This hop-tacular character is so easy to create using trusty fondant (or sugarpaste) in your colours of choice and a handful of tools – a great activity to do with the kids! Use as a cake topper or as a standalone character.
Top tip! Make ahead of time and allow to fully dry, then give a basket of decorated eggs for Easter as a lovely homemade gift.
DIY rabbit cake topper
By Marie McGrath.
You will need
Edibles
- Brown, pink, white, black, green and orange sugarpaste
- Cooled boiled water
- Edible glue
- White vegetable fat (Trex)
Equipment
- Knife
- Paintbrushes
- Rolling pin
- Small boards or base to stand models on while you work
For the eggs
You have a few different options:
- Roll sugarpaste into egg shape
- Pre-made chocolate eggs
- Polystyrene eggs if you're concerned about the weight on top of the cake
- Make your own chocolate eggs using mould and fill them with treats of your choice
Preparing your egg shape
1. If you're using pre-made eggs, like in this tutorial, you may find that some of them have holes in where the chocolate hasn't quite joined together. Use some sugarpaste or melted chocolate to fill the holes before you cover the eggs.
2. As the eggs have a rounded bottom, you may find it easier to stand them on a small board or plate to start the covering process. I’ve used 3in cake cards and a small amount of cooled boiled water to stick a small ball of sugarpaste to the board and then the egg to the sugarpaste so it can stand unaided.
3. To cover the eggs, roll a small amount of sugarpaste in your chosen colour into a circle, which once laid over the top of the egg will cover it with some paste to spare. If your sugarpaste isn't very soft, knead in some white vegetable fat (I use Trex). It's easier to cover these small shapes when the sugarpaste is very pliable. Use a paintbrush to add a small amount of cooled boiled water to the egg to help the sugarpaste stick. Place the sugarpaste over the egg as you would covering a cake.
4. Work down the egg, making sure there are no air bubbles under the sugarpaste. As you reach the bottom, take the egg in your hand and work the paste as close together as you can.
5. Don’t worry about any creases – if your sugarpaste is soft so you can smooth them together shortly. Cut away to excess sugarpaste and start to smooth it together.
6. Keep going until the creases are smoothed away, using your fingertips and also by rolling it in warm hands.
Modelling a fondant bunny
1. Cover the egg in brown sugarpaste. Roll four long teardrop shapes, flattening two slightly. Use the flatter two for feet and stick underneath the egg, then stick the egg onto a base. Stick the other two long teardrops to the sides of the egg for the arms.
2. To make the ears, roll two long brown teardrop shapes and two smaller pink teardrops. Stick a pink one on top of a brown one, then flatten slightly. Repeat for the second ear. Cut a flat bottom on the tapered end of each ear.
3. Stick the ears in place on the top of the egg and bend over the top of the ears.
4. Roll two small balls from white and stick these in place for the eyes, and two smaller balls of black on top of the white ones. The nose is a small squashed ball of pink sugarpaste and the teeth are made using a small ball of white sugarpaste squared off by squashing the edges. Use a knife to mark the middle line before sticking it on the egg under the nose.
5. To give the bunny a carrot, roll a teardrop shape of orange sugarpaste and mark lines on the carrot with the blade of a knife. To make the leaves, roll two sausages of green sugarpaste, tapering each end to a point. Bend each one in the middle to make four leaves.
6. Use the end of a paintbrush to make a hole in the top of the carrot, add a small amount of edible glue, then stick the leaves inside the hole. Stick to the rabbit.
Top tip! If you don't want to make a character, you could experiment with making different styles of decorated eggs. Use a bright or pastel colour scheme and use different shapes and colour combinations to decorate them. Try circles, stripes, stars...
