Easter Bunny Cake

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This cute Easter Bunny Cake is made easy by using cake mix and a simple coconut buttercream frosting. Finish with coconut shreds and candy! Want more Easter dessert ideas? Check out my Easter dessert recipes!

Why You’ll Love This Easter Bunny Cake

Easter is a time for celebration with family and friends. Let your guests gasp in wonder and amazement when they see this easy bunny cake–they’ll think it took you hours! Shhh! I certainly won’t tell anyone.

While I do have a homemade coconut cake recipe that I love, I made this adorable Bunny Cake from a boxed vanilla cake mix and added coconut shreds and coconut extract. This is a quicker process and the store-bought mix tends to make a sturdier cake whereas my homemade coconut cake has a more tender crumb.

The cake for this recipe is made from a box but, I don’t cut any corners with the frosting. There’s nothing like a homemade buttercream frosting. You get to control how sweet, buttery, or thick you want it. So I took my basic buttercream frosting recipe and revamped it with coconut oil and extract!

Another option would be to use my coconut cream cheese frosting from this recipe, which is also superb.

Decorating Your Bunny Cake

Once you bake your cakes and make your frosting, it’s time to assemble the whole thing to make it look like a cute little white bunny. I do this by using shredded coconut for fur, a pink Cadbury Mini Egg for the nose, and 2 Biscotti Cookies covered in white and pink frosting for the bunny ears. You are welcome to go the extra mile and use colored frosting for the eyes, whiskers, and maybe even a bow tie and some fake easter basket grass surrounding the bunny. But I kept mine pretty simple. 🙂

Ingredients Needed to Make Easter Bunny Cake

• vanilla boxed cake mix– I used a Betty Crocker vanilla cake mix.
• large eggs– adjust according to cake mix brand
• shredded desiccated coconut
• coconut extract
• Pantry staples– water, vegetable oil

For the Coconut Buttercream Frosting

• salted butter– make sure it’s room temperature.
• coconut oil– room temperature
• powdered sugar
• coconut extract
• milk
• shredded desiccated coconut for garnish
• 2 pink Cadbury mini eggs– used for the nose on each bunny. Pink Jelly Beans would also work here.
• Biscotti Cookies– used for the ears on each bunny.
• Pantry staples– salt, vanilla extract

Equipment Needed

• 2 (8-inch) round cake pans
• Parchment Paper for lining bottom of cake pans

How to Make an Easter Bunny Cake

This recipe will be enough to make 2 (8 inch cakes), so I ended up making 2 bunny cakes! For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the recipe card down below. Here is step by step what you can expect when making this bunny cake:

1. Make the Coconut Cake

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two 8-inch, light-colored round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper. Set aside.

Make cake mix according to package directions. Stir in shredded coconut and coconut extract.

Divide evenly between two cake pans and bake cake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden brown around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs after being inserted.

Set cakes aside to cool completely on cooling racks. After 15 minutes when pans are cool enough to handle, flip out of the cake pans to finish cooling.

2. Make the Coconut Buttercream Frosting

In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and coconut oil together until well combined using the paddle attachment. Add in powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and coconut extract.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the milk bit by bit until a thick and creamy buttercream forms. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat again. Buttercream should hold its shape but easily spread with a butter knife.

3. Cut and Assemble Cakes

With a sharp serrated knife, cut any domed tops off the baked cakes. Remove the parchment paper if stuck to the bottom.

Cut both round cakes in half width-wise and spread one half with buttercream. Stack the other cake on top to create a sandwiched look. Stand it up cut-side down onto a plate or serving platter.

Cut a medium-sized scoop shape out of one side of the sandwiched cakes to form the back and neck of the bunny. Use this piece of cake (or a part of this cake) to form the tail of the bunny.

4. Decorate Cakes

Spread the entire cake with coconut buttercream frosting , then cover the top and sides of the cake with shredded coconut.

Finish the cakes by adding white frosting to 2 Biscotti Cookies, followed by adding some pink icing in the middle of each ear. Stick ears onto the bunny head and add a pink Cadbury Mini Egg for the nose.

Make Ahead + Storage Directions

You can place cake whole in the fridge, covered, for a day or two. A couple of hours before serving take it out to bring it to room temperature.

If you’re storing leftovers, store them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If you have any remaining frosting you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container as well. We like to eat graham crackers and frosting for a snack!

More Festive Easter Desserts to Try!

• Peanut Butter Eggs
• Easter Planted Carrots Cake
• Cadbury Egg Cookies
• Marshmallow Potato Chip Easter Nests
• Nutella Deviled Strawberries
• Easter Rice Krispie Treat Eggs

Decorate your Easter table with this sweet Easter bunny cake as the centerpiece. It’s sure to impress and taste equally as good! The printable recipe card is below. Happy baking, friends! 🙂

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.