A triple chocolate Easter bunny cake recipe, made without any packet mixes. Deliciously made from scratch with reduced sugar with tips on how to make cake paws.
So, paws for thought (groan) and make this for Easter, for birthdays, baby showers or just for a fun activity with your young bunnies at home!
My eldest daughter then hopped back over the Channel - as a mix of happy and hot cross bunny - to prepare for her first university exams. Julie turns 19. I mean, how on earth did that happen?
The older she gets, the more she asks for treats she loved when she was little, such as Melting Moments (oat biscuits), fresh strawberries now in season, salted caramel macarons (surprised?) - and an extra large dark chocolate cake!
Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake - Better Without Packet Mixes
She may be 19 but she's still my baby. She loved this 'Bunny Butt' version as it's easy to put together.
However, ALL the recipes I found on the internet, used packet mixes - for both the cake and the topping! Why should we bake from scratch? To control the amount (and type) of sugar.
Too much sugar added to cakes means you lose the flavour of good quality chocolate
Mantra from Paris top pastry chefs
Reduced Sugar Chocolate Cake
For a white rabbit topping, either use my easy dark chocolate glaze recipe and sprinkle coconut on top, or cream cheese frosting (from this purple carrot cake). Or make this topping using good quality white chocolate, making it a triple chocolate cake.
White chocolate is naturally sweetened so it doesn't need any extra sugar. If you see recipes adding sugar to white chocolate and butter - DON'T. With some recipes, you could end up throwing in a whopping amount (as much as 250g/9oz/ 1 ¼ cups!) of totally unnecessary sugar.
Instead of the extra sugar, add a touch of vanilla powder for more natural sweetness. The result? The white chocolate buttercream topping on this balances the overall cake's sweetness.
Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake - Using Good Quality Ingredients
When it comes to chocolate cake, we're serious chocoholics. After years of appreciating good chocolat noir - dark French chocolate. If you love bittersweet and moist cake, then try this classic French chocolate fondant cake. It's delicious with an extra touch of ginger.
Like it, this uses melted dark chocolate, good quality unsweetened cocoa powder, quality chocolate chips and not too much sugar to let the chocolate's quality shine through.
How to Make a Bunny Butt Cake Mound
To achieve a clean, round mound without even needing to cut off tops, bake the cake in a greased glass Pyrex bowl. Make 3 smaller cakes in cupcake or muffin moulds for the paws and tail.
How Do you Make Cake Paws?
To make cake paws for the bunny cake, roll out ready-made pink marzipan and cut out these paw shapes using a sharp knife. If you have a piping bag tip, then pressing through paw circles is even easier.
Cut the two muffin-sized cakes to form triangular feet, coat with white chocolate buttercream then stick on the marzipan.
More Chocolate Recipes
Love chocolate cake for birthdays or special occasions or just dessert? Then try these:
- Chocolate marble cake with banana
- Chocolate Beetroot Cake
- Layered Parisian chocolate cake by Patrick Roger.
For many more, see the collection of mainly French chocolate recipes.
Triple Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake
Ingredients
- 75 g (3oz) dark cooking chocolate at least 60% cocoa (broken into pieces)
- 225 g (8oz) unsalted butter softened
- 125 g (4.5oz) brown cane sugar (I use organic cocoa flower sugar)
- 150 g (5.5oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 75 g (3oz) ground almonds (almond flour) (for a nut-free cake, replace nuts with more plain flour)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (fleur de sel)
- 4 medium organic eggs
- 75 g (3oz) unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Van Houten)
- 150 ml (5.5 floz) milk semi-skimmed (or full fat)
- 110 g (4oz) good quality chocolate chips
White Chocolate Buttercream
- 150 g (5.5oz) good quality white chocolate drops or broken into pieces
- 135 g (5oz) unsalted butter softened
- ½ tsp vanilla powder or extract (optional)
Easter Bunny Cake Decoration
- 100 g (3.5oz) pink marzipan (for paws & ears)
- 250 g (9oz) green marzipan (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/360°F/Gas 4. Grease a large ovenproof glass (Pyrex) bowl and 3 muffin moulds with extra butter.
- Melt the cooking chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie), ensuring the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. As soon as it starts to melt, take off the heat, stir until completely melted and leave aside to slightly cool.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, melted chocolate, eggs, cocoa powder. When well mixed, add the milk and chocolate chips and combine until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into 3 muffin moulds and the large Pyrex bowl. Bake the smaller cakes for 15 minutes and the large cake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the middle of the cake. Set aside to cool then upturn on a cake rack.
White Chocolate Buttercream
- Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie), ensuring the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. As soon as it starts to melt, take off the heat, stir until completely melted and leave aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Cream the butter in a stand mixer or using a wooden spoon in a large bowl. When the chocolate is cooled right down but still liquid, beat in to the butter (both should be the same temperature). Using a spatula, spread on top of the large cake. Chill until ready to serve.
Decoration
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the pink marzipan to a thin sheet and cut out paw shapes using a sharp knife: 2 ovals and 6 small circles (use a piping tip).
- Cut the top off to even one muffin cake for the tail. Cut off the sides of each of the 2 muffins to make a triangular shape for the paws. Spread on the buttercream, plopping one for the tail and place the 2 as paws, sticking on the pink paw-prints.Optional: roll out the green marzipan into a large circular sheet as a grass-looking base and decorate with edible flowers, Easter eggs and macarons.
Notes
Alternatively, love a lemon cake? Try this gluten-free Almond & Lemon Easter Cake.
Denny
I initially made the white sponge cake version (found on the internet) and on reading the recipe my first reaction was. ‘Why would you go to all that trouble and not make your own sponge’ so thank you Jill, I don’t feel quite so obsessive about making everything from scratch. Plus the white sponge version coating was massively sweet, I couldn’t eat it. ?. Prefer the chocolate version, so did my grand- daughter. 5 stars for that one*****.
Jill Colonna
Thanks for your kind words Denny. So happy you like this chocolate version made from scratch - that's why I like it so we can reduce all that sugar! I hope you don't mind but I added the 5 stars to the rating as you mention it in your comment but forgot to add it to the review. Many thanks.
Denny
Not a problem. I should have done that. Denny
Christina Conte
Realizing I missed this one because I was traveling (I was gallivanting for 4 months in 2019, didn't realize what good timing that was then)! What an ADORABLE cake, Jill! Having had two bunnies as pets, I am in love with all things "rabbit themed"! The best part is the homemade cake! Sharing this lovely recipe! 🙂
Jill Colonna
Thanks Christina - remember seeing your trip. Too right; great timing! I so wanted to make a bunny cake but when I looked around for inspiration, I was shocked to see that all recipes I could see online were using packet mixes. This looks sweet, as it's covered in the white chocolate but it's not as sweet as it looks and approved by my two girl bunnies!
Bea
This is the cutest cake and so easy! I can't wait to try it. Happy Easter Jill .
Jill Colonna
Happy Easter to you, Bea. Yes, this is deliciously easy. Have fun!
Betty
Hope to be trying this recipe soon, Jill!! One of my favorite cake combinations, even as a child, was dark chocolate cake with white frosting, but I have never seen a recipe for white chocolate buttercream before! And it has so few ingredients! Brilliant! What a super fun recipe!
Jill Colonna
I'm glad you like this, Betty. Love a little fun, don't you? To be totally honest, I'm not a white chocolate fan but this works well, as it's not too sweet. You'll love that chocolate cake hidden underneath... Have a wonderful Easter weekend.