BUNNY CAKE.

We have a new tradition of making bunny cake for Easter. Made from real Easter bunny.

I remember Mom making us a delicious bunny cake when we were small. It had pasta whiskers and everything. I thought it was the coolest!  I made one last year and again this year because hey, bunny cakes are something grown-ups can appreciate, too. And besides, we did have one child celebrating with us, my cousin's adorable 3-year old daughter. Marcella kept running toward it saying "bunny cake!!" and trying to grab jelly beans off of the platter before her parents grabbed her. I felt like doing the exact same thing.

I use the a version of the Joy of Cooking's carrot cake recipe, coconut cream cheese frosting, and assemble it according to my friend Betty's instructions.

Carrot cake:

Preheat the oven to 350.
Oil and flour ONE 9" round cake pan.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: 1 1/3c all-purpose flour, 1c sugar, 1.5t baking soda, 1t baking powder, 1t cinnamon, 1/2t cloves, 1/2t nutmeg, 1/2t allspice, 1/2t salt. Use fresh ground spices if possible--they add a lot!
Stir in 2/3c vegetable oil (use an unflavored oil, like canola) and 3 large eggs using a mixer on low speed.
Stir in 1.5c peeled & grated carrots, 1c walnuts, and 1c golden raisins. There's room for creativity here: some people use pineapple and/or coconut and omit the raisins. I find the golden raisins are substantially better than regular raisins, though.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30" or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool on a rack, turning it out of the pan after 10 min or so.

Cream cheese frosting: 

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese with 5T butter and 2t vanilla until combined.
Gradually add 2c powdered sugar (sift after measuring.) Some recipes call for more powdered sugar, but I don't recommend it here.  The cake is already pretty sweet and you'll be adding sweetened coconut for "fur".
Beat until completely combined.

Grass:

Place 1-2c grated coconut (I use sweetened) in a plastic container.  Add green food coloring a few drops at a time and shake it, baby, shake it until it looks like grass. Like fake, plastic easter grass.

Assembly:

Follow the below instructions.  Before sticking the two halves of the cake together, frost one half.

I like to use colorful magazine covers for the ears. They stay good and stiff even when stuck in frosting! New Yorker covers are usually nice this time of year.

Place the cake on the platter. Frost the outside of the bunny and cover it in sweetened grated coconut for "fur". Use jelly beans for eyes and a nose and dried pasta for whiskers. Surround the bunny in the "grass" and sprinkle more jelly beans in the grass (bunny poop! Or Easter eggs. Whatever you prefer.)

Enjoy!

EGgplant, prune and ginger

Spicy Braised Eggplant With Prunes


MAKE AHEAD: The cooled eggplant can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups (4 to 6 side-dish servings)

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large (about 2 1/4 pounds total) purple eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated (1 tablespoon)
• 2 bunches scallions (12 to 14 total), white and light-green parts cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 1 3/4 cups homemade or no-salt-added vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped pitted prunes
• 1 tablespoon salted Chinese black beans, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Leaves from 4 to 6 stems cilantro, coarsely chopped, for serving (optional)
• 1 small serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Heat half of the vegetable and half of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once they begin to shimmer, add half of the eggplant and stir-fry for about 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the slow-cooker. Repeat with the remaining oils and eggplant.

Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic, ginger and scallions to the skillet. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add to the slow-cooker along with the broth, soy sauce, prunes and the Chinese black beans, if using. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. The eggplant will be quite tender.

Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the eggplant mixture. Increase the heat to HIGH; cover and cook for 30 minutes. The mixture should thicken.

Spoon the eggplant and its sauce into a serving bowl; garnish with the cilantro and serrano pepper, if desired. Serve warm.

Rhubarb Applesauce

Copied from the WaPo, with my elimination of 1/2 c sugar and substitution of wine and maple syrup for the cider:

Slow-Cooker Rhubarb Applesauce
Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients:
• 6 large, firm, flavorful apples, such as Fuji, Granny Smith or Cortland; 3 1/2 to 4 pounds
• 2 pounds rhubarb, ribs only
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon (about 1 tablespoon zest and 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice)
• ½ c wine, 1/3 c maple syrup or 1 c cider
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
Core, peel and quarter the apples. If you plan to puree the applesauce in a food mill, leave the core and seeds intact; otherwise, remove and discard them. Trim off and discard the rhubarb ends and cut the ribs into 1-inch chunks. Pull off strings if using FP slicer.
Combine the apples, rhubarb, lemon zest and juice, cider, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves and ginger in the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, until the apples and rhubarb are very tender. If the slow-cooker has been filled very full, uncover it briefly after 2 or 3 hours and stir to redistribute the contents.
Discard the cinnamon stick. If you intend to puree the applesauce, use a slotted spoon to transfer the apple and rhubarb solids to a food mill or the bowl of a food processor. Puree, adding cooking juices to achieve the desired consistency. Need to puree so that the strings from the rhubarb aren't so prominent.
Serve warm or cold.