the cake is sliced.

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I love how this Easy Easter Bunny Cake looks way fancier than it is. It’s built on a white or yellow cake mix and a few kit bash ideas, and somehow it becomes the centerpiece.

I’ll be honest, I ruined the ears my first try, they were floppy and sad, but that accident turned out cute instead. People always lean in at family gatherings, it’s perfect Easter Party Food that sparks questions and little bets about what I did wrong.

There are tiny additions like mini chocolate chips that give it personality, and some happy mess ups you’ll want to repeat.

Ingredients

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Cake mix: mostly carbs and sugar, shortcut that keeps the cake moist.
Eggs: great protein, add structure and richness, sometimes yolks make it silky.
Butter: high in saturated fat, adds flavor and creamy mouthfeel, very rich.
Powdered sugar: pure sweet carbs, makes frosting smooth, packs a lot calories.
Shredded coconut: adds texture and mild sweetness, some fiber and healthy fats.
Gel food coloring: no nutrition, small amount adds bright festive color, stains.
Mini chocolate chips: sweet little bites, add fat and sugar, tiny antioxidants.
Pink jellybean: just sugar for sweetness and color, fun to decorate with.

Ingredient Quantities

1 (15.25 oz) white or yellow cake mix

3 large eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)

4 to 5 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)

2 to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut optional, for fuzzy fur

pink gel food coloring a few drops

green gel food coloring a few drops

mini chocolate chips or black decorating gel for eyes and mouth

1 pink jellybean or pink M&M for nose

2 cupcakes or 2 small oval cake pieces for ears

assorted sprinkles or colored sugar optional for extra decorating

How to Make this

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1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9 inch round cake pan and two wells of a muffin tin (or line with liners for 2 cupcakes); this will be the bunny body and ears.

2. Make cake batter: in a bowl combine 1 (1
5.25 oz) white or yellow cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 cup water and 1/3 cup vegetable oil; beat until smooth. Pour most of the batter into the round pan and fill two muffin wells about 2/3 full for ears, or bake extra small oval cake pieces if you prefer. Bake the round cake about 25 to 35 minutes and the cupcakes about 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

3. While cake cools make buttercream: beat 1 cup unsalted butter softened until fluffy, add a pinch of salt and 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar a cup at a time, then add 2 to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to reach spreadable consistency. Taste and adjust sugar or milk for thickness.

4. Split the frosting: reserve a big scoop for the bunny fur (white), tint a small bowl with a few drops of pink gel food coloring for the inner ears and nose detail, and tint another small amount with green gel food coloring for grass or a base border. Gel needs only tiny drops, add slowly.

5. Trim the round cake top flat if needed so the bunny sits steady. If using cupcakes for ears, cut each cupcake in half lengthwise and shape to look like ears or trim small oval cake pieces into ear shapes. Use a little frosting to attach ears to the top edge of the round cake and push in a toothpick for extra hold while decorating, remove toothpicks before serving.

6. Crumb coat the whole cake with a thin layer of the reserved white buttercream, chill 10 to 15 minutes so the coat sets, then spread a thicker coat over the cake. If you want a fluffy fur look, press 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut into the frosting all over the cake while it’s tacky. Tip: to color coconut pink for inner ear fluff put coconut in a zip bag with a couple drops of pink gel and shake until coated.

7. Add ear and face details: pipe or spread the pink frosting inside the ear pieces; put a pink jellybean or pink M&M in the center for the nose; use mini chocolate chips or black decorating gel for eyes and use chips or gel to make a little mouth. If using chips for eyes press them gently into the frosting so they stay.

8. Use the green-tinted frosting to pipe grass around the cake base or make a little grassy mound for the bunny to sit on, and sprinkle on assorted sprinkles or colored sugar if you want extra color. Use a fork or small spatula to fluff the coconut fur so it looks fuzzy, it’s ok if it’s a bit messy.

9. Chill the assembled cake for 15 to 30 minutes to set everything, remove any toothpicks, then serve. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge.

