Buying this cake pan was something of a pandemic-depression-induced shopping whim. But that said, it’s also incredibly cute, and I am glad to have had the right occasion for using it. It was a significant headache getting the cakes out of the pan. A light layer of Crisco and fine sugar wasn’t enough, so I either need to buy baking spray or use more Crisco next time.

I haven’t written yet about Maida Heatter, so it’s high time. Christine got me into Maida Heatter’s cookbooks. Maida writes ever so clearly and reassuringly. It’s not uncommon for her to include the words “this is OK” in the recipe, lest you panic upon seeing a crack develop or some other such phenomenon. She’s a real home baker (she produced desserts for her husband’s restaurant from her home); she writes as a home baker and she writes to the home baker. She’s a goddess. I own all of her cookbooks, even ones that have been out of print for years. They all are littered with post-it notes flagging recipes I want to try.

One year, Chris and I baked our way through one of Maida’s cake chapters, alternating who made which recipe and then getting together to “share bakery”. It was delightful.

These bunny cakes used Maida’s “East 62^nd Street Lemon Cake” from her Book of Great Desserts. There is a New York Times article about how this cake was part of making her famous, and there’s a link to the recipe in the article.