Grandma Pam’s Easy Easter Cake
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Every Easter, like clockwork, we bust out the jelly beans, the shredded coconut, and the deep-dish pie pan… and we make Grandma Pam’s Easter cake.
It’s not fancy. It’s not fussy. But it’s adorable, nostalgic, and has a serious “aww” factor that makes everyone smile.
Plus, it’s easy and fun for kids to help with the Easter cake! A fun little family tradition.
Let’s be honest, this isn’t really a “recipe” as much as it is a vibe. A delicious, Easter-y, grassy little jelly-bean-on-top vibe that’s been an Easter family tradition and now, it can be yours too.
What You’ll Need:
A box of cake mix (I used organic vanilla from Miss Jones—it's at Walmart and tastes like you tried. You can totally use whatever you have, but I always go organic for grains when I can to avoid glyphosate and sketchy stuff.)
White frosting (again, organic if you can swing it—Miss Jones makes a killer one)
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Matcha powder (to dye your “grass” and give it that cute spring green without the scary food coloring)
Jelly beans (Trader Joe’s ones are dye-free and use fruit/veggie pigments. These jelly beans from YUMEARTH are my top choice, and you can easily find them on Amazon!
A deep-dish pie pan, baking dish, or anything you can bake and serve from. My MIL used a 9x13 pan! You could even make these into cupcakes if you wanted! That’d be super cute!
How to Make It
Bake the cake in your chosen dish according to the box directions. Let it cool completely (important or you’ll have a frosting slip-n-slide).
Frost the top with a thick layer of your chosen white frosting. This is your “snowy field,” soon to become a grassy meadow.
Dye the coconut by mixing it with dry matcha powder. I used about a teaspoon of matcha to dye about a half cup of shredded coconut.
Sprinkle the matcha coconut grass all over the top of your cake.
Toss some jelly beans on top to look like tiny Easter eggs hiding in the grass.
Enjoy! Remember to take a cute little picture with your cake and any helpers! I wished we had a photo of grandma Pam with her sweet little Easter cake 💛
Bonus Holistic Crunchy Tip:
Cake is sugar, we know. But here’s how I enjoy it without the blood sugar rollercoaster: I (try to always lol) pair my sweets with a little protein. A glass of milk with collagen or plain protein powder stirred in, or even bone broth before dessert, helps!
We make this cake every year in honor of my late mother-in-law, Grandma Pam.
It was her tradition, her joy, and now it’s ours and maybe it can be yours too!
There is something about the simplicity and innocence of it. Kinda feels like being a kid! The boxed cake, the silly jelly beans, the little grassy top. It’s just happy, and it makes you smile!
Happy Easter, beautiful friend. Hugs.
I wanna know if you make grandma Pam’s easy Easter cake! Let me know in the comments 💛
For more Easter Cake Ideas follow me on Pinterest!
Updated on: 03/30/2025
