4/11/12

Bunny Cake

AKA "The Packard"

Bunny Cake. Not a Packard.
Since I was a kid, my mom has been making us a Bunny Cake most years for Easter dinner.  Not every single Easter, but more often than not.  At some point in my childhood, someone (most likely my dad) commented that it looked like a Packard. Packards were cars made by the Packard Motor Car Company (later Studebaker-Packard) in Detroit. There were several models over the years, but during the 1940's there were several models that had a rounded roof with an elongated hood, and I think that is the style that he was referring to when making that comment.
Packard Clipper Eight. Not a bunny cake.

As an adult, I've continued the tradition, and have made many Easter Bunny Cakes myself.  Since I spent this year at my mom's, I documented her cake as she made it and put it together.

We usually make this with chocolate cake and buttercream frosting, our family's favorite, and with the coconut for the bunny "fur," it tastes like a traditional chocolate coconut cake.

I've often made it with lemon cake filled with lemon curd and frosted with cream cheese frosting, which is one of Baba's favorites, and also goes nicely with the coconut.

There are also many blogs and bakeries that make it with coconut cake. You can make whatever kind of cake you like.

Many directions that I found on the internet for this type of bunny cake are only made from one round layer, which doesn't go that far for a holiday dinner with several guests.  This version is made with two layers, or a whole cake.

My mom made this bunny cake, and I documented it to show you how she did it.

Bunny Cake
One cake of your choice, either from a mix or from scratch, baked according to directions in round cake pans and cooled.

One batch of homemade frosting of choice, such as buttercream or cream cheese, or two cans of prepared frosting. For this cake, Mom ended up making two batches of buttercream as one wasn't quite enough, but she only used about half of the second batch.

Shredded coconut -- about half a bag or less.

Construction paper in pink or white and pink.

Easter candies to use for eyes and nose -- jelly beans, malted milk eggs, Hershey eggs, etc., plus additional to decorate the edge, if desired.

Frost the bottom, flat side of one cake layer and place the other
layer on top. Put the two flat (bottom) sides together, with the rounded sides facing out. This rounding will give a little bit of shape to the bunny.

Cut the cake into two pieces at the 2/3 point, making one piece 2/3 of the 
cake, and one piece 1/3 of the cake. Cut all the way through both layers.

Cut the smaller, 1/3 portion using the same method. Cut one larger piece 
that is about 2/3 of the portion and one piece that is about 1/3 of the portion.

Take the larger, 2/3 portion and place it onto a serving platter, 
cardboard cake server or cake carrier. Place it on the flat, cut side.

Take the larger 2/3 piece and place it on the front for the 
head. Use a little bit of frosting to act as glue to hold the two 
pieces together. Trim if necessary to make the parts fit.

Do the same with the smaller portion, adding it to the other end of 
the cake for the tail, using frosting to glue it together. You can trim the 
end off of the rounded part of the middle section so the tail will fit.

Trim the rear of the middle part if needed, too.

The whole bunny put together. 
Doesn't look like much at this point.

Crumb coat the cake by adding a thing layer of frosting,
then add a thicker layer of frosting over the whole cake.

Press shredded coconut into the frosting gently 
all over the cake to represent the rabbit fur.

Cut two ears from construction paper -- we just free hand them, no 
special pattern. Cut a few thin strips of construction paper for whiskers.


Push candies into the front of the head for eyes and nose.
Add the construction paper ears and whiskers.

You can also decorate the base of the cake with candies.
Another option is to add shredded coconut that is tinted green.
We've even seen edible grass available at Joann Fabric.

Here is one I made a few years ago, I put a marshmallow on the tail.
I only had white construction paper for the ears and whiskers. 

I used Hershey eggs for the eyes and a pink malted milk 
egg for the nose, as I only had mini-jelly beans that year. 
Just use whatever you have available.




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1 comment:

  1. Wow! I love this!! So cute, Miracle Mommy! (And Mommy of Miracle Mommy, of course.)

    ReplyDelete

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