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This Bunny Cake is one of my favorite Easter desserts because it is just so cute, easy, and fun to make at home. You do not need to be a professional baker to pull this off. I start with a simple cake mix, add frosting and fresh fruit, and end up with a show-stopping Easter cake that looks adorable on the dessert table.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“It has become a tradition to make this Easter bunny cake with my grandsons. It is a keeper.” -Mary
“This is so fun to make with my daughter. We have such a good time decorating together and it really is a tasty cake!” -Wilhelmina
Why I Love This Easter Cake 🐰
This Bunny Cake is one of those recipes I come back to every Easter because it is simple, festive, and always makes people smile. I love that I can make it with pantry staples and a boxed cake mix, but it still feels special enough for a holiday centerpiece. It is also a really fun recipe to make with kids. My kids love helping decorate the ears, bow tie, and face, and that makes it even more memorable.
I like serving this Bunny Cake after Easter dinner with fresh fruit, coffee, or a simple spring brunch spread. If I want more Easter sweets on the table, I pair it with our Easter Cupcakes, Italian Easter Cookies, or Ambrosia Salad so there is a little something for everyone.
🩷 Kelsey
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cake mix – I usually use yellow cake mix because it is easy, reliable, and gives the cake a soft, classic flavor.
- Water, oil, and eggs – These bring the cake batter together and make it moist, fluffy, and easy to slice.
- Frosting – I use vanilla frosting for convenience, but homemade frosting works great too.
- Berry decorations – Sliced strawberries make the ears and nose look bright, fresh, and festive.
- Blueberries – These are perfect for outlining the bow tie and adding color without extra candy.
- Black decorating icing – I use this to pipe the eyes and whiskers and bring the bunny face to life.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
There are so many easy ways to switch up this Bunny Cake depending on what you have on hand.
- Cake flavor – Yellow cake mix is my usual pick, but white cake, strawberry cake, vanilla cake, or carrot cake all work well.
- Frosting swap – Vanilla frosting is easy, but cream cheese frosting or homemade buttercream is delicious too.
- Fruit decorations – If you do not have strawberries or blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or thin slices of other fruit can work.
- Candy option – Jelly beans, Easter M&M’s, gumdrops, or licorice can replace fruit if you want a more classic candy-style Bunny Cake.
- Coconut topping – Shredded coconut can be sprinkled over the frosting if you want the bunny to look fluffy.
- Whisker swap – If you do not want to pipe whiskers, Twizzlers Pull and Peel licorice works really well.
How to Make a Bunny Cake
- Mix the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until combined. Divide the batter between two greased 8-inch round cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely. Leave one cake whole for the bunny face. Cut the second cake into three pieces so the two outer pieces become the ears and the center piece becomes the bow tie.
- Place the whole cake on a large platter or sheet pan. Arrange the ears at the top and the bow tie at the bottom. Frost the tops and sides of all the cake pieces.
- Add sliced strawberries to the center of the ears, blueberries to the bow tie, and black decorating icing for the eyes and whiskers. Finish with a small strawberry slice for the nose.
How to Cut the Cake into a Bunny
- Start with two round cakes
- Leave one cake whole for the bunny’s face
- Cut the second round cake into three pieces
- Use the two outside curved pieces as the ears
- Use the middle piece as the bow tie or a hair bow
The easiest way to think about the cuts is that they look similar to the curved lines on a baseball. I like using a serrated knife for the cleanest slices.
Decorating
Decorating is where this Bunny Cake really comes to life, and this is my favorite part.
- Frost first – Cover the tops and sides of all the cake pieces with frosting and smooth it with an offset spatula if you have one.
- Make the ears – Slice strawberries and line them down the center of each ear.
- Add the bow tie – Use blueberries to outline the bow tie and fill in the center knot.
- Create the face – Pipe the eyes and whiskers with black decorating icing.
- Finish the nose – Place a small strawberry slice under the eyes for the nose.
If you want even more decorating ideas, you can also try:
- Jelly beans or Easter candy for the eyes, nose, or bow tie
- Sprinkles in pastel colors for extra spring color
- Shredded coconut for a fluffy bunny look
- Green coconut “grass” around the cake for a fun Easter display
- Colored frosting if you want the bow tie, ears, or background to pop more
Recipe Tips
A few small tricks make this Bunny Cake even easier.
- Cool the cakes completely before cutting so they do not crumble
- Chill the cake pieces before frosting if you want cleaner edges
- Use frosting like glue to help hold the ears and bow tie in place
- Assemble the cake on the platter first so you do not have to move it later
- Use a serrated knife for the best cuts
- Add a little vanilla extract to the cake or frosting if you want extra flavor
- Use toothpicks under plastic wrap if you need to cover the cake without smudging the decorations
Frequently Asked Questions
I usually use a yellow cake mix because it is easy and turns out soft and moist, but white cake, vanilla cake, strawberry cake, or carrot cake are all great options too.
