Easter Bunny Coconut Cake

Easy to make and yet so effective :)

Ingredients:

3 sticks of butter, softened

2 1/2 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
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Parchment Paper

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Cream Cheese Icing

Coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and coconut.  Add it to the butter mixture a little at a time alternating with the milk.  End with adding flour coconut mixture.  Do not over mix.

Line baking tin with parchment paper and pour mixture into tin.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes and cupcakes for 15.

Cream Cheese Icing

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 block of cream cheese, softened
1 pound of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of milk

Cream together butter and cream cheese.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.  Stir together until creamy - do not whip.   

How to make the actual bunny:

1) Make a base for the cake to sit on by wrapping a piece of cardboard in wax paper. 
2) Smear some icing on the base to help the cake stick.
3) Cut a notch out of the top to form the head.  Use part of the scrap to create a little tail.
4) Cover the bunny in icing.  You may need to put it in the refrigerator then add a second coat if you like a lot of icing like me.5) Cover the outside with flaked coconut.  You can put some artificial moss or grass around the bunny or green colour coconut.

6) The ears you can cut out of textured card board and paint with watercolor paints.  

7) You can add a little pink nose, too, but Jennifer kept her bunny blank... 

 

Credit: http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com