Easter Bunny Carrot Cakes

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 160C and grease and line a 32x20cm baking tin (or similar size).

Step 2

Place the eggs, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla into a large bowl and whisk with electric beaters for about 2 minutes or until very well combined.

Step 3

Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pecans and carrot. Stir until combined.

Step 4

Finally, stir through the sour cream until no streaks remain.

Step 5

Tip batter into prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Step 6

To make icing, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and beat again until completely incorporated.

Step 7

Add icing sugar and vanilla then beat, slowly at first until everything comes together in a smooth, thick icing. Be careful not to over-mix.

Step 8

Spread icing evenly over the completely cooled cake, and then place in fridge to firm up slightly.

Step 9

While cake is in the fridge, melt chocolate, either in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in a heat-safe bowl in the microwave.

Step 10

Take about a quarter of the chocolate and place in a small bowl. Tint the smaller amount green (for the carrot tops) being careful not to add too much gel – go slowly and add more if needed.

Step 11

Tint the larger amount orange, using a combination of the red and yellow food colour gels, again beginning with a small amount and adding more if needed.

Step 12

Slice the cake in half, and then slice each half into long, thin triangles.

Step 13

Using a piping bag with a small, round tip, or a sandwich bag with the very end of one of the corners snipped off, pipe a carrot-shaped outline onto each slice of cake, using the orange chocolate. Pipe a squiggle of orange into the centre of each carrot. Switch to the green chocolate, and then pipe a top onto each carrot.

Step 14

Place back in the fridge to set for a minute, and then serve!