Deliciously easy and fun vegan bunny butt cake that’s the perfect Easter and spring treat! Gluten free and dairy free this vegan bunny cake is full of coconut and vanilla flavor!

Bunny butt cake on a plate

So about a year ago, I saw this absolutely adorable bunny butt cake on the Food Network.

It was so stinking cute, I had to make it! However, there were no vegan nor gluten-free options.

So what’s a baker to do? Get creative of course! This easy and fun bunny butt cake is completely vegan, dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free. Plus, it’s absolutely delicious.

So delicious, that even non-vegan eaters and regular gluten lovers will love this cake!

bunny cake with decorations

Vegan Bunny Cake Ingredients:

I absolutely love all of the fun and creative cake and treat ideas that come with spring holidays. They’re so bright and cheerful!

However, most of these creations tend to not be vegan nor gluten-free, so I wanted those who follow those particular dietary guidelines to have a fun and delicious option to enjoy with everyone else.

sliced bunny cake

And the best part is that everyone- truly, everyone– will enjoy this cake as much as those who need to follow specific dietary requirements (or maybe you just prefer to eat that way!).

For this cake, you’ll need:

  • Flour or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
  • Coconut sugar
  • Vegan Buttermilk (I give you the description for how to make that below so stay tuned!)
  • Olive oil or coconut oil
  • Maple syrup
  • Unsweetened applesauce
  • Vegan buttercream (another creation I describe below!)
  • Coconut flakes

That’s it! I also decorated with some jelly beans, but you can also top with some vegan chocolate or your favorite candy!

slices of bunny cake

How to make a vegan coconut cake:

Making the cake is actually quite simple, and I’ll walk you through it all. The key to this cake is baking it in an oven-safe glass bowl.

I recommend using a Pyrex bowl, as they’re oven-safe.

To prepare before you make the cake, just make sure you grease the bowl well, and sprinkle a bit of flour on it to help the cake come out. You’ll also need a few cupcake liners and a cupcake tin to make the cotton tail and bunny feet.

bunny cake on a plate

You’ll also need to create the vegan buttermilk (which is just a combination of dairy-free milk- I recommend coconut- and vinegar). This will take 5 minutes.

Now, to make the vegan vanilla coconut cake:

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients, then set aside.
  2. Combine the wet ingredients together, then add in the vegan buttermilk.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix together until everything is combined.
  4. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners first, then pour the remaining batter into the bowl.
  5. Bake the cupcakes and cake at the same time. However, you’ll need to remove the cupcakes first and allow the cake to bake some more.

Then let everything cool for 10 minutes before removing from the bowl. You’ll need to allow all of the cakes to cool completely before frosting.

Now it’s time to make the bunny butt cake!

baked cake in a bowl

How to assemble a vegan bunny butt cake:

We’re onto the fun part: making the vegan bunny butt cake.

First make sure that you have a large plate that you can put the cake on, and level the top of the cake so that it can lay flat onto the plate, like below.

vegan vanilla cake on a plate

Next, place two cupcakes at the base of the cake.

  • bunny butt cake with cupcakes
  • side view of cupcakes

Slice another cupcake in half, and place each half face down at the base of the cupcakes.

  • bunny butt cake with bunny feet
  • close up of cake feet

Place the last cupcake on top for the cotton tail.

  • bunny butt cake with cotton tail
  • close up of cotton tail

Frost the cake with the prepared vegan buttercream.

frosted vegan vanilla bunny cake

Sprinkle with coconut flakes and add on whichever candies you’d like! You can also color some of the coconut flakes with some natural green food coloring, spirulina, or matcha.

bunny cake with jelly beans

Then serve and enjoy! Really, it’s so easy and so much fun to make!

Why is my vegan cake gummy?

This happens from time to time, and it’s because the ingredients are not completely at room temperature. If you add in cold wet ingredients to the dry, it will bake rather gummy instead of fluffy and moist.

To prevent this, allow your ingredients to fully come to room temperature before beginning.

sliced bunny cake

I hope you love this vegan bunny cake as much as I do! If you make it, let me know down below in the comments section.

As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there.

Happy Bunny Butt Baking!

bunny cake side view

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

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Bunny butt cake on a plate

Vegan Bunny Butt Cake (Gluten-free)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: thebananadiaries
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 14 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

Deliciously easy and fun vegan bunny butt cake that’s the perfect Easter and spring treat! Gluten-free and dairy-free this vegan bunny cake is full of coconut and vanilla flavor!

Ingredients

Scale

Vegan Vanilla Cake:

  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
  • 1 cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil or coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk, room temperature
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (to be mixed with coconut/almond milk)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract (yes, tablespoons!)

Vegan Vanilla Buttercream:

  • 1 cup vegan butter, softened but still cold
  • 4 cups organic powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2–4 tbsp unsweetened coconut or almond milk (optional)
  • 3 cups coconut shreds
  • 8 pink jelly beans
  • 1 tsp spirulina, matcha, or natural green food coloring

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a pyrex bowl with olive or coconut oil, and lightly flour. Line 4 cupcake tins with liners.
  2. In a cup, combine the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar mixture to create a vegan buttermilk.  Let the mixture sit while you whisk together the dry ingredients.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine the olive/coconut oil with the maple syrup, unsweetened applesauce, and vanilla extract.
  5. Add in the buttermilk, and whisk to combine.
  6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir thoroughly to make sure there are no more clumps of flour.
  7. Fill the cupcake liners first. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full, then pour the rest of the batter into the prepared pyrex bowl.
  8. Place the cupcakes and the bowl into the oven to bake. The cupcakes will take 20-24 minutes to bake, and the cake will take 35-40. Check with a toothpick to make sure everything is fully baked.
  9. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the bowl, while you cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack. The cake and cupcake needs to be completely cool before frosting.

Coconut Vanilla Buttercream:

  1. When ready to assemble the cake, beat the vegan butter on high until creamy.
  2. Sift in the powdered sugar in increments of 1 cup while continuing to beat the mixture. Do this until everything is combined and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract here and beat until incorporated. You can add in the optional dairy-free milk to help with consistency. 
  3. Set the bowl aside while you assemble the cake.

Assembling the cake:

  1. You’ll need a large plate that is larger in diameter than the largest diameter of the half circle cake. Level the part of the cake that will be facing down so that it rests evenly onto the plate.
  2. Place two cupcakes (removed from their liners) at the base of the cake, the muffin top part facing towards the cake. 
  3. Slice another cupcake in half and place the sliced part of the cupcake face down, resting at the base of the other cupcakes, the muffin top part facing down (see photos). 
  4. Place the remaining cupcake on top as the cotton tail.
  5. Frost the cake using a frosting knife or regular knife, being sure to place the buttercream in the spots that will hold the cupcakes together.
  6. Place 3 pink jelly beans on each foot of the bunny for the toes, and 1 jelly bean in the middle of each foot for the paw.
  7. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups coconut shreds. Then take the remaining coconut shreds, and place them into a plastic bag. Add in the green food coloring and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle the green coconut shreds around the cake for the grass.
  8. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 485
  • Sugar: 52.8 g
  • Sodium: 286.9 mg
  • Fat: 18 g
  • Carbohydrates: 78.6 g
  • Protein: 3.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg
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