It's time for Sunday Brunch, and you know what that means this Easter Sunday. Cake! Cheryl Waldeck, author of "The Joy of Food" stopped by to share her delectable recipe. The Joy of Cooking is available at Reasor's and The Cook's Nook is available on Amazon.
Bunny Cake
This cute little four-inch cake is so fun to make with children, and made quick and easy by use of a cake mix.
Yield: One Three-Layer Cake
CAKE
1 classic white cake mix prepared as directed
1 teaspoon coconut extract
* Preheat oven as directed on cake mix.
* In a large bowl with an electric mixer, prepare mix as directed.
* Add coconut extract and mix to combine.
* Prepare 3 6-inch cake pans by buttering and lining bottoms of each pan with parchment paper cut to fit the bottoms.
* Pour mix into cake pans; bake as directed, less 15 minutes.
* Check cakes by inserting a toothpick into the center of each pan. When the pick comes out clean, your cakes are done.
Buttercream Frosting
This easy frosting can be flavored many ways. Here is the basic recipe, along with two of my favorite ways to enhance the taste by using liqueurs and berries.
Yield: Frosting for One Two-Layer Cake or Eighteen Cupcakes.
BASIC FROSTING
1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
* In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy.
* Add powdered sugar, extract and salt and continue to cream until well incorporated and fluffy.
GRAND MARNIER: Substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla with Grand Marnier liquor. The orange flavor is great with chocolate cake, and can be made even more pronounced by shaving orange curls on top!
BLACKBERRY: Substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla with blackberry liquor. Then add 1 cup fresh blackberries, crushed, with an addition ¼ cup powdered sugar.
NOTE: I prefer Leopold Brothers Rocky Mountain Blackberry Liqueur.
ICING:
1 recipe Buttercream Frosting
Pink food coloring (for ears)
Green food coloring (for bow tie)
* Reserve ½ cup icing, coloring 2/3 green and 1/3 pink.
* Place 1 cake round in center of platter; ice top. Place second cake round on top.
* Using a serrated knife, cut third round into three pieces by carving two half circles from each side.
* Place two half circles above the two rounds – these are the bunny’s ears.
* Place the middle piece below the rounds – this is his bow tie. Ice between three added pieces and center round,
* Ice entire bunny with white icing. Ice bow tie with green icing.
* Add a section of pink icing to center of 2 ears. Add remaining pink icing in dots on bow tie.
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
1 14-ounce bag Angle Flake coconut
2 chocolate candies (for eyes)
1 pink candy (for nose)
2 white nuts (for teeth)
6 stands dried pasta (for whiskers
* Gently press the coconut into the white icing – this is the bunny’s fur.
* Now decorate the bunny’ face with candies and pasta.
NOTE: When using cake mixes, consider “doctoring” them with extracts and different liqueurs. An easy formula is to substitute 1/3 of the amount of water with a flavored liqueur. (1 cup water = 2/3 cup water & 1/3 cup liqueur.) Then add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon salt to balance the flavors.
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