Chocolate Bunny Cake
A deliciously soft chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream frosting and topped with a chocolate bunny rabbit burrowing into a hole! Perfect for Easter!
Prep Time45 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Chill Time15 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Fusion
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 568kcal
Chocolate Cake:
- 135 ml vegetable oil or other neutral oil e.g. sunflower
- 2 eggs
- 325 g caster sugar golden or white
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 ml milk semi-skimmed or whole
- 85 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 200 g plain / all-purpose flour ** see notes for self-raising flour swap
- 3 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 100 ml hot coffee or 2 teaspoon instant coffee dissolved into 100ml / ½ cup hot water
Chocolate Cake:
Preheat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch cake tins.
In a mixing bowl, beat the oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla and milk together until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, sieve in the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder and whisk them together.
Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring together as you pour until just combined. There may be a few small lumps left, but that’s ok.
Slowly add the hot coffee into the cake batter, mixing as you pour until the liquid has only just combined.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two greased and lined cake pans and bake for 25-30mins until risen, springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 15mins before moving to a wire rack to cool further.
Chocolate Buttercream:
Beat the butter (either by hand, using an electric mixer or stand mixer) until pale, light and fluffy. This could take several minutes.
Sieve half of the icing sugar into the butter and beat until combined, then repeat this with the remaining half of icing sugar and all of the cocoa powder.
Add in the milk, salt and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.
Assembly and Decoration:
Once the cake sponges have cooled, place one onto a flat plate or cake board and spread roughly ⅓ of the frosting on top.
Place the second sponge on top and cover the cake in the rest of the frosting (top and sides), smoothing lightly with a spatula.
Using a spoon or fork, dig a hole in the centre of the top of the cake, scattering the crumbs around the edges of the hole and the base of the cake.
Place the chocolate bunny inside the hole and decorate the cake with chocolate mini eggs, then enjoy!
* You can swap the two 8-inch cake tins for 6-inch cake tins and bake for an extra 5-10mins.
** You can swap the plain flour in this recipe for self-raising flour and reduce the baking powder by 2 tsp.
Calories: 568kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 75g | Vitamin A: 533IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 3mg