Bunny cake

Showstopping bunny cake

With creamy butter icing and fluffy marshmallow bunnies, this is surprisingly easy to make

By , 21 September 2015

(61 votes)

Showstopping bunny cake

  • 2 Hours 20 Mins

  • Serves: 20

Nutritional Info
Each 67g serving contains

  • Energy

    1193KJ

    285KCAL

    14%

  • Fat

    15.4g

    high

    22%

  • Saturates

    9.4g

    high

    47%

  • Sugars

    25.5g

    high

    28%

  • Salt

    0.4g

    med

    7%
of your reference intake.
Typical energy values per 100g: 1781kJ/425kcal.
Ingredients
  • 290g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 155g self-raising flour
  • 1 1/2 level tsp baking powder
  • 25g cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 225g icing sugar, plus, 3 level tbsp for decorating
  • 2 tsp milk
  • 3 round ice-cream cones
  • 75g desiccated coconut
  • 1 tsp green food colouring
  • 9 white marshmallows
  • Cake decorations, to make the bunny eyes and noses
  • Pink food colouring
  • 7 white mini marshmallows
  • 12-15 small sugar flower cake decorations
Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease an ovenproof 1L pudding basin. Line the base with baking paper.

  • Put 115g butter, 115g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 115g flour and 1/2tsp baking powder in a bowl. Beat for 2-3 minutes with an electric hand-whisk, until pale and fluffy. Set aside.

  • In another bowl, beat the 60g butter, 60g sugar, 1 egg, 40g flour and 1/2 level tsp baking powder, plus 25g cocoa powder and 1 tbsp milk.

  • Put alternate spoonfuls of the two mixtures in the pudding basin. Level the surface. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until risen. To check if it's ready, insert a skewer into the centre; it should come out clean.

  • Cool in the basin on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out and leave to cool completely.

  • Beat the remaining butter, icing sugar and milk together, to make a fluffy buttercream.

  • Stand the marble cake sponge, rounded-side up, on a cake board. Use a knife to cut out 3 ice-cream cone-size holes. Cut off both ends of the cone, then push the remaining middle piece into the holes to make bunny warrens.

  • Spread the buttercream over the cake and board.

  • Mix the coconut with the green colouring. Sprinkle on the cake and press in with the fat side of a knife.

  • Mix the remaining icing sugar with water, to make a stiff icing, then dab on 7 of the larger marshmallows to make bunny cheeks. Use the cake decorations to make noses and eyes.

  • Using scissors, cut 14 slices from the other 2 larger marshmallows, for ears. Paint a pink stripe down the centre of each, then stick on the bunnies.

  • Use icing to stick on mini marshmallow tails.

  • Arrange the bunnies and sugar flowers on the cake.