Ever have an Easter bunny coconut cake? This one is better.

Spring is in the air, and that means Easter is right around the corner.

Easter was the most sugar-heavy holiday for me growing up, and hasn’t changed that much as an adult. The day started bright and early: There was the finding of the Easter basket and candy for breakfast, followed by dressing up for church, with hats and gloves and tights (it was a high-fashion Sunday, of course). There was the sitting through church, where my siblings and I dreamed of candy while simultaneously crashing from a sugar high.

Then, still in our Sunday best, we headed to grandma’s house, where there were more baskets filled with more candy. Our sugar mania was paused temporarily as we sat down to a plate of rubbery ham served with a spoonful of canned pineapple, which was picked at while our thoughts turned to Peeps and jelly beans and eggs filled with crème. The good news was that there was more sugar on the way. The bad news was that it was covered in sweetened, shredded coconut.

I had a love-hate relationship with that classic bunny cake. I wanted to love it, as it had all the makings of a perfect dessert. It was cute, with the little bunny face, ears and whiskers. It was cake, coated in icing, another favorite. I would try it each year, hoping my taste buds had changed, but I just couldn’t get past the thick layer of chewy coconut and the overly sweet frosting.

As an adult, I’ve come up with my own spin on the classic Easter dessert, as I still want to celebrate that coconut cake. I traded the bunny shape for a single-layer square, which is classy and easy to slice. The one-bowl cake base uses coconut milk and coconut extract, which makes a rich, tender bite, and the cream cheese in the icing adds some tang and helps balance the sweetness. I like a small dose of coconut extract in the buttercream, but more can be added if one wants to ramp up the flavor.

To decorate, I use unsweetened coconut flakes around the edges, which add more flavor and keep the cake from being overly sweet — and can be avoided if needed.

It is simple, delicious, and a perfect end to an Easter dinner.

Serves about 18 to 24.

This cake is moist and delicious, with subtle coconut flavor. If you want to ramp up the coconut, add more extract to the buttercream to taste. I like to bake this in a 10-inch square pan, but a 9-by-13 pan also works beautifully. This cake also tastes great with a bit of chocolate — add ¾ cup (128 g) mini chocolate chips to the batter after stirring in the flour. Because the egg whites aren’t being whipped for volume, store-bought egg whites will work here, and currently are much cheaper than regular eggs. Just be sure to buy 100% liquid egg whites. From Sarah Kieffer.

For the cake:

For the buttercream:

Directions

For the cake: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch square baking pan or a 9- by 13-inch baking pan and line with a parchment sling.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, egg whites, coconut milk, sour cream, oil, cornstarch, baking powder, coconut extract, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and use a spatula to stir it into the batter. Switch to a whisk and whisk the batter to eliminate any remaining flour lumps, about 10 seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Tap the pan on the counter twice to get rid of any air bubbles.

Bake for 24 to 32 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment sling to remove the cake and let it finish cooling. The cake can be iced once cool, or can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated overnight, or frozen for up to 1 week.

For the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and salt on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth, creamy and combined. Add the corn syrup, coconut extract and vanilla and beat again until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

To assemble: Top the cake evenly with the buttercream, sprinkle with coconut flakes, then slice into squares and serve. The cake can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days.

Sarah Kieffer is a Minnesota baker, cookbook author and creator of the Vanilla Bean Blog. Follow her on Instagram at @sarah_kieffer.