Good morning! Every family seems to have its holiday traditions, and in ours, Easter has long featured The Bunny Cake.

The tradition began with my mother, who approached the matter with not only ample cooking skills, but a good deal of whimsy. Some years she made one bunny, some years two (you know how it is with rabbits)—usually one chocolate and one vanilla, because apparently even rabbits were expected to offer choices. There were always the essential features: paper ears standing at attention, alert for potential danger, thick frosted “fur,” jellybean eyes and nose, and, if supplies allowed, a large marshmallow tail attached with a bit of extra frosting.

My sister and I have carried on the tradition, each in our own style, proving that once a family starts sculpting cake into wildlife, there is really no going back.

My own version has gradually become a little more elaborate over the years: usually four layers, one flavor, a generous amount of frosting, and enough piped flowers, leaves, and vines to suggest the bunny may be hiding in a particularly festive garden. Around the base sits a cache of candy—part decoration, part distraction for hungry children who cannot possibly be expected to wait until the official cutting of the cake before receiving a small sugar advance.

The bunny itself is always slightly different from year to year. Some look elegant. Some look determined. A few have looked faintly alarmed, as though aware of what lies ahead.

But that, perhaps, is part of the charm. Easter arrives, the bunny appears, everyone laughs, and for one more year an old family tradition survives—sporting paper ears and held together by frosting. Happy Easter! 

I hope all is well in your corner of the world! 🌞