How To Make A Lamb Cake for Easter
Rate the Lamb Cake
Easter Dessert - New Quest and Old Favorite
Easter is my favorite time of year. As a girl I always had the privilege of helping my mom create our lamb cake. Create as in decorate. Mom did most of the baking. I only added the coconut, jelly beans and sometimes a flower wreath to our little Easter Table centerpiece. It was always the most fun and exciting of all the kitchen activities mom allowed me to partake in. She was after all, one of those consummate, traditionally perfect in every way housewives. Perfection was demanded in the kitchen and my little fingers were a bit too creative for a main stage production called Easter Dinner.
My mom always had an assortment of desserts to choose from and guests always brought their home cooked and store bought fare as well, but the Lamb cake will always be my favorite because of the memories I have with my mom.
The Lamb Cake Is Not Aways the Favorite to Eat
Truth be told, the cake itself wasn't my favorite to eat. Something is so sad about eating the little creature. After all baking is like giving birth. You sweat a lot, there is usually pain involved and in my case, much profanity. In the end you you are hopefully blessed with a beautiful newborn creation. A treasure so warm and golden and cuddly. Okay...so I love my desserts.
The Lamb Cake is the unofficial host of Easter dinner. He sits proudly in the center of the table or on the buffet welcoming guests to come and eat. Then as dessert is served there is always an uncle or a cousin trying to be funny declaring dibs of the head. This always leads to a child under five, (or in my case 12 at the time) crying and pleading to spare it's confectionery life.
But, sadly, the task is done and the cake is served.
Tips on Making A Truly Great Lamb Cake
- Find a high quality lamb cake mold. Cast iron or aluminum. If you see a "non-stick" lamb cake mold I would not buy it. Non-stick pans usually produce or shall I say do not produce a good flavor. Buy new ones online or at baking supply stores. Note there are some really poorly crafted ones at big box stores. My suggestion is to purchase a pan made before 1980. Aluminum and cast iron will give you a better flavor.
- Cool your cake completely and keep it covered with a lint free dish towel after it is removed from pan before you frost.
- When you start to assemble your cake put lots of frosting on the cake plate and let it dry for about 5 minutes. Add the lamb. This will help it stand up. If you cannot get it to stand use candy or Easter decorations that can help prop it up.
- Do not use canned frosting. Ever!
- Color your coconut with food coloring in a bowl just add a few drops to the flakes and toss.
- Important for flavor: We bake our lamb cake a few days ahead of time. This lets the butter flavor through and makes it so rich.
- Note, if you use a frosting with egg whites do not do this because of salmonella poisoning.
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 8oz cream cheese, softened
- 1-1/4 cups butter, softened
- 1/4 cup milk, room temp
- 2 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 eggs, room temp
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions for Lamb Cake
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Coat lambcake mold with butter or shortning and flour. Also have a loaf pan greased on stand by for the left over cake batter.
- Cream butter and cream cheese until it is fluffy
- Beat in sugar slowly until completley incorporated
- Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla and flour
- Put Lamb Cake molds face down on cookie sheet and pour batter to top of the "face" mold. Secure the back mold and tie with kitchen twine.
- Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes to ensure it does not break as it is removed from pan.
- Frost cake with favorite frosting. A butter cream or cream cheese frosting works well. Just make sure it is thick enough to hold to the shape. Decorate with coconut and candies.
