Easter Bunny Cake | Recipe and Decorating Tips

Forget the carrot cake! This year consider an Easter bunny cake decorated with M&M’s® to enjoy after all the egg hunt and egg dying adventures! Learn how to use two round cake pans to create a bunny cake you can decorate for Easter!

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This cake was inspired by a family tradition. With a sister who’s mid April birthday often landed around Easter, it became tradition for my mom to make her a bunny cake.

Yes, this is a scanned photo of my mom’s 1980’s before cake decorating classes, before Pinterest oggling, before blogging era bunny cake. The concept was cute. The steps were simple enough. I decided to make one but with some design updates, so off to Sam’s Club I went!

I wanted something in pastel colors and knew a bag of Plain M&M’s® Pastel would do the trick! I also grabbed a bag of MARS Spring Minis Mix because… why not.  :)

They have huge colorful displays of these big bags right on the ends of the aisle!

The bunny cake is made from 2 round cakes. I recommend using a delicious and moist cake recipe which holds its shape and isn’t too spongey. Here’s the one I used:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs (I had mine at room temperature before baking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9″ round pan. Mix together the flours, baking powder and salt then set aside.

Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.

Add flour mixture and milk to the mix, alternating a little of each as you beat on medium to high speed.

Add vanilla. Pour batter into the pan then bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

After both cakes are cooled, it’s time to do some shaping to arrange the bunny shape.

I found it easiest to create a template by tracing your cake pan on paper as a guide.  Fold the circle in half. Lay the pan on one side and trace this shape.

Cut along the line and when unfolded you’ll have 2 bunny ears and a bowtie. Lay these pieces on one of the cakes to use the guide.

Place your cake pieces on a foil covered surface in the bunny shape and apply frosting. Here’s the simple buttercream recipe I used:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup milk

Cream butter and shortening together until light and fluffy.

Add salt, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar and milk. Beat well!

Since I was using some color blocked areas on my cake, I found it easiest to separate out some M&M’s® by color prior to decorating. Plus it looks pretty!

Now its time to decorate your bunny cake!

I used M&M’s® to create all parts of the adorable bunny and I was done!  How CUTE is this guy?

So, did I do my mom’s bunny cake justice?

If you make an Easter bunny cake from my tutorial, please tag me on social media or send an email! I’d love to see your versions!

Looking for mini desserts for Easter? Try these no bake Easter pudding cups!

Save the candy for the dessert but not the baskets! Check out 50+ non-candy Easter Basket filler ideas!