Easter Bunny Cake Ideas

Everyone celebrates Easter differently and for different reasons.  Personally, a cake in the shape of a cross would be more appropriate but a bunny cake is much more fun to decorate.  There are plenty of ways to decorate a bunny cake ranging from super easy to really involved.

EASY EXAMPLE:

Found at Betty Crocker 

 

Cake found at Pragmatic Compendium

MEDIUM EXAMPLE:

Found at Junk Yard Club House

 

Cake found at Country Living

EXAMPLE of REALLY INVOLVE:

Found at Junk Yard Club House 

  

 

Cake found at Andrea's Recipes

and finally...WOW!!!

  

Cake found at The Lady Gloom

Cake found at Jane Asher

And if you want to take all the guess work out of the carving, you can try Wilton's:

3D Bunny Pan

Step-By-Step Bunny Pan 

Cottontail Bunny Pan

or their Mini-Bunny-Pan

No matter which way you choose to go, make sure you have fun decorating.  Don't get bogged down by your To-Do list.  Enjoy those around you and remember the reason for the season.

OSSAS 2011

My hubby and I just got back from the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I went last year and placed 3rd in my division, which was Semi-Professional Holiday Cakes.  I don't "want" to be a semi professional b/c I've only been doing this for a little over 2 years.  But since I have taught a cake class and have worked as a decorator in a bakery, I have no other choice.

I chose to compete in the same division as last year b/c I wanted to do better this time.  AND...I actually got FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!!  YEAH!!!!!!

Everything is made of fondant and is hand shaped.  I used an extruder for the fence and the witch's hair.

I based my Frankenstein out of a book for sculpting clay figurines but made sure to add my own flair.  His spiked cuffs were my favorite addition.

I made the skeleton out of fondant and was very proud of the skull and hands.  I could not get his arms and hands to sit right with the sign.  So, I just let him look like he fell apart.

My tree was my pride and joy.

I used wire and chocolate fondant.

Here's my tree skeleton.

And I simply added the fondant in sections starting with the branches and working my way to the trunk.  I added texture and let every section dry before attempting the next.

To smooth out any lines or patch up cracks, I used small pieces of fondant and water.  I smooth the edges of the patch with my fingers until the edges were completely invisible.  I covered the entire tree with water so the coloring would be consistent and then packaged it separately for the trip to Tulsa.

Making Small Sugar Flowers

This has to be the easiest way to make a gumpaste flower!

Intricate Piping and Lace Extension Work

This is the hardest thing I have EVER tried on a cake.  I think my biggest problem was the size of my tip.  You can practice with a #1 tip but you really need a #.5 or a #0.  But she explains this technique so clearly!  I don't think you could get a simpler explanation.

Royal Icing and Piping Methods

Printed Cookies!!

I know there has been a HUGE zebra phase at the bakery I work at.  I do at least 3 zebra cakes a week and I only work part time.  So, imagine my surprise when I found THESE!!!!



These cookies are from the latest post at The Sweet Adventures of SugarBelle.



And the best part, she offers a "How-To" demonstration with this post.

How To Make My Marshmallow Fondant

What you will need:

1 package of mini marshmallows

1 Tbsp of shortening

1 Tbsp of water

6 cups of powdered sugar

Gel food coloring

1 tsp of flavoring (optional)

1 pair of plastic gloves

1 large bowl

1 medium glass bowl

1 spatula

plastic wrap

1 gallon zip lock bag

First, I coat both bowls, the spatula, and my plastic gloves with the shortening.  Microwave the miniature marshmallows and Tbsp of water in the glass bowl in 30 second increments until the marshmallows are melted.  It takes me about a 1.5 to 2 minutes.

Once they are melted, stir in the food coloring and any flavoring you might want to add.  The color will darken just a bit, so keep adding until you almost get to the color you want.  You may need to reheat the mixture for about 10 seconds.

Sift the powdered sugar into the large bowl and make a small well in the center.  Pour the melted marshmallow mixture into the well and carefully fold with the spatula.  Be careful so as not to burn your hands.     It will be hot.  Eventually, you will need to knead the mixture with your hands.  Mix and mush the marshmallow and sugar until it feels like play-doh. (You won't use all the sugar.)


Mold the fondant into a ball and coat it with shortening.  Wrap the ball with plastic wrap and store it in the zip lock baggy.  I leave the fondant to rest on the counter, not the fridge!  The your fondant rest for at least 12 hours...24 would be better.  Marshmallow fondant isn't as stretchy as regular fondant but will work just as well.  You may need to microwave the fondant for 5 seconds to make it more malleable.

Here is a video of the process.  I did things a little different.

How to Make a Leopard Print with fondant.

I've never really given much thought to adding tutorials to my blog.  So, consider yourself lucky to be reading my very FIRST!

A little girl from my church was having a birthday party and requested a pink leopard cake.  Being new to the business, I said "Sure thing" but inside my brain, I was wondering how the heck I would do pull this off.

For starters, I made a 12" chocolate cake, iced it, and stuck it in the fridge to chill.  (I always put my cake in the fridge to chill before smoothing fondant over it.)  Once out of the fridge, the cake and icing are a bit "stiff", which makes me more comfortable pressing it under the fondant.  Also, as the icing warms up, it "sweats" just enough to help the fondant adhere to the cake without me having to add anything.  

Moving on...

I made and colored my marshmallow fondant the day before so it would have time to rest.  I kneaded and rolled the hot pink fondant out almost to the size of my cake.  (You don't want to go the full size yet b/c there will be more rolling.)  I shaped small chunks of black fondant from Wilton and pressed them sporadically into the hot pink fondant.  Then, I did the same thing with the light pink fondant but the pieces were smaller and I placed them off the center of each black spot.

ROLLING TIME!!

Now is the time you finish rolling out the fondant, spots and all, which makes the spots blend/smooth easier.  It makes the spots seem more real to me.  If you look closely, however, the smaller spots are different; they aren't quite as smooth.  I had to go back and add in smaller spots to fill in the gaps in the pattern.  Essentially, I did the same thing by shaping a chunk of black fondant, adding a smaller chunk of light pink fondant to the black spot and smoothing it all together once it was already on the cake.

I finished up with a white fondant plague and black butter-cream bead borders.  Those are 2 real ribbon bows just to save time and money.  

I hope this was helpful or at least gives you an idea of the technique I used.  Stay tuned for other tutorials coming your way!!