Name: Bunny Carrot Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup butter (melted and browned); 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 cups sugar; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 tablespoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 large eggs (at room temperature); ¼ cup vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4 cups loosely packed grated carrots (about 5 carrots); 1/2 cup golden raisins; 2 8oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature; 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature); 3 cups powdered sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 bag of coconut flakes; green food dye; jelly beans

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Every Easter, we have this adorable little bunny cake that shows up for dessert. I honestly don’t know what bakery we get it from, but it always makes me smile. So I thought I’d try to recreate it. Obviously, a bunny would be filled with carrots, so I decided to make a Bunny Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting, covered in coconut.

I used a recipe from David Lebovitz for the cake and frosting, and used Betty Crocker‘s instructions on how to make it into a bunny.

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake:

¾ cup butter, melted and browned
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups loosely packed grated carrots (about 5 carrots)
1/2 cup golden raisins

Frosting:

2 (8oz packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional ingredients:

1 bag of coconut flakes
green food dye
jelly beans

Tools needed (paid links):

grater
electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer)
10-inch round cake pan
5 in round cake pan

Begin by grating your carrots.

It took about 4-5 carrots to reach 4 cups.

This recipe calls for brown butter. If you want, you can just use melted butter without browning it, but brown butter adds an extra boost of flavor. To brown butter, heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter cut into tablespoon sized pieces.

Allow to melt, whisking. It will start bubbling.

When you begin to see some browning, remove it from heat. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10 inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.

Beat the eggs until frothy.

Add the oil, melted butter, and vanilla extract.

Add the dry mixture little by little until combined.

Add in the shredded carrots and raisins.

Fill the 10 inch pan halfway full.

Filla 5-inch pan with the remaining mixture.

Bake the 5-inch pan for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Bake the 10-inch pan for 35 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow both cakes to cool completely.

While the cakes are baking, take a handful of the coconut flakes and add to a Ziplock bag. Add the green food dye and shake.

Add dye until desired color is reached so that it resembles grass.

While waiting for the cakes to cool, make the icing. Add the cream cheese and butter to a bowl and beat until smooth. Add the powdered sugar little by little until combined and then add the vanilla; mix to combine.

Add some of the frosting to a cake round, or to the plate that you will put the cake on.

Sprinkle with the green coconut flakes.

To form the cake into a bunny, first cut the large cake in half. Use some of the icing to adhere the two halves together.

Cut out a wedge of the cake about one third of the way into the round side. This will form a head and body. Reserve the cutout piece to make the tail.

Frost the cake. Repeat with the smaller cake if using. (Cut the smaller cake in half and then add the icing). Also frost the cutout piece.

Add the smaller cake halves to each side of the upright cake. Add the tail to the end of the cake (you can also use a marshmallow as the tail if you want). Sprinkle the cake with coconut flakes until completely covered.

To make the ears, cut them from construction paper. Use jelly beans for eyes and nose, and toothpicks for the whiskers.

How cute is he?

I’ve named him Coconut Tail. hehe.

The carrot cake itself was so moist and delicious. I think if I made this again I’d actually sub in some kind of nut for the golden raisins because I really wanted some sort of crunch in the cake. Past that super delicious. And adorable!