How to Make a 3D Bunny Cake

How to Make a 3D Bunny Cake

Why settle for a boring pan-moulded, 2 dimensional cake design when you can have a beautiful 3D bunny as the centerpiece for the party? I've provided step-by-step instructions on how to create your own delicious cake that's perfect for Easter, your favourite 2 year old's birthday, or "bow down to our leporine overlords day". You can use the same basic construction methods to create a number of different cake styles later on.

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step 1Make a Plan
First you'll need a sketch or drawing of what you want to accomplish. Try to get the proportions as accurate as possible so you won't drive yourself crazy trying to get it to turn out just right. In this case I'm planning on 4 layers, with each layer being a 9x13 cake. The ears and tail are add-ons that I'll apply separately.

step 2Clean Your Workspace!
The first rule of cooking anything is to keep your workspace clean. It helps to have a kitchen island that you can use to keep everything orderly. Spray it with a kitchen-type cleaner, and wipe it down several times with a clean cloth to ensure a clean surface.

step 3Preheat the Oven
You'll need to preheat the oven so that when you put the cakes in they will begin to cook right away. Turn on your oven to the temp specified in your recipe. I also use an oven thermometer to ensure that the temp I set on the dial is what I actually have on the inside. Your oven rack should be in the center for even baking.

step 4Assemble Your Supplies
Since this cake is intended for a 2 year old's birthday party I'm just using boxed cake mixes and tubs of icing from the grocery store. For an adult party, or just to be fancier, I'd make the recipe from scratch. Either way you'll need about the same quantity. Everything should be at room temperature to ensure even mixing, so take the eggs out of the fridge about hal…

step 5Prepare Your Pans
Since I need to make four 9x13 cakes for this recipe, I'll use two pans and cook the cakes in two batches. Even though I'm using non-stick pans I will err on the side of caution to make sure they will come out of the plan cleanly. If you don't have parchment paper (or the patience to use it) then you can skip this step. First I traced around the bottom of the pan…

step 6Mix!
Follow the recipe instructions for mixing the first batch of cake batter. Tip: Crack the eggs one at a time into a second bowl before adding it to your cake mix. That way if one egg is bad you can toss it without ruining your entire batch.

step 7Pour!
Once you have finished mixing the batter, carefully pour it into one of your prepared pans. Use the flexible spatula to get all of the mix out of the bowl. Now use the spatula to push the batter around the pan, and especially out to the four corners. You need to have an even layer of batter in the pan to make a level cake. Repeat for the second batch, in the secon…

step 8Cook!
Once you have prepared two pans you'll need to quickly open the oven, put them inside, and close the door again. WORK FAST! The longer the door is open the more the internal temp will drop, creating uneven baking. Make sure to space out the pans to allow for air/heat circulation. Now set your timer for 10 minutes less than the minimum time called for baking in th…

step 9The Assembly
Once you have baked all four cakes, and they have cooled to room temperature , you're ready to start the assembly. Attempting to assemble the cake while it is still warm will just melt the icing, not pretty. Most times you will end up with a cake that has a slight hump, where the center is higher than the edges. If you do not remove this hump before assembly it will …

step 10Carve Your Design!
Once your cake is assembled it's time to carve the design. Crumbs are your enemy. They'll mess up your icing later on, and just make a huge mess. To combat the crumbs I wrapped the entire cake in plastic wrap and put it into the deep freezer for about 2 hours. It's not necessary but it helps. Remember that plan you made before you started? This is where it comes …