Celebrate Spring or Easter with a Tea Party with Bunnies & Mini Carrot Cakes

Hop down the bunny trail to find spring or Easter tea party inspiration, along with some sweet and savory treats.  You’ll also find a recipe for Mini Carrot Cakes that hop from a box mix!

Welcome to the April edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of all things ‘tea’

on the third Tuesday of the month!

Pam and I are excited to welcome back a special guest,

Kitty, from Kitty’s Kozy Kitchen.

Kitty is a fellow tea enthusiast who shares delicious recipes and her love of cooking!

We’re glad you’re here too, pour yourself a cuppa and join us! ☕

You can find Pam and Kitty’s invitation to tea at the bottom of this post.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

With Easter just a few days away, bunnies have hopped to the table!

 A Fitz and Floyd Halcyon Rabbit Teapot is a favorite teapot for spring or Easter.

It was first introduced in 2003 and is still available 20+ years later.

It’s easy to see why with the pretty pansy border and bunny perched on the lid!

Join me for a cup of Paris Tea by Harney & Sons.

Paris Tea is a fruity black tea with vanilla and caramel flavors

and hint of lemony bergamot with a delightful aroma!

It’s a favorite of Harney & Sons’ tea aficionados and a top-selling variety,

second only to Hot Cinnamon Spice.

It’s rated 1 for briskness, 2 for body and 4 for aroma.

Bunny ear napkins are waiting for you!

Hop over to find the easy directions and step-by-step graphic -> HERE.

Assorted floral plates sit atop Mikasa Endearment dinner plates for a celebration of spring blooms.

They’re layered on wicker placemats purchased many years ago,

appropriately by Bunny Williams for Ballard Designs. 🐰

Bunny vases hold flowers for the table. . . hydrangeas, tulips, and peach roses

with small fragrant white flowers cut from the laurel shrubs.

Radish Tea Sandwiches are a savory teatime treat!

 Peppery radishes are mixed with seasoned cream cheese for an opened faced tea sandwich.

You can make the radish spread  a day in advance for quicker assembly.

Finely mince your radishes and mix with softened cream cheese, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds and a pinch of salt. You can adjust your radishes and cream cheese ratio, depending on the size of your radishes. I used 3 radishes to 4 ounces of cream cheese; use full fat cream cheese or Neufchâtel.

 Bring the spread to room temperature or until spreadable, and top your sandwich bread, cutting to your desired shape, removing the crust. I used Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread. Top with additional radish slices and edible flowers if desired. Serve immediately.

I always have a couple of trays of Athens Phyllo Shells

in the freezer for easy entertaining.

The shells are fully baked and ready to serve with sweet or savory fillings.

I filled some with some cranberry-pecan chicken salad.

For best texture, crisp the shells prior to filling by baking 3-5 minutes at 350ºF.

Allow shells to cool before filling.

Mini Strawberry Scones hopped home with me from the grocery store bakery.

I drizzled them with a vanilla confectioners’ sugar glaze for an easy sweet treat.

I’m a big fan of ‘doctoring the box’ when it comes to a cake or cupcakes. The dry ingredients are measured and ready to go which cuts down on prep time. With just a few substitutions like buttermilk for water and an additional egg, your cake or cupcakes will taste homemade, especially topped with your favorite homemade frosting recipe!

These Mini Carrot Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are

 topped with edible violas for pretty dessert for teatime or a shower!

To make these mini carrot cakes, I used a doctored cake mix recipe,

a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter and large open star tip to pipe the frosting.

I used a reader-favorite recipe for Carrot Cake from Spice Cake Mix,

baking it in a parchment-lined 12 x 17 pan for about 15 minutes

(or until toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean).

There was some trial and error getting pretty tea cakes cut without the cake crumbling. For the prettiest rounds and easiest cutting, I discovered your cake needs frozen solid; even partially frozen the cake had a tendency to crumble when cut, so I ended up freezing my cake overnight.

When frozen, cut your cake into 2 1/2-inch rounds. If it feels too firm to cut, let it to sit on the counter for about 5 minutes. You can get (24) 2 1/2-inch rounds (12 mini two layer carrot cakes) from a 12 x 17 inch cake. Store the mini cakes in an airtight container until ready to serve to prevent them from drying out. You’ll have some cake scraps left over to snack on or use the scraps to make a small trifle. Use a large open star tip fitted to a pastry bag to add the frosting between the layers and decorate the top of the mini cakes.

You can use this method with any flavor doctored cake mix and

frosting of choice to make pretty tea cakes for tea party or shower!

I used violas to garnish the top of the cakes.

Violas / pansies are considered edible and have a slightly floral-lettuce like flavor.

They’re easily removed for those who prefer to look at them, rather than eat them. :)

 As with any edible flower, use only ones that are chemical and pesticide free.

🐇  ☕  🐰 🫖 🌷

Table Details:

Bunny Teapot / Halcyon Rabbit Teapot, Fitz and Floyd, used HERE

Dinner Plates / Mikasa Endearment

Salad Plates / Gracie China

Tablecloth / HomeGoods, several years ago

Placemats / Ballard Designs, several years ago

Bunny Cake Plate / HomeGoods, similar Amazon

3-tier Stand Server

Pastry Server 

Mini Serving Tongs 

Assorted Teacups / HomeGoods over the years

Gracie China Rose Chintz Teacup and Saucers Set of Four

Bunny Cabbage Porcelain Vase

Gracie China Rose Chintz Porcelain Dessert / Salad Plates Set of 4

You’re invited to join Pam and Kitty for tea:

Pam at Everyday Living

Kitty at Kitty’s Kozy Kitchen

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch