This recipe provides instructions for making an Easter Bonnet Cake. The cake is made from two boxes of white cake mix baked in separate pans, one round and one bowl-shaped, to resemble a bonnet. The cakes are frosted with a pale yellow buttercream frosting and decorated with flowers to look like an Easter bonnet. A basket weave pattern is piped around the cake using different pastry tips to further enhance the bonnet appearance. Cookies and ribbon are used to decorate the brim of the bonnet.

1. Easter Bonnet Cake
This traditional Easter recipe for kids look fabulous. You can colour the icing using edible
food colouring to make different coloured bonnets. If you don’t want to make your own
sponge you could buy a ready-made flan base and use that to cut out the circles for the
hats.

2. Ingredients
 2 boxes (18.25 ounces each) white cake mix
Frosting:
 2 boxes (1 pound each ) powdered sugar
 ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
 ⅓ cup heavy cream
Decorations:
 Yellow food paste color
 Purchased decorative blossoms and daisies
 Easter Cookies
 Decorative ribbon
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 12-inch-round glass or ceramic quiche dish
with 1-1/4-inch-high sides (or a 12-inch-round cake pan), and a 1-1/2-quart ovenproof glass
bowl (do not use a metal quiche pan or metal bowl). Dust the dish and bowl with flour; tap
out excess flour.
2. Prepare the 2 boxes of cake mixes separately, according to the package directions. (Or
prepare the 2 boxes together in a large bowl, according to directions on the inside of the
box; use the recommended 3 whole eggs rather than just the egg whites). Pour half of the
batter into the prepared bowl and the remaining half of the batter into the prepared quiche
dish.
3. Place the quiche dish and bowl with batter in 325 degrees F oven. Bake quiche dish for
30 to 35 minutes and bowl for 60 to 75 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in centers
comes out clean. Cover cakes loosely with foil if they begin to brown too quickly. When
cakes are done, transfer quiche dish and bowl to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen
the cakes with a metal spatula and invert them onto wire racks to cool completely.

3. To prepare frosting:
4. Beat together confectioners’ sugar, butter and heavy cream in medium-size bowl at
medium speed until frosting is smooth. If frosting is too thick, gradually stir in water, 1
tablespoon at a time, until good spreading and piping consistency. Tint frosting with small
amount of yellow food paste until frosting is a pale yellow; cover with plastic wrap and set
aside.
5. Place the 12-inch cake layer on large round platter. Slide strips of waxed paper under
bottom edges of cake to keep frosting off plate. Thinly spread frosting over top and side of
cake. If bottom of bowl cake is not flat and level, cut a slice off with serrated knife. Place
bowl cake, flat side down, in center of bottom layer. Thinly spread frosting over top and side
of cake.
To make basket weave:
6. Fit one pastry bag with medium-size round tip, and second pastry bag with a ridged
basket-weave tip. Fill each bag with icing. Using bag fitted with round tip, pipe one vertical
bar from bottom to top of cake. Using pastry bag fitted with basket-weave tip, and starting at
bottom of cake, pipe horizontal band around side of cake, crossing the vertical bar. Moving
up side of cake, leaving a decorator-tip width between bands, pipe another horizontal band.
Using round tip, pipe another vertical bar up side of cake, 1 inch to right of first vertical bar.
Repeat piping horizontal bars across second vertical bar, filling in blank decorating-tip width
and creating a basket-weave effect. Repeat until there are vertical bars and horizontal
bands all around the cake, resembling a basket. Remove the waxed paper strips from under
the bottom of the cake.
7. Decorate the cakes with purchased decorative blossoms and daisies. Place a cookie on
the bonnet brim, and attach ribbon with a little frosting.