RECIPE: Happy Bunny birthday party cake

This rascally rabbit from Sainsbury’s is surprisingly easy to make out of two round cakes

Serves 25 children

Prep time: 1 hour, plus cooling time

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, softened
250g caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
250g self-raising fl our, sifted

For decoration
125g unsalted butter, softened
250g icing sugar
2 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk
750g ready to roll white icing
25g Sainsbury’s pink glimmer sugar
30g Sainsbury’s red, white and blue sugar balls
5 Sainsbury’s marshmallows
2 Sainsbury’s strawberry bon bons
1 x black writing icing pen

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease 2 x 15cm round cake
tins and line with baking parchment.

2 Using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition, then fold through the fl our. Divide between the 2 cake tins and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Leave to cool in their tins for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

3 To make the ears, cut equal-sized, ear-shaped pieces of sponge away from the sides of one of the cakes. The remaining sponge will form the bow tie.

4 Remove 1 pointy end from each cake ear and fit the ears snugly to the second cake. To make the buttercream, beat the butter with the icing sugar and milk until light and fl uffy. Cover all the cake and the bow tie in buttercream.

5 Roll out 500g icing into a large circle and smooth it over the face and ears. Cut the icing between the ears and push down the sides. Pinch the excess icing together at the base of the face and at the top of the ears and trim with a knife. Roll out 250g icing and cover the bow tie. Use trimmings for the bow tie detail.

6 Brush a little water over the ears and sprinkle on the glimmer sugar. Brush the bow tie with a little water and cover with coloured sugar balls. Use the marshmallows, bon bons and black writing icing pen to make the face.