Name: Easy Bunny Cake
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 8” round cake layers, baked and chilled until cold; 1 (16 oz.) container buttercream icing; 1 (14 oz.) package shredded coconut; 2 Tbsp. Rainbow Sprinkles; Black, pink, yellow and white jelly beans (for eyes, nose, and bowtie); Red or pink food coloring

Southern Living Bunny Cake on a table with forks, plates, and extra candy — Photo:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

30 mins

Servings:

Jump to Nutrition Facts

An adorable bunny cake is a favorite dessert for Easter celebrations. These sweet faces often come out at the end of the holiday meal, ready to treat a family to a grand finale.

A bunny cake is also a fun way to get the whole family involved in the Easter dessert. Kids can help older bakers frost and decorate, right down to the sprinkles on the bow tie and the shredded coconut "fur" on the face and ears.

Here, learn how to make an Easter bunny cake , step by step. Plus, get tips from our Test Kitchens for making the best bunny cake you can.

How To Make a Bunny Cake

This adorable Easter bunny cake is created easily by using a boxed cake mix and frosting (homemade or store-bought—it's up to you), and it is built and decorated on the tray on which it’ll be served.

Making a bunny cake is a fun, creative project that the whole family can enjoy! If you prefer homemade components, consider one of these editor-favorite cake recipes or these incredible buttercream recipes .

Ingredients for a Bunny Cake

The great thing about this bunny cake recipe is that it can be as easy as you need—use boxed cake mixes and store-bought frosting. Or you can make it more special with favorite recipes. When you're ready to make this, be sure to gather:

2 8-inch round cakes: Use a boxed mix to make these, or pick a favorite cake recipe. They should be cooked and completely cooled before you start.
Frosting: You can use the pre-made frosting from the baking aisle, or make a batch of a favorite buttercream frosting. You'll need about 2 cups.
Shredded coconut: This forms the bunny cake's "fur."
Food coloring: You'll need pink or red food coloring or gel so you can turn some of the frosting pink for the bunny's sweet little face.
Sprinkles and jelly beans: These provide the texture and sweetness of the colorful bow tie.

Tips From the Southern Living Kitchens

Before beginning the project, ensure that your 8-inch cake rounds are already baked and cooled, so you’ll be ready to decorate.

If you are looking for variations to these decorations, the cake can be easily changed to make it more personal. For instance, consider white chocolate shavings instead of coconut, or use any of your favorite candies or fresh fruit to decorate the bunny’s face and bow tie!

Southern Living Bunny Cake on a table with plates, forks, glasses, and extra candy — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Ingredients

2 8” round cake layers , baked and chilled until cold
1 ( 16 oz. ) container buttercream icing
1 ( 14 oz.) package shredded coconut
2 Tbsp. rainbow sprinkles
Black, pink, yellow and white jelly beans (for eyes, nose, and bow tie)
Red or pink liquid food coloring

Directions

Gather your ingredients:

You'll need your pre-baked cake layers and all of the items for decorating. Be sure to have a decorative tray or baking sheet, offset spatula, and piping bag ready.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Cut bunny ears:

Using one of the prepared cake rounds, measure from the edge to the center of the cake about 3” and make a mark. Use the 8” cake pan as a guide to cut a curved angle on each side of the cake; with these cuts, the cake will resemble a baseball. The two larger side pieces will become the bunny ears. Set the ears aside temporarily.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Cut bow tie:

Take the center piece and cut the rounded pieces off each side. The two smaller round pieces will help to give dimension to the bunny cake face, and the main center piece will become the bunny’s bow tie.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Begin building the bunny cake:

Assemble the cake pieces on your baking sheet or decorative board. Place the bow tie at the bottom, followed by the whole 8-inch round cake, then add the two ear pieces to the top.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Build bunny face:

Next, place the two small rounded pieces (cut-side down) on top of the 8-inch round cake, centered on the lower half to form the bunny nose.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Make pink frosting for bunny face:

Measure out about ¼ cup of the buttercream icing and add a small amount of red or pink food coloring to create a pink color. Place the pink buttercream in a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner cut off and set it aside.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Frost the bunny cake:

Spread the remaining white icing over the entire cake in a thin layer. Don’t be too concerned about making the icing completely smooth on the cake since it will be covered with coconut.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Cover with coconut:

Sprinkle coconut over face and ears, covering top and sides of cake completely.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Decorate the bow tie:

Add sprinkles to the bow tie portion of the cake, covering the top and sides completely.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Add details:

Use the jelly beans to create eyes and a nose for the bunny face and the center of the bow tie.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Pipe frosting for final details:

Use the pink icing to pipe a rounded smile, some whiskers, and to fill the center of the ears. Outline the bow tie or add accents to the cake with extra pink icing, if desired.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

339	Calories
17g	Fat
45g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 18
Calories 339
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17g	22%
Saturated Fat 10g	51%
Cholesterol 37mg	12%
Sodium 145mg	6%
Total Carbohydrate 45g	16%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 37g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 25mg	2%
Iron 1mg	4%
Potassium 102mg	2%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.