Bunny Cake

Make Bunny Cake with tender layers and painted buttercream bunnies for a festive centerpiece.

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 200g
• 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
• 1/4 tsp baking soda 1g (heaping)
• 1 tsp baking powder 4g (heaping)
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter 171g (room temperature)
• 3 egg whites room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract 15mL
• 1/2 tsp salt 3g
• 1/2 cup sour cream 120mL (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup whole milk 118mL (room temperature)
• 1 lb confectioner's sugar 454g
• 2 sticks unsalted butter 226g
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 118ml
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
• Food coloring if desired
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (minced)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbso raspberry juice
• 5 egg whites at room temperature
• 2 cups unsalted butter 452g (at room temperature)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 300g
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare pans and preheat

Butter and flour three 6-inch cake pans thoroughly, lining them if you prefer damp cake strips for more even baking. Preheat the oven while the pans rest so everything is ready at once; this little bit of forward planning keeps the layers rising evenly and prevents over-handling the batter later.

Step 2: Sift dry ingredients and beat wet

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together so the dry mix is airy and uniform. In a separate bowl beat the room-temperature butter until smooth, then add the sugar, egg whites, vanilla, sour cream and milk until the wet mixture is cohesive and slightly glossy—this helps ensure the batter emulsifies cleanly when combined with the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Combine into a smooth batter and portion into pans

Fold the wet into the dry just until combined, taking care not to overmix so the cake keeps tenderness; the finished batter should be pale, smooth, and ribbon-like. Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans—using a kitchen scale or measured pours—so the layers bake to equal height. After portioning, give the pans a gentle tap to settle any air bubbles.

Step 4: Bake and cool the layers

Bake the filled pans for about 30–35 minutes at the recommended temperature until the centers are set and springy to the touch. Let the layers rest in the pans for a few minutes, then invert each onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely; cooling on racks preserves the exterior texture and prevents sogginess.

Step 5: Make the interior buttercream

Beat room-temperature butter until light and fluffy, then add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, heavy cream and any desired color until you reach a spreadable consistency. Split the buttercream into two batches—stir minced lemon zest and a little lemon juice into one batch for brightness, and fold raspberry juice into the other for a soft pink filling. Transfer both fillings into piping bags for neat layering.

Step 6: Stack, fill and crumb coat

Pipe a generous ring of interior buttercream between each cooled layer and spread to the edge for stable, even layers. Apply a thin crumb coat of neutral buttercream over the assembled cake, using an offset spatula and bench scraper to smooth the surface. Chill the cake briefly until the crumb coat is set—working with a firm surface makes the decorative stages much easier.

Step 7: Make the Swiss meringue buttercream

Warm the egg whites, sugar and a pinch of salt over a gentle water bath, whisking occasionally until the mixture reaches a silky, warm texture (no graininess between your fingers or until it reaches the safe temperature). Whip to glossy, room-temperature peaks, then switch to a paddle and add tablespoon-sized pieces of room-temperature butter gradually until fully incorporated, finishing with vanilla for a satiny, stable Swiss meringue buttercream.

Step 8: Color, paint and decorate with buttercream

Divide the Swiss buttercream into batches: tint one batch green for grass and create three graduated blue shades from a single blue dye for the sky banding. Apply the green buttercream at the bottom, then sweep the blue shades from light to deep across the cake, smoothing and chilling between passes. Using a small palette knife, filbert brush and round tips, sculpt two fluffy bunnies in shades of brown with pale pink ear details, add textured grass strokes from background to foreground, paint petal-like flowers with a petal tip and place a few vivid painted Easter eggs near the tops of blades. Finish with scattered pastel candy eggs around the wooden base and chill or serve when set.

Notes

• Bring butter and dairy to room temperature for smoother mixing.
• Use a kitchen scale for even layer weights when dividing batter.
• Chill the crumb-coated cake briefly before final decorating to make smoothing easier.