Easter Bunny Cream Tart

This Bunny Cream Tart features layers of shortbread and white chocolate ganache and is topped with Easter eggs, sugar flowers and fresh flowers. It’s the perfect way to celebrate Easter!

It’s no secret I love an excuse to do some Easter baking and this cream tart is the perfect treat to serve to friends and family over the holidays.

What is a Cream Tart?

You’ve probably seen these double decker cakes covered with flowers and fruits across your social media channels lately and I honestly had no idea what they were called until recently. Officially they’re known as “Cream Tarts” but I’ve also seem them called cream cakes or cookie cakes.

A cream tart is a twist on a traditional cake – it features 2 layers of shortbread cookie dough and is filled with a ganache or cream cheese frosting. These desserts are fairly simple to make and a whole lot of fun to decorate!

Letters (such as your first initial) and numbers (your age) are the most popular shapes to cut out of the dough and makes this cake design the perfect recipe for celebrating. Since Easter is rapidly approaching us, I thought a holiday version of this trendy cream tart would be the perfect way to welcome in Easter!

Why you’re going to love this recipe

This Easter Bunny Cream Tart is my go-to recipe when I am looking for something to serve that has wow factor. The fact that it is easy to make and absolutely delicious is the icing on top!

• The cookie layers are easy to make – The dough itself is like a shortbread, and is extremely easy and quick to make. There was no need for cold butter or iced water as some of the recipes I came across needed, this was literally a case of mixing all the ingredients together until just combined.
• It’s so fun to decorate – Whilst macarons, fruit and meringues seem most popular to decorate these tarts, I wanted to go with more of an Easter and spring theme. So I got a selection of fresh flowers and sugared roses, speckled pastel eggs and chocolate Easter eggs in various shades of pink, purple and white and dotted them over the icing.
• The ganache is simple but delicious – white chocolate and cream are melted together and then beaten with cream cheese. This produces a lovely thick icing that isn’t too sweet.
• Don’t waste the cookie dough! – I cut out some smaller bunny biscuits with the leftover dough for snacking.

What You Need

For the Cream Tart

• butter
• caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar
• vanilla extract
• plain flour – also known as all-purpose flour
• eggs (1 whole and 1 yolk for extra richness)

For the White Chocolate Ganache

• thickened cream – also known as heavy cream or heavy ‘whipping’ cream
• white chocolate melts
• cream cheese

How to make your Easter Bunny Cream Tart

This cream tart is so easy to make! Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the full detailed method.

Step 1

In a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until well combined.

Step 2

Add in the flour, egg and egg yolk.

Keep beating until the mixture forms a dough.

Step 3

Place dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper (so it doesn’t stick) and gently roll the dough out to approx 3mm thick.

Step 4

Using a stencil, (you can download my template to print and cut out here) cut out the shape of your bunny twice and place them on your lined baking trays. With the leftover dough I cut out smaller bunny shapes.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown.

How to make White Chocolate Ganache Icing

Once baked and cooled I made a delicious white chocolate ganache icing which I piped dollops over both layers. This icing was inspired by Sugar Hero and I tweaked her original recipe. It involves heating up cream and stirring in white chocolate until melted, then cooling it down. Once the ganache is cool you beat in cream cheese and it makes a lovely thick icing that isn’t too sweet, and it holds its shape well which is important in this recipe.

Step 1

Bring cream just to the boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add white chocolate and stand until melted (5 minutes). Stir the ganache mixture until smooth and glossy. Refrigerate until completely cool (about 1 hour).

Step 2

Place the room temperature cream cheese into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until smooth.

Step 3

Add in the cooled ganache mixture.

Step 4

Continue beating until everything is well combined and the icing is thick and holds its shape.

To Decorate

Step 1

Spoon the mixture into an icing bag with a nozzle attached and pipe dots of ganache onto the first layer of the bunny cake.

Step 2

Gently transfer your second layer of bunny cake on top of the first layer, and continue piping dots of ganache until the surface is covered.

Step 3

Decorate with pastel eggs, chocolate eggs, sugar flowers and fresh flowers.

Serving Suggestions

• Experiment with the shape – lots of people love baking letters and numbers but how about an Easter Egg or flower shape?

• Swap the white chocolate for dark chocolate – if you love dark chocolate why don’t you make a decadently dark version of this cream tart.

• Dye the ganache a fun colour or add spices to the shortbread layers – I made a Halloween version of this Cream Tart with a spiced biscuit layer and bright orange icing.

SERVING, STORING & FREEZING

SERVING

This tart tastes best on the day it was baked, and to be honest it probably won’t last much longer than that anyway! If you live in a hot climate the icing may start to soften or melt – just put it back into the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

STORING

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in a cool area and eat within 3 days. 

FREEZING

The shortbread dough is perfect for making ahead of time and freezing until needed. Be careful to wrap it securely so no moisture can get in – I use 2 layers of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. This dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Allow to defrost in the fridge overnight before rolling out and baking.

More Easter Recipes

If you loved this Easter cake as much as me, then check out these other delicious festive recipes!

• DIY-Filled Easter Eggs – learn how to make your own Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, Oreo Cookies and Cadbury Creme Eggs at home!
• Malted Chocolate Mug Cake – an easy cake that’s made in the microwave and filled with M&M Easter eggs.
• Cadbury Cream Egg Brownies – a rich and decadent brownie filled with gooey cream eggs is quite possibly the rest way to celebrate Easter!

What are you baking for Easter? For more Easter dessert inspiration go here!