Easter Bunny Hidden Sprinkles (Printer Friendly)

Whimsical bunny-shaped cake with a colorful sprinkle center, perfect for festive celebrations.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs
07 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk

→ Hidden Sprinkle Center

09 - 1 cup assorted sprinkles

→ Buttercream Frosting

10 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 4 cups powdered sugar
12 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
13 - 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
14 - Pink food coloring, optional

→ Decoration

15 - Shredded coconut for bunny fur, optional
16 - Candy eyes
17 - Pink jelly beans or pink candy for nose
18 - Marshmallows for tail and ears, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla extract.
04 - Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
06 - Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
07 - Once cool, level cakes if necessary. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut a hole in the center of one cake layer.
08 - Place the intact cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream, then top with the cake layer with the hole.
09 - Fill the hole with sprinkles. Place cake cut-out from the hole on top to seal.
10 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then vanilla extract and milk until fluffy and spreadable.
11 - Frost entire cake with buttercream. Cut the cake as follows: use one round as the face, cut the other round to make ears and a bowtie. Assemble on a large board.
12 - Decorate with coconut for fur, candy eyes, pink frosting or candies for nose and ears, and marshmallows for tail if desired.
13 - Chill for 30 minutes before serving to help set the frosting and surprise center.

# Pro Advice:

01 -
  • The surprise center is an absolute showstopper that makes people genuinely excited to dig in.
  • It's foolproof enough for a relaxed Easter gathering but impressive enough to steal the spotlight.
  • Kids can help decorate without needing advanced baking skills, turning it into a real family moment.
02 -
  • Don't skip leveling the cake layers if they've domed—an uneven cake will lean and the filling will slide out the side.
  • The sprinkles genuinely need to stay in that hole, so make sure the little cake circle sits snugly and that frosting seal is strong.
  • Room temperature ingredients sound fussy but they're what make creaming actually work and give you a light, tender crumb instead of a dense brick.
03 -
  • Weigh your flour if you can—it eliminates the guesswork and gives you a more consistent result every single time you make this.
  • Don't chill the frosting between applications; a slightly warm frosting spreads more smoothly and creates a more seamless bunny aesthetic.
  • Use a turntable when frosting the main cake body—it makes getting even coverage infinitely easier and faster.
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