Bunny Peeps Lemon Layer Cake is a luscious cake that starts with a mix and is topped with a homemade creamy lemon buttercream. Decorate with peeps and candy eggs for a fun and festive Easter dessert.
Peeps are everywhere this time of year! So what could be cuter than the refreshing springtime flavor of a lemon layer cake surrounded by bunny peeps?
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Easter Lemon Cake Recipe
A homemade lemon buttercream surrounds cake layers and the crowning glory is a coconut nest of candy Easter eggs with bunny peeps all around.
Our whimsical Easter cake recipe will not only be a fabulously delicious ending to your holiday dinner, it will also be the centerpiece for your holiday table!
What could be easier than using a cake mix for the cake layers? Stir in lemon zest for an extra added citrus flavor.
A homemade buttercream frosting will finish off this easy cake recipe.
Kids, and adults too, will delight in the fun of this Easter peeps dessert.
Easy to make with a cake mix, this festive and whimsical Easter cake will be the star on your Easter dessert table.
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How to make a peep cake
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottoms of 2 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Coat pans with non-stick cooking spray.
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions with eggs, water and oil. Stir in lemon zest.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Remove parchment paper and discard. Cool completely on wire racks.
- With mixer on medium speed, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, lemon curd and several drops of yellow food color. Beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
- Place 1 cup of frosting in pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 22 decorating tip; reserve. Place one cake layer on serving dish. Spread 1 cup of frosting over top of cake layer. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
- Gently press bunny peeps on sides of cake.
- Using reserved frosting pipe edge around top of cake.
- In plastic ziplock food storage bag combine coconut and several drops of green food coloring. Seal and shake until coconut has turned green.
- Arrange green coconut and speckled eggs on top of cake.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Decorate with your favorite Easter candy
- Bake this recipe into cupcakes and top each with buttercream, a bunny peep and malted eggs
Substitutions
- You can use your favorite flavor of cake mix instead of lemon cake mix
- Short on time? Use canned vanilla frosting instead of making homemade buttercream frosting. Stir in some lemon curd to add lemon flavor or use a canned lemon frosting!
- Replace malted eggs with jelly beans
Ingredients
Ingredients for an Easter cake
- lemon supreme cake mix – starting with a mix makes baking easy
- eggs – adds structure to the cake
- water
- vegetable oil
- lemon zest – gives intense lemon flavor
- butter – the base of a buttercream frosting
- confectioners sugar – adds sweetness to buttercream frosting
- lemon curd – provides additional lemon flavor
- yellow food color
- bunny peeps – fun and whimsical addition
- shredded coconut
- green food coloring
- malted milk eggs - seasonal candy makes everything better!
Related Recipes
We always want to eat dessert first, especially when dessert is Bunny Peeps Lemon Layer Cake, but don’t forget the dinner! Swirls has a delicious holiday dinner menu for you. Check it out and you’ll be more than happy to eat dinner first!
Bunny Peeps Lemon Layer Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 box lemon supreme cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) butter , at room temperature
- 6 cups confectioners sugar (1 1/2 lbs.)
- 1/2 cup store bought lemon curd
- yellow food color
- 22 bunny peeps
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- green food coloring
- assorted speckled malted milk eggs
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line bottoms of 2 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Coat pans with non-stick cooking spray.
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions with eggs, water and oil. Stir in lemon zest.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Remove parchment paper and discard. Cool completely on wire racks.
- With mixer on medium speed, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, lemon curd and several drops of yellow food color. Beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
- Place 1 cup of frosting in pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 22 decorating tip; reserve. Place one cake layer on serving dish. Spread 1 cup of frosting over top of cake layer. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
- Gently press bunny peeps on sides of cake.
- Using reserved frosting pipe edge around top of cake.
- In plastic ziplock food storage bag combine coconut and several drops of green food coloring. Seal and shake until coconut has turned green.
- Arrange green coconut and speckled eggs on top of cake.
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