pinterest day 7: bunny cake

day 7: easter bunny cake from "recipes i need to try" board

bunny butt cake

i have seen this cute cake all over pinterest, and i love it! mike and i are going to my parents' house in rhode island tomorrow for easter, and i figured it would be perfect since it only needs to feed four of us.

while i love the design, i didn't want to use a regular cake mix like betty crocker suggests, so i decided to kill two birds with one stone and also make a cake i have been dying to try.  my momma loves the barefoot contessa, so her coconut cake sounded like something good to try.

cake ingredients:

3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 1/2 teapsoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup sweetened coconut

frosting ingredients:

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

4 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup sweetened coconut

cake directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- grease and flour two 9-inch pans and 3 muffin cups in a cupcake pan

- cream the butter and sugar on medium high for 3 to 5 minutes

- add eggs one at a time, still mixing on medium

- add vanilla and almond extracts (mixture might look curdled; it's okay, i promise)

- separate bowl: mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

- on low speed add half of the dry mixture to the batter, then add the milk, and finally the other half of the dry mixture

- fold in the coconut

- bake cupcakes for 22-25 minutes and bake 2 cakes for 45-55 minutes

frosting directions:

- combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, almond extract and beat on low

- add confectioners sugar and mix until smooth

- fold in coconut

assembly:

- color 1/2 cup coconut with one drop of green food coloring, and a second 1/2 cup of coconut with one drop of red food coloring

- cut the tops of the cakes off to make them flat

- stack the cakes and frost in between them

- cut the cakes into a circle

- frost the whole cake

- frost and attach the cupcakes, with a toothpick, to the cake for the feet and tail

- cover the whole bunny with the pink coconut

- sprinkle the green coconut on the plate for grass

- cut fruit roll ups into 2 large circles and 6 small circles for the pads of the bunny's feet