Easter Cake in the Shape of a Bunny's Behind

Step 1

Warm your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three muffin cups, and do the same with a heatproof glass or ceramic bowl for the cake. In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Beat it on low just until everything’s moistened, then bump up the speed to medium and keep mixing until the batter is smooth—about two minutes. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, then pour the rest into the prepared bowl.

Step 2

Pop the muffins into the oven first—they’ll need about 18 to 21 minutes, or until they’re golden and spring back when you press the tops lightly. Let them cool for a bit in the tin before moving them to a wire rack. The cake will take longer, around 33 to 45 minutes; it’s done when a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely, then transfer it to your serving plate.

Step 3

While everything cools, it’s time to color the coconut. Put about two-thirds of it in a resealable bag with some red food coloring, seal it up, and shake until the coconut turns a nice shade of pink. Keep adding color and shaking until it looks just right. For the green “grass,” measure out half a cup of plain coconut and set it aside, then add green food coloring to the rest in another bag, shaking until it’s evenly green.

Step 4

To assemble, attach two cupcakes to one end of the cake, flat sides against the cake, using toothpicks—these will be the bunny’s feet. Place marshmallow halves, cut side down, on each cupcake to make the toes. Then, fix the last cupcake at the top of the cake as the tail. Spread pink frosting over the cake and feet (but not the tail), then sprinkle the pink coconut over the frosting. Cover the tail cupcake with white frosting and top it with the reserved white coconut.

Step 5

Cut the fruit roll into two small ovals and six tiny circles to make the bunny’s foot pads. Use a little frosting to stick these onto the feet. Finally, stick some paper bunny ears onto the serving plate in front of the cake using frosting, and scatter the green coconut around the base to look like grass. Enjoy your festive bunny cake!