Name: Easter Bunny Carrot Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tsp cinnamon; 3 large eggs, at room temperature; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 3/4 cup vegetable oil; 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 cups grated carrots; 8 oz crushed pineapple, drained; 1 cup shredded coconut; 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 tsp baking soda; 1/4 cup buttermilk; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick); 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 8 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature; 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature; 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp salt

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This carrot cake with mascarpone frosting tastes just as good as it looks and is the perfect recipe to use for a bunny cake during Easter. It has been a tradition with my family that we always make a bunny cake on Easter, so I thought it appropriate that I share my most recent cake with you all - carrot cake with mascarpone frosting!

What is a bunny cake? It's just a cake that you cut to look like a bunny. You can look online and find multiple ways to do this but I've found this is the easiest done with two (9 inch) baking pans. You use one whole circle for the face, and then cut 2 ovals from the sides and put them on top for ears, and then the leftover from what you cut the ears out of is the bow tie. You can decorate it however you want to, so it can be a fun activity for kids as well. I remember as a kid always being excited to decorate the top of the cake with candy.

As a child, my parents would always just make a boxed mix cake with 7 minute icing (a very light and fluffy, whipped cream type frosting). However, one of my favorite cakes these days is carrot cake with cream cheese icing so I wanted to go that route. And being that it is Easter and spring, carrot cake is super appropriate.

When my mother-in-law threw me a bridal show down in Florida, she ordered a carrot cake from one of her fellow bakers that was the BEST carrot cake I have ever had. Super moist, not too sweet, but not too savory, and the best cream cheese frosting on top to balance it out. So I must have looked through 15 recipes of carrot cakes and combined a few things to come up with this recipe.

I found a buttercream glaze from MyRecipes that really puts this cake over the top. I then used a mascarpone cheese frosting as mascarpone cheese is a bit less intense of a flavor as cream cheese and most of my family does not care for cream cheese. That recipe was adapted from Half Baked Harvest. I chose to decorate with a small star tip but you can do whatever you'd like with this carrot cake with mascarpone frosting. Hope you enjoy!

What Ingredients are in this Easter Bunny Cake Recipe?

All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Eggs
Sugars - granulated, light brown, powdered
Vegetable oil
Buttermilk
Vanilla extract
Carrots
Crushed pineapple
Shredded coconut
Walnuts
Unsalted butter
Light corn syrup
Mascarpone cheese

How to Make an Easter Bunny Cake

1. Line 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour them and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together on medium speed the eggs, sugars, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. Gradually add flour mixture with mixer on low speed and mix until just incorporated.
4. Use a spatula to fold in the carrots, pineapple, coconut and walnuts.
5. Divide the cake mixture evenly between two pans and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Place cake on cooling rack and let cool completely. I put the cooling rack on top of cake and flip it so it easily comes out.

7. Mix together the sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, butter, and light corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Let the mixture come to a boil and boil for about 4-5 minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Take a toothpick and punch a few holes throughout the cakes. Taking a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the cakes.
8. Take a piece of paper and cut out a bow tie that will fit the cake. You can skip this and just free hand if you want.
9. Cut the ears and the bow tie for the bunny cake.
10. Arrange the cake pieces on a platter to form the bunny shape.
11. Beat the mascarpone cheese and butter together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat until fluffy, about another 3 minutes.
12. Use a piping bag to decorate the cake. Be creative with your decorations for the bunny. You can use M&M's, jelly beans, chocolate covered peanuts, etc...

How Can I Do the Cut Out for the Easter Bunny Shape?

So we just used a piece of paper and roughly cut out a bow tie that would fit the cake size. It really doesn't have to be perfect. You can always cut more afterward to make sure everything fits. However, if you want an actual template, Homan at Home has a good one!

Can I Use a Different Type of Cake for an Easter Bunny Cake?

Of course. I just think of carrot cake when I think of Easter. Maybe it is because you associate rabbits and carrots together! But any cake will work, whether it is chocolate or yellow cake or a hummingbird cake. Use your imagination!

What Tip Do You Use to Decorate Easter Bunny Cake?

To give the bunny cake a texture that looks like hair, I use the star tip. From there you just drop little dollops of icing on the cake.

Tips for Easter Bunny Cake

You want a cake that looks good to taste good so take the time to make your own carrot cake. No store-bought mixes this time.
You may not realize this but baking powder and baking soda actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use. Baking soda should be less than six months old and you can use the same test.
Make sure buttermilk and eggs are room temperature which creates a fluffy rather than dense cake.
You know cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
Don't skip on buttermilk glaze as it adds to moistness of the bunny cake.
Let cakes cool completely before adding frosting.
Use a template to cut cake, which makes thing so much easier.
Be creative with your decorations.

Other Easter Recipes

If you’ve tried this Easter Bunny Cake or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

Easter Bunny Carrot Cake