Orange and Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake

Ingredients for the sponge:  175 g butter
                                            175 g caster sugar
                                             3 eggs
                                             175 self-raising - flour
                                             Zest and juice of 2 oranges
                                             Pinch of salt

Topping:   125g unsalted butter
                  225 g icing sugar
                  2 tbs cocoa
                  2 tsp vanilla extract 
                  jelly beans to decorate
                  Strawberry laces for the face
                  Grated chocolate to decorate

Method

Preheat oven 180 C (Gas mk 5) Grease two sandwich baking tins.

Cream sugar and butter together until light, add the eggs gradually, continually beating. 
Sift the flour and salt and add into the mixture gradually.  grate the rind and squeeze the oranges and add to the cake mixture. 
Place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Once cooked, leave for 5 min before taking out of the tins and place on a cooling rack until totslly cold.

For the topping:

Place butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix thoroughly .
In a separate dish, place the cocoa powder and some hot water and mix together and then add to the butter icing.

Use one cake for the bunny's face.  Place a side plate on either side of the other cake to measure out the bunny's ears and use a sharp knife to cut them out. 

The remaining part of the cake now the ideal shape for the bunny's bow tie.  Place the parts together and spread the butter sugar icing all over.  Use the grated chocolate on the face and ears to give a fur effect.

Sprinkle icing sugar on the bowtie and use the sweets to decorate it as well as placing sweets for the eyes, nose, mouth and whiskers.  WE used midget gems and laces for the face and jelly beans for the tie.

You can use whatever takes your fancy, M&M, Smarties, jelly tots or marshmallows.

You can even use desiccated coconut instead of chocolate to make a white bunny.