Some things, like bunny cakes, are sacred

KAREN WIGHT

Spring brings a feeling of renewal. Spring brings orange blossoms (my

favorite scent) and spring brings an abundance of fresh green leaves

to the garden (my favorite color). Spring brings longer days, lighter

clothes and fresh fruit.... I love spring.

One of spring’s rites of passage in the Wight house is the annual

bunny cake. Don’t laugh -- this bunny cake is the coolest. It’s right

up there with Oreo Thanksgiving turkeys, and even though you won’t

admit it -- you love those turkeys.

The bunny cake was the creation of Mrs. Ayres, my baby-sitter,

when I was in preschool. We lived in San Diego, my father was a

dentist in the Navy and my mother taught a business class at the

local junior college, so Mrs. Ayres and I spent three afternoons

together every week. She was quirky and really strict, but she was

also very clever and willing to do time-consuming projects with me.

It was worth eating tomatoes if I got to make strings of paper dolls

or bake a bunny cake.

The bunny cake. How lucky are you that I’m going to share the

bunny cake? Very, I’m sure. Now, there are two incarnations for this

bunny cake. There is the 4-year-old version (extremely popular) and

then there is the more adult and very gourmet version (less popular

but extremely tasty). I’m going to share both with you. They are

equally compelling and the only difference is the taste. So if your

audience is the preschool set, don’t bother making the “homemade”

mess in the kitchen. Go for the cake mix and canned frosting edition.

The basics: One cake mix, your choice of flavor. Pink cake mix or

white cake mix with pastel confetti is a big hit. One can of white

frosting. Chocolate bunnies are better left in the baskets. Shredded

coconut, which you might not eat, but you have to use anyway because

you toss in green food coloring to make it look like grass. And duh,

bunnies like to sit on grass. Jelly beans. No tiny gourmet beans. You

need big Brach’s jellybeans. And don’t eat all the black ones,

bunnies need eyes, unless you want to be scientifically correct and

give your white bunny red eyes. You make the call. Stiff white paper

for bunny ears. Optional: pink marker to make bunny ears more

colorful.

These ingredients will actually make two bunny cakes, one bunny

per cake tin. So, your bunny can have a friend (be careful) or you

can share a cake. Prepare the cake mix according to directions. Don’t

get too edgy -- use normal round cake tins. Let the cake layers cool.

Cut the cake circles in half and, using the frosting, seal two

halves together. Place the half-circle flat side down on a platter.

Cover the bunny with the white frosting. Press two jellybeans in one

end of the semicircle for the eyes. If you want a nose, pink is a

good choice. Personally, I think the bunnies look funny with mouths

so stop while you’re ahead. Fold the white paper in fourths and cut

the ears out. This should give you two symmetrical ears. Crease into

a V shape at the bottom and push the ears into place. Take a spoonful

of the coconut and a little frosting and make a bunny tail for the

other end. Use a large plastic bag and place a few drops of green

food coloring and the coconut together. Shake. You’ve got grass.

Sprinkle the grass around the bunny; remember, bunnies like grass

even though you might not like coconut. Sprinkle the remaining

jellybeans on the grass. Isn’t that cute?

Now if you want to kick it up a notch, make a homemade white or

yellow cake recipe. Use lemon curd, raspberry jam or strawberries and

whipped cream to cement the half-circles together. Make a whipped

cream frosting, seven-minute frosting or a fluffy marshmallow

frosting to make your bunny tres chic. If you have a lot of energy,

you can make the ears out of white chocolate painted on a magnolia

(shiny side) leaf. Remove the chocolate carefully and you have edible

bunny ears. I still insist on green grass and jellybeans though. Some

things are sacred.

Enjoy, and remember that I had to eat a tuna-stuffed tomato to

bring you this amazing recipe. Hoppy Easter.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.