Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

This Easter Cake recipe can be made for Easter, a birthday party cake, as a cake to celebrate the spring season, or if you just like the flavors and the Easter candy involved! This cake is a Banana Bread Cake with a vegan and gluten-free option. (makes one, 2-tier, 6-inch cake)

Easter Cake Recipe

Hi Everyone, this Easter Cake recipe can be made for Easter, as a birthday party cake, as a cake to celebrate the spring season, or if you like the flavors and the Easter candy involved!

Easter candy is available all year round to buy online so you can make this cake any time of the year!

This cake is a Banana Bread Cake with a vegan and gluten-free option.

I also include a healthier vegan option for the frosting if you don't want the traditional buttercream frosting.

Other names for this cake include

• Easter Bunny Cake
• Springtime Bunny Cake
• Easter Egg Cake
• Birthday Bunny Cake
• Springtime Cake
• Spring Cake

Ingredients

Banana Bread Cake Batter

• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour, or the same amount of all-purpose flour or cake flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Saigon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, large, I used farm fresh eggs
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup wildflower honey
• 3 mashed medium-ripe bananas
• 1 cup of granulated white sugar **See notes below
• ½ cup canola oil ***see notes below
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional (I didn't use them in the photos in this post)

Vegan Coconut Cream Frosting Option

If you want to use a healthier, vegan option, try our vegan coconut cream option for frosting this cake (the recipe is linked below) - when I use this frosting, I frost the cake in a "naked style" with frosting in between and on top but very thin on the side because this frosting is more liquidy (see the below photo for reference)

Buttercream Frosting Option (traditional) - this is the option that I used in the photos in this post except for the one above

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• a few drops of light purple/lilac or pink gel food coloring

Easter Candy

• 4-in milk chocolate bunny
• Cadbury mini eggs

Recipe Notes

• Vegan Egg Recipe on our blog: How to Make a Flaxseed Egg
• *Or you can substitute 2 large eggs, if not vegan, you can still add the flax dry, if you want
• **You can substitute regular sugar for 1 cup of coconut sugar, I have also subbed sugar with ¾ maple syrup plus ¼ honey and I had excellent results with this
• ***You can substitute the same amount of melted and cooled coconut oil

Kitchen Tools

I linked (affiliate, #CommissionsEarned) all the kitchen tools in the recipe card at the end of the post.

• mixing bowls
• 2-cup wet measure
• measuring spoons and cups
• silicone baking spatula
• offset spatula
• cake decorating tools
• revolving cake decorating stand
• whisk
• 5-speed handheld electric mixer
• stand mixer
• cardboard cake for a 6-inch cake or larger

Web Story

Recipe Attribution

This recipe is inspired by another recipe on the blog,

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If you make this recipe, and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

If you have any questions let me know, my cake and dessert recipes are sometimes more involved than most of the easy kind of simple recipes that I usually post - let me know if you get stuck on anything!

Thank you for reading and following along!

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Easter Cake Recipe

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes

This Easter Cake recipe can be made for Easter, a birthday party cake, as a cake to celebrate the spring season, or if you like the flavors and the Easter candy involved!

Print

Ingredients

Banana Bread Cake Batter

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour, or the same amount all-purpose flour or cake flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Saigon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup 100% pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup wildflower honey
• 3 mashed medium-size ripe bananas
• 1 cup of granulated white sugar **see notes below
• ½ cup canola oil ***see notes below
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional (I didn’t use them in the photos in this post)

Buttercream Frosting Option (traditional, for the vegan option see recipe notes)

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• a few drops of light purple/lilac or pink gel food coloring

Easter Candy

• 4-in milk chocolate bunny
• Cadbury mini eggs

Instructions

To Make the Cake Batter

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease both 6" cake pans, and set aside. Add 2 rounds of parchment to the bottom of the cake pans to help it come out of the pan better. Grease over the parchment paper.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg).
3. You can mash the bananas by hand using a large fork or potato masher. I prefer to use a blender (or food processor would work too) to get the bananas puréed. This should only take a few moments on the purée or liquefy setting of your blender.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, puréed banana, sugar, and oil. Add the eggs to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the optional walnuts. It's okay if it's a little lumpy. Spread the batter into the cake pans, then divide evenly.
5. Bake for 22 minutes to 27 minutes. You can check if it's done by inserting a knife or toothpick into the center and it should come out clean if it's done. When it's done, let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. You can use a bread knife to cut the rounded tops off the cake layers so that the layers are level. Make sure the layers are completely cool before cutting or frosting.
   

To Make the Buttercream Frosting

1. In your stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, add the unsalted butter and confectioner's sugar, whisk on medium until combined (about 3 minutes), add the vanilla and gel food coloring until the desired hue is reached (about 1 minute), set aside until ready to use. Cover and refrigerate, if making ahead.
   

For Applying the Frosting

1. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting in a thin, even layer on top of the first layer, and then add the 2nd cake layer. Add more frosting to the top and sides, and use a dough scraper or cake spatula (it helps to have a cake stand for this to get very smooth results). If using the buttercream frosting, chill for a half hour or until the frosting firms up before spreading the remaining frosting. To finish, spread the frosting in an even layer until completely covered. Decorate with the chocolate candy. Chill the cake for at least a half-hour to firm up the frosting. Enjoy!

Notes

• Vegan Egg Recipe on our blog: How to Make a Flaxseed Egg
  
• *Or you can substitute 2 large eggs, if not vegan, you can still add the flax dry, if you want
  
• **You can substitute regular sugar for 1 cup of coconut sugar, I have also subbed sugar with ¾ maple syrup plus ¼ honey and I had excellent results with this
  
• ***You can substitute the same amount melted and cooled coconut oil

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned #ad

• 
  Wilton Ultimate Cake Decorating Tools Set and Tool Box Organizer
• 
  WIlton Cake Carrier and Server with Locking Lid
• 
  Lindt GOLD BUNNY - White Chocolate 100g
• 
  Cadbury Mini Eggs Milk Chocolate Candy 5 Pounds Bulk, All Kosher Dairy Eggs With A Crisp Sugar Shell 5 lbs Bulk Cadbury Egg Special Buy
• 
  Ateco 612 Revolving Cake Decorating Stand, 12" Round, Cast Iron Base with ⅛" Aluminum Top
• 
  Ateco Professional Cake Smoothing Comb
• 
  Ateco Scraper, Pack of 2, White
• 
  KitchenAid KHM512ER 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Empire Red
• 
  OXO Good Grips 15-Piece Everyday Kitchen Utensil Set
• 
  Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls by Finedine (Set of 6) Polished Mirror Finish Nesting Bowl, ¾ - 1.5-3 - 4-5 - 8 Quart - Cooking Supplies
• 
  Pyrex Prepware 2-Cup Glass Measuring Cup
• 
  Homestia Gold Measuring Cups and Spoons Set Stainless Steel 8 PIECE for Dry and Liquid Ingredients Engraved Measurement Heavy Duty Baking & Cooking Utensils

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 696Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 103gFiber: 2gSugar: 66gProtein: 6g

Please note that the Calculated Nutrition is an estimate at best. If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe!

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Did you make this recipe? If you share it on social media tag us @lifeslittlesweets and hashtag it #lifeslittlesweets - Thank you in advance!

• This post was originally posted on 10/31/2021 and updated and republished on 4/9/2022, 3/16/2024

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom. She lives in New Jersey by way of New England and New York, with her husband and 3 kids under 8. She loves design, being creative, and spending time with family and friends. She loves checking out local businesses and eats and being apart of the local farm to table community.

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