Equipment Needed

1. Oven set to 350 F
2. 9-inch round cake pan plus a muffin tin or 2 cupcake liners for the ears
3. Mixing bowls — one large for the batter and a couple small for tinting frosting
4. Electric hand mixer or a whisk if you dont have one
5. Measuring cups and measuring spoons
6. Rubber spatula and an offset spatula or butter knife for smoothing
7. Piping bag with a small round tip or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped
8. Cooling rack, serrated knife to trim the cake, and toothpicks to help hold the ears while decorating

FAQ

Q: How do I get the frosting the right thickness for piping or spreading?

A: Start with 4 cups powdered sugar for a spreadable frosting, 5 cups for stiffer piping. Beat 1 cup softened butter with 1 tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt, then add sugar a cup at a time. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream a little at a time, usually 3 tbsp is a good place to stop. If it’s too thin add more sugar, too stiff add a tsp of milk. Chill 10 to 15 minutes to firm it up before piping.

Q: What’s the easiest way to make the bunny fur using shredded coconut?

A: Frost the cake first, while the frosting is still tacky press shredded coconut onto the surface using your hand or a spoon. To color coconut, put it in a zip bag with a few drops of gel color and shake until coated, then spread to dry. For toasted flavor, toast coconut on a baking sheet 3 to 5 minutes at 325F, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Q: How do I make and attach the ears so they don’t fall over?

A: Use two cupcakes halved or cut two small oval pieces from extra cake and shape into ears. Dab the base with frosting and anchor them into the head with toothpicks or uncooked spaghetti for support. If you use toothpicks, tell guests to remove them before eating.

Q: Can I make parts ahead or freeze the cake?

A: Yes. Bake layers and freeze wrapped up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight then bring to room temp before frosting. Buttercream can be made ahead and kept airtight in the fridge up to a week, rewhip before using. Assembled cake keeps in the fridge 3 to 4 days but coconut may dry out, so for best look serve within 24 hours.

Q: Any quick fixes if something goes wrong while baking or decorating?

A: If the cake sinks it was probably underbaked or the oven temp was off, test with a toothpick next time and bake a few minutes longer. If frosting is too runny add powdered sugar or chill it and rewhip. If coconut won’t stick press it firmly into tacky frosting or add more frosting layer first.

Q: Can I make this cake dairy free or egg free?

A: Yes. Use an egg-free or vegan cake mix and substitute eggs with egg replacer or flax eggs. Swap butter for vegan butter or solid coconut oil and use non-dairy milk in the frosting. Flavor and texture will be a little different but it works fine.

Easy Easter Bunny Cake Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Eggs: swap each egg with 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce so use 3/4 cup for this cake, or make flax eggs with 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water per egg (mix, wait 5 minutes). Works well for vegan or egg free versions, though cake may be a bit denser.
Unsalted butter (frosting): use an equal amount of softened margarine or 1 cup vegetable shortening for a sturdier frosting that wont melt as fast; add 1 tsp vanilla for extra flavor if you like.
Sweetened shredded coconut: leave it out and press extra frosting for a smooth fur, or use white sprinkles, white chocolate shavings, or finely chopped toasted almonds for texture instead.
Pink jellybean nose: substitute a pink M&M, a small pink gumdrop, a tiny marshmallow colored with pink gel, or a dot of pink decorating gel or icing for an easy swap.

Pro Tips

1) chill and test your frosting as you go. if the butter gets too warm it’ll go greasy, so beat it on medium, add sugar slowly and if it feels too loose pop the bowl in the fridge 10 minutes and re-check. conversely if it’s rock hard add milk a drop at a time, you want a spreadable but stable texture so the coconut and decorations won’t sink.

2) color the coconut in a zip bag, not a bowl. put the coconut in, add just a drop or two of gel, squeeze the bag shut and shake until evenly coated. spread it on parchment to dry a few minutes so it stops clumping. if you need a paler shade use WAY less gel, you can always add more.

3) assemble on the cold cake. chill after the crumb coat so the second layer goes on smooth, and use toothpicks to hold ears while the frosting firms up but remove them before serving. pressing coconut on when the frosting is slightly tacky works best, use gentle pats instead of smearing so you don’t lose the fluffy look.

4) glue small decorations with frosting or melted chocolate, not by just pushing them in. mini chips, jellybeans or M&Ms will fall off if you don’t secure them. and last thing, taste tests are allowed — tweak salt or vanilla in the frosting if it tastes flat before you color it.