Laura Neira's Citron Mossy Bunny Cake with Italian Buttercream
It was a match made in dessert heaven…
I met Laura through a mutual friend who had invited us both to a small gathering. She happened to bring one of her desserts, and I fell in love. Not only is she sweet and friendly, her desserts are delectable and gorgeous (oh, and did I mention delicious?). I just knew that I had to bake with her and, with spring in full swing, our Citron Mossy Bunny Cake with Italian Buttercream was born.
Mossy Bunny Tricks + Tips
First things first, baking with Laura was beyond fun. We had such a good time, and she loves desserts just as much as I do. Swapping tips and tricks is one of the many things I love about baking. Laura’s decorating tips were simple to follow, and the recipe for her citron cake was truly a revelation. She uses dyed coconut flakes for the mossy decoration and introduced me to a new product that looks just like grass—Galerie Edible Grass (get the green apple flavor for this one). I also found a beautiful selection of Easter candies and jelly beans from Williams Sonoma but you can choose whatever you’d like to decorate your mossy bunny.
Let’s get started!
You can easily make this recipe at home, just start with the citron cake and Italian buttercream first, then watch us on Instagram to see how it’s decorated.
Watch for the full recipe in Instagram, or scroll down a bit for the printable version:
Laura Neira's Citron Mossy Bunny Cake with Italian Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups of all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¾ cups whole buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons lemon zest (about a lemon)
- 1 teaspoon of Mary DiSomma's Cognac Barrel-aged Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- A pinch of salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon of Mary DiSomma's Cognac Barrel-aged Pure Vanilla Extract
- Neón green and Avocado Sunny Side Up Bakery Squeeze Gel Coloring
- Coconut flakes
- 1 package of Galerie Edible Grass: green apple flavor
- Various Easter candy decorations
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil.
- Continue boiling until the syrup makes big bubbles. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Place egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer with a whisk attachment and mix at medium speed until foamy. Add the salt and continue to beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry; be careful to not over-beat.
- With the mixer running, add the cooled syrup to the whites in a stream, on high speed, until the foam is glossy, then beat in the room temperature butter in cubes and continue to beat 3 min more.
- Preheat the oven to 350'F. Butter and flour 3 (6-inch) round cake pans: line pans with rounds of parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Add beaten eggs in small increments, beating well after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest and Mary DiSomma's Cognac Barrel-aged Pure Vanilla Extract. Divide the finished batter among the prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- In a bowl, add one drop of neon green, one drop of avocado Sunny Side Up Bakery Squeeze Gel, and one drop of water to the coconut flakes. Mix it until the color is well combined into the coconut flakes. For a step by step, visit my Instagram page for the full video recipe and follow me for more!