Easter Bunny or Lamb Cakes

In years gone by, I've had my hand in various cake decorating projects.  The one that was the most challenging was when I made full size molded Easter Bunny and Easter Lamb Cakes.  I bought the molds from Wilton but you can probably find some of the original molds on ebay or amazon.

I experimented with using the packaged cake mixes and the cakes were fine but didn't withstand the need to be done in two pieces and put together with icing.  The true mold method of filling one side and then letting it raise into the top mold got me in trouble one year as related below.

What I found to be the best was to use as pound cake recipe because it was supposed to be firmer and was easier to work with.  Once you have your cake mixed it needs to be poured into the pans so that they are flat and almost filled.  Place the pans on cookie sheets to catch any overflow.

Once you take them out of the oven you will need to trim them so that you have two flat surfaces to mold together.

I used a fluffier whipped cream icing  for these cakes and sprinkled coconut flakes on the lamb cake to give it a more natural look.  The eyes were black jelly beans and the noses were pink jelly beans.

It's been years since I made these but I do remember the year that the fire department had to come to my house because my oven caught on fire making these cakes in the true molded fashion of filling one side and letting the cake raise into the top side.  I saw flames starting in my oven and evacuated the house because it was a gas stove.  It turned out to be some of the batter overflowed and went down the hole to the pilot light area and caught fire.  I guess turning off the oven would have been my option but who thinks at a time like that.

This is a fun project for the Easter holiday and one that is sure to be a delicious centerpiece for your celebration dining that you can use for dessert.