Easter Peep Cake
A vibrant, layered cake featuring colorful layers, creamy buttercream, and a fun Peeps and coconut center, perfect for spring festivities.
Ingredients
Cake batter
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pink gel food coloring
- Yellow gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (for frosting)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (for frosting)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Decorations
- 24 Bunny Peeps
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, dyed green
- Easter M&M’s candies
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment circles.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, mixing just until smooth.
- Divide batter evenly into three bowls and tint one pink, one yellow, and one blue using gel food coloring. Pour each color into prepared pans.
Baking
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat butter for frosting until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well. Add vanilla, salt, and heavy cream; beat until smooth and fluffy.
Assembly
- Place blue cake layer on serving plate and spread frosting evenly on top. Add yellow layer and frost, then place pink layer on top.
- Apply a thin crumb coat around cake and chill briefly, then frost entire cake smoothly.
- Press Bunny Peeps around edges of cake, fill center with green coconut flakes, and decorate with Easter M&M’s candies.
Notes
Measure flour with a spoon-and-level method to avoid dense cake. Use room-temperature eggs and butter for a smoother batter and even rise. Chill between crumb coat and final frost to get clean, professional edges. Dye colors with gel food coloring for vibrant shades without thinning batter. Store cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; bring to room temp before serving. For layered stability, freeze each layer briefly before stacking if transporting.