Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans really well. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set it aside. Don't skip sifting the flour because lumpy cake batter leads to dense cakes, and trust me, that's not what you want here.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it looks pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes of beating. You'll know it's ready when you could basically build a sandcastle with it. Scrape down the sides of the bowl because butter loves to hide in the corners.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition so everything combines smoothly. Pour in the vanilla bean paste and vegetable oil and mix until the batter looks uniform. This is where the Easter bunny cake recipe really starts coming together visually.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Mix on low speed just until combined — don't overmix or you'll toughen the cake and get a rubbery texture. Blend for about 45 seconds total and then fold in the shredded cheese gently with a spatula.

Divide the batter between your prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 32-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. The kitchen smells absolutely amazing at this point and the cakes should be golden brown on top.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely. This takes about 30 minutes and you definitely need them cool before decorating or the frosting will melt everywhere. Don't panic if they stick a little — just run a knife around the edges first.

Once cooled, arrange the cakes on a platter to form the bunny shape, then sprinkle chocolate chips for eyes and the rainbow sprinkles across the top. You've officially created an Easter bunny cake recipe that looks like it came from a bakery. The kids will lose it when they see what you made.