I'm Back: Birthday Bunny Cake

Burning Pasta's been pretty quiet over the last month or two, I have to admit.

Since my last substantive post -- the eel fiasco of March 22nd -- there's been quite a bit going on. As I posted before, I had my laptop stolen later that week, and with it, the backlog of several recipes-worth of delicious-looking photos. Great photos of a pear and pomegranate cocktail, roasted stuffed peppers with sweet pork sausage, yogurt-braised lamb shanks, various rice puddings, and some truly succulent slow-smoked ribs...well, they were all lost. It's too bad, but, hey, what can you do?

Anyway, compounding the theft, I've had finals for my classes over the last few weeks, and, as a result, for what it's worth, I haven't been able to put up a single post! I know I've been abandoning all of you, dear readers, but I hope you understand.



I'm currently shooting plenty of new pictures -- in the meanwhile, here are some pictures, sent in by my mother and sister. They wanted to make a special birthday cake for me this year. In the end, it took the form of a coconut-covered rabbit, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Follow the journey and learn all about my very silly sister, below.

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The world's wonkiest bowling pin? Of course not! It's a bunny!



I know, it takes a little imagination at this point. Here's the side/rear view. Do you see the puff-ball tail? Much more bunny-like, right? Despite the dye in the electric green coconut "grass," this recipe was pretty low in sugar. The cake itself is a delicious homemade carrot cake, and the frosting is cream-cheese based.



This is my sister, Michelle. She went to college in order to become a landscape architect and engineer, so, clearly, building a structurally-sound food-based rabbit on top of fake grass is is right up her alley. This is clearly a professional at work -- note the use of the ruler to ensure exact measurements.



From there, my mother and sister assembled the cake. First, the ears and eyes...



...followed by the nose contraption.



A few more jellybeans scattered in the grass, and the cake is finished!



It was awfully sweet of them to make the cake, and, I must say, it was delicious! I'm not sure about how it was actually assembled, but my mother has assured me that this old-school Betty Crocker recipe is a pretty close approximation:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeid=36248

Well, that's all for now! In order to establish a more permanent schedule, from now on, Burning Pasta will be updated once a week, every week, on Friday afternoons, after I get home from work. Be sure to check back for the first regular update this Friday, May 23rd!

Time to leave you, as always, with a tune. It's good to be back!

Music: Bunny Wailer -- "Jump Jump"