Baby Bunny Coconut Cakes

by Mari Vasseur

Fluffy, moist mini hemisphere coconut cakes with coconut buttercream frosting, topped with shredded coconut.

Course Dessert

Servings 12 mini cakes

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Grease 2 silicone 6-serving mini hemisphere pans. Place the pans on large baking sheet.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and oil together with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the coconut extract. Gradually beat in egg whites, until the mixture is well combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the coconut milk, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat just until combined.
Fill the hemisphere pan wells, 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean.
Place the silicone pans on a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the pans to remove mini cakes and place on cooling racks to cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy.
On low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined. Add the coconut extract and salt. Beat until combined. Add the coconut milk a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Continue beating at low speed until the buttercream is smooth.
Frost the domed tops of the mini cakes with a small offset spatula. Cover with shredded coconut, pressing lightly to adhere. Decorate as desired.

To make bunny ears, cut twenty-four 1 1/2-inch by 1-inch rectangles out of edible wafer paper. Cut each rectangle into a long football shape, flat at one end. Cut a 1/2-inch slit at the flat end. With a small paint brush, dab a bit of piping gel on one side of the slit. Overlap the cut ends of the slit and press together with your fingers. Let dry. Brush pink luster dust into the center of the ears. Skip this step if you are using floral wafer paper. Cut small slits into the bunny cakes and insert the ears.
To make sleepy eyes, roll out a bit of black fondant to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut circles using the small end of a #12 piping tip. Cut thin crescent shapes from the circles using the small end of the piping tip. For easier handling, let eyes dry for a few minutes. If the coconut on your bunny cakes is still moist and tacky, the eyes will stick. If not, brush them with a small bit of water or piping gel.
To make noses, use the candy of your choice, such as candy pearls or candy hearts. I used white candy pearls, brushed with edible pink luster dust.
To make tails, you can use cotton candy or mini marshmallows attached with a bit of buttercream. If using cotton candy, keep in mind that it melts when exposed to air, so it's best applied right before serving.

*Do not substitute all-purpose flour. For best results, weigh your dry ingredients.

**For best results, use natural coconut extract. Imitation coconut flavorings may give your baked goods an unpleasant flavor.

***If your coconut milk is separated when you open the can, simply place it in a blender to emulsify it before using.

To find the hemisphere pan I used, click here.

To find white edible wafer paper, click here. Floral wafer paper can be found on Etsy.

To find black fondant, click here.