Family Tradition

Bunny Cakes have made an annual appearance on my family's Easter table for as long as I can remember.

Every Easter, my mom, my sister, and I would make a Bunny Cake for each of our neighbors, plus the grandparents, as well as our own table. My sister and I would walk to each neighbor's house, most likely leaving a trail of green coconut and jelly beans behind us (I'm also assuming I had chocolate around my mouth--it was a semi-permanent look for me as a kid).

Bunny Cakes were frosted with only two distinct flavors at our house: Pink Frosting or Coconut Pecan. I was always a Coconut-Pecan girl, myself.

Ah, memories.

For the past few years, I've maintained the title of "Keeper of the Bunny Cake" for the family. I've upgraded from the Funfetti boxed mixes we used as a kid, to now making a classic vanilla cake recipe (known as the Dinette Cake) from Betty Crocker's old-school cookbook. For frosting, I use a basic buttercream with almond extract. In the words of Ina, How easy is that?

I asked Adam yesterday if I should make Bunny Cakes for all of our neighbors this year. He looked up from the pile of frosting-coated, coconut-caked dishes he was washing, and I knew it would be another year before Bunny Cakes made an appearance in our kitchen :)

Bunny Cakes

(Dinette Cake recipe from Betty Crocker)

While I went with a classic white bunny for this year's cake, why not get creative with your Easter dessert centerpiece? Use strawberry, lemon, or even caramel frosting. Coat your bunny with coconut--or coat your bunny with chopped, toasted pecans. The sky is the limit in bunny decorating.

Dinette Cake Ingredients:

• 1 - 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 - 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Other Bunny Cake Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for your favorite frosting
• jelly beans
• coconut, tinted with green food coloring
• large marshmallows
• optional: chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch circular cake pan with cooking spray.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine dry cake ingredients. Add milk, shortening, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 - 60 seconds. Beat on medium-high speed for an additional 2 minutes.

3) Pour cake batter into pan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 3o minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

4) To assemble the bunny body: Cut the cake into two equal halves. Generously frost one side of one of the cake halves. Sandwich the two cake halves together, frosting side in, and set the "cake sandwich" up (flat side down) on your serving platter. Frost the outside of the cake generously.

5) To make the bunny face: On one end of the cake, attach three large marshmallows in the shape of an upside down triangle. Cover generously with frosting. Affix two chocolate chips with frosting for the eyes, and a pink jelly bean for the nose. Cut ears out of paper. Attach one large marshmallow to the opposite end of the bunny for a tail.

6) Sprinkle green coconut and jelly beans around the bunny for serving.