Bunny Cake

My Mom made this Bunny Cake every year for Easter when we were kids, and it quickly became a treasured tradition. I’ve carried that tradition forward as it brings back fond childhood memories. If you make this with a dark chocolate cake mix and frost it with Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting, it tastes just like the Snowball cake treats you may remember enjoying as a kid— nostalgic, and irresistibly delicious.  Please read the tips below before making this cake.

1 box cake mix of your favorite flavor. My favorite is chocolate!

1 (7.2 oz) box Betty Crocker Home Style Frosting Mix-Fluffy White

Coconut

Green food coloring

Jellybeans

Bake any flavor layer cake mix in two round layer pans (8" or 9" pans).  Bake according to the package directions.

Let cake cool completely on a wire rack.

Prepare the Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting Mix as directed on the package. Set aside.

Cut one layer in half; put halves together with frosting.  Stand cake upright on the cut edge.

With a sharp knife, cut a notch about a third of the way around the semicircle, forming the bunny's head. Save this cutout piece for the tail.  Secure the tail in place with a wooden toothpick.  Frost the bunny with remaining frosting.  Sprinkle generously with shredded coconut.  You may want to gently pat the coconut into the frosting to adhere it to the sides of the bunny.

Make ears out of white paper and color inside pink with crayon.  Or you may use pink construction paper. Fold (crease) in half and stick the ears into the top of the bunny's head.

Use pink jellybeans for the eyes and nose.  For the grass, place some coconut in a glass jar or in a Ziploc bag.  Add a few drops of green food coloring and shake the jar or bag to color the coconut.  Add more green food coloring until you achieve the desired color.

Place additional jellybeans in clusters of 3 around the bunny.  I like to put a few small black jellybeans or chocolate covered raisins near the bunny's tail.  The little kids usually find this so funny! 😆

You will only use one layer of the cake. You may wrap and freeze the unused layer and save it when you have a craving for a piece of cake.   

**Tip:  If you want a fatter bunny, you can cut the second layer of cake in half and add that to the bunny. (3 - half layers for the body).  However, you will need to shave off some of the cake on the sides of the head and tail a little bit or the bunny will have a very wide head and tail. 

** The box of Betty Crocker Fluffy frosting that I use may be somewhat difficult to find. If your store carries it, it most likely will be on the top shelf in the frosting aisle.  I have been able to find this at Woodman's, Wal-Mart, Piggly Wiggly and Festival Foods.  If you cannot locate this frosting, you may make it from scratch by following a recipe for "Seven Minute Frosting" that uses egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar.  This is a sticky 'marshmallowy' flavored frosting.

Source: Betty Crocker-Cake and Frosting Mix Cookbook 

Eileen and Janice