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Intuitively Baking Bunny Butts

Rachael Ashak-Benson
Apr 13, 2017
3 min read

It was time for me to make a visit to Connecticut to visit my kids, specifically to accompany my oldest daughter, Liza, to the doctors, so of course I had to bake something to bring with me. What better to bring than cake pops? Something fun and festive for the kids for Easter. Though they are not so much "kids" anymore as my daughter is 19, my boys 17 and almost 16.

As I sifted through Pintrest for something good, the bunny butts caught my eye. Ok, it grabbed my attention and would not let go. I could not stop looking at the butts! The smooth ones. The furry ones. The ones with square bodies, the ones that are round. Those bunnies took hold of me like any good gotta make it baking obsession can. But - how to make those tails?? Hmmmmm........

Before I would commit, I vowed to figure out how to make those cute little tails. Because, after all, they made the while cake pop.

Three days later I had the cakes made, candy melts warmed, and I was dunking my pops - with only a vague idea of how to make the tails. So much for vows! I had baked a go-to chocolate cake, so perfectly fudgy and moist, and a strawberry cake. The strawberry cake includes a box mix in the list of ingredients - and I am usually a "never a box mix to be found here" snob, but with this strawberry cake I make an exception. Oh, and it includes Jello too. The one redemption is that it does include real strawberries. I can't resist because comes out with such a fresh strawberry flavor, such a nice crumb, and a pretty pink color. I just love it and have yet to find a by scratch strawberry recipe to match it. So I make an exception to my snobbery in this case. But still, don't tell anyone I use a box. Ever.

I pared the chocolate cake with a salted vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. The strawberry cake was mixed with a luscious cream cheese icing. I unapologetically snacked on both after whipping them up.

Ahead of time, I had made little fondant feet, and the round spheres for the tails. I measured out 2Tbsp worth of fondant to use as my guide in sizing the items - the exact amount of cake I use in my pops. So I had them ready to go for when the white candy melts hardened on the pops. I also made piping gel, thinking I might use that to "glue" the small white dragees I had purchased to the spheres. But it was just a thought, not a plan, I was still flying by the seat of my pants. Baking by intuition, as I often do. The solution would come to me, probably just in time.

I used warmed white candy melts in a piping bag to attach the feet, and pink candy melts for the pads and toes. Then it was game time - the tails. I decided the piping gel was a no go because I had to package the pops in cellophane and then transport them. It just wouldn't hold up. So - I stuck a toothpick in the back of one sphere. Then I dipped the front in the candy melts - and then right into the dragees. Ah-ha! A prefect, transportable, tail!

The mystery of all the internet photos solved. Well, at least one way to do it was. And I LOVE my bunny butts. I am still obsessed with them. I was so excited to give them to my kids. To post photos on social media. Who knew some tiny little butts could cause such a fuss?? Because now I am thinking about piggy butts, and how to do those feet.........