Yes, absolutely. I often use a boxed mix for convenience, but you can use your favorite homemade cake recipe as long as it makes two round cake layers.
I usually pipe them with black decorating icing, but licorice is a fun option too if you want a little more texture.
You can use shredded coconut, jelly beans, gumdrops, sprinkles, pastel candies, green coconut grass, or even different frosting colors.
You can usually get about 16 slices from this cake depending on how large you cut them.
Yes, and I really recommend it. Kids love helping with the frosting, berries, candy, and face details.
No. That is one of the best things about this Bunny Cake. You just need two round cake pans and a knife to shape it.
Make Ahead and Storage
This Bunny Cake is easy to make ahead, which is always helpful around Easter.
- Make ahead – Bake the cake layers 1 to 2 days in advance, cool them completely, and store them wrapped until you are ready to cut and decorate.
- Store leftovers – Cover the finished cake with plastic wrap, foil, or place it in an airtight container.
- Refrigerate if needed – If your kitchen is warm or you made the cake ahead, store it in the fridge.
- How long it lasts – This Bunny Cake stays fresh for about 3 to 4 days.
Plan Your Easter Dinner Menu
Now that you have your Easter dessert planned, check out some of our delicious Easter dinner recipes! Make a complete meal with your favorite main dish, side dishes, a salad, and you can’t forget the rolls!
This Bunny Cake is one of the easiest Easter desserts I make, and it always gets so many compliments. Whether you decorate it with berries, candy, sprinkles, or coconut, it is a fun recipe to make with family and a sweet way to celebrate the season. I would love to hear how you decorated yours. Leave a comment and rating to let me know. 🐣🐰🥚
Bunny Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- frosting, this cake needs about 4 cups of frosting
- strawberries, sliced, for decorating
- blueberries, for decorating
- black decorating icing, for the eyes and whiskers
Instructions
- Add cake mix, water, oil, and eggs to a large bowl and mix until combined. Pour into two 8-inch round cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once the cakes are cooled, cut one cake as pictured. The two outside pieces will be the ears and the middle piece will be the bowtie.
- Arrange the cake pieces on a large pan or platter.
- Frost all of the cake including the sides.
- For the ears, slice strawberries and place them in a line in the center of each ear.
- To decorate the bowtie, use blueberries to outline the middle and sides of the tie.
- For the face, use the black decorating icing to pipe eyes and whiskers. Place a small strawberry slice under the eyes to make a nose.
Equipment
- 2 8-inch round cake pans
- Bread Knife
- Icing Knife
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Notes
- A yellow cake mix is my go-to, but white, vanilla, strawberry, or carrot cake also work.
- Make sure the cakes are completely cool before cutting.
- A serrated knife gives the cleanest cuts for the ears and bow tie.
- Use a little frosting underneath the cake pieces to help hold the bunny shape in place.
- You can decorate with berries, candy, coconut, or sprinkles depending on the look you want.
- This cake can be made 1 to 2 days ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.
- Leftovers keep well for 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I was struggling with making a bunny cake with my grandchildren because most are decorated with candy to their parents chagrin! The kids love fruit and will still get their share of sugar in the frosting! lol! Thank you for this great idea!
Love this! What a fun grandma you are 🙂 They will have so much fun making this with you!
Hi, this was always a tradition in our home growing up, but we did add coconut to make it look fluffier. My question is, I am making this for family down the street, (2) of which have allergies (nuts which doesn’t come into this recipe), but also eggs. I do have egg substitute just for this purpose but fined that make the cakes do not raise @all. Of the course the kids don’t care @all, but is there something I can add that would be better? (apple sauce? baking power?) which would help this beautiful cake raise just a little bit more? Thanks, I love your recipes!
Hi Maggie, I haven’t replaced the eggs in this recipe before, but I have used buttermilk and baking soda & vinegar to replace eggs in other recipes. This is a good article to refer to: https://www.kitchenaid.com/pinch-of-help/stand-mixers/egg-substitutes-for-baking.html. I would recommend using the baking soda & vinegar substitution and combine 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon baking soda per egg (so in this recipe, 3 tbsp vinegar and 3 tsp baking soda). It’s so kind of you to make this cake for your neighbors. I’m sure they will love it!
It has become a tradition to make this Easter bunny cake with my grandsons. It is a keeper.
This is just the Easter Cake I was looking for. First time to try, but I have 9 nieces and nephews that I want to make something cute for them to enjoy.
I know this will do. I’ll let you know how I do, so I can give you 5 stars.
My babies are going to be so thrilled. Thanks !!!
He’s super cute and looks really easy to make. He’ll be on our Easter table this year for sure!
This is so fun to make with my daughter. We have such a good time decorating together and it really is a ttasty cake!