Bunny Cake

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 cup cold water
  
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• FROSTING:
  
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 4 ounces white candy coating
  
• Red paste or gel food coloring
  
• 1-1/4 cups flaked coconut, divided
  
• Green liquid food coloring
  
• 6 chow mein noodles
  
• 2 pink jelly beans
  
• 1 red jelly bean

Instructions:

Pour into a greased and floured 9-in. round
baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes
or until a toothpick inserted near the center
comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before
removing from pan to a wire rack. Cool com-
pletely.

For frosting, whisk the flour and milk in a
saucepan until smooth. Cook and stir over
medium heat until thickened (mixture will
be paste-like); cool. In a mixing bowl, cream
butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar,
beating well. gradually add cooled milk mix-
ture; beat for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla; mix well.

On waxed paper, draw two bunny ears, 5-1/2 in.
tall x 2-1/4 in. wide; set aside. In a microwave
or a heavy saucepan, melt candy coating; stir
until smooth. Tint pink with red food coloring.
Spread over bunny ear pattern's cool until firm.
Carefully peel ears off waxed paper. For grass,
place 1 cup coconut in a resealable plastic bag.
Add 12 drops green food coloring; shake well.

To assemble, cut cake in half. Spread frosting
over top of one cake half. Stack second half on
top. Stand the cake by placing cut side down
on a serving platter. Cut a wedge from one side
of cake about 1 in. from cut side and about 2 in.
deep to create head as shown in Fig. 1 below.
Set wedge aside for tail.

Frost entire cake. Place tail on back of cake.
Frost and cover with remaining coconut. Add
chow mein noodles for whiskers, pink jelly
beans for eyes and red jelly bean for nose.
Place ears behind head as shown in photo.
Spread grass around bunny. Yield: 6-8 servings.