Easter Lamb Cake
This cake is so simple, you can serve it anytime of the year. But it also happens to make a great cake to bake in the mold of a lamb cake pan, a traditional Easter dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup butter, room temp
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- shredded coconut, food coloring, raisins or chocolate chips, jelly beans
Preparation
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream butter in a large bowl, add dry ingredients (flour through salt); beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Add sour cream, milk, egg and vanilla, beat 2 more minutes. Turn batter into bottom (face) of well greased and floured mold. Insert wooden toothpicks lengthwise into ears and neck for support. Grease and lightly flour top half of mold and gently place on top of batter. Make sure mold locks; tie with a string to make sure mold doesn’t separate as cake rises while it bakes.
Bake on a cookie sheet for 55 minutes or until a toothpick placed in steam vent comes out clean. Cool cake in mold for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the top half of mold and let cool in the bottom mold for 5 more minutes. Remove from mold and let cake cool on is side on a rack until completely cool - do not stand up until then.
To make vanilla frosting:
In top part of a double boiler, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 c. water, 2 egg whites, 1 tbs. light corn syrup and 1/2 tsp. salt. Beat with handheld mixer on high for 1 minute. Place over rapidly beating water, and beat with mixer until medium firm peaks are formed. Remove from double boiler and stir in 2 tsp. vanilla.
To decorate:
Stand cake upright and frost with vanilla frosting. Sprinkle with coconut and use raisins or chocolate chips for eyes. Cover a platter or serving tray completely with frosting and carefully stand cake on platter or tray. Color coconut green and sprinkle around cake - use jelly beans for garnish.
To make the lamb cake from a mix:
Use a white cake mix and add 2 egg yolks and 1/2 cup milk. Blend and then beat with a mixer for 2 minutes. Add 2/3 cup of milk and beat for a minute longer. Follow directions above for filling mold. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 minutes and follow instructions above for cooling and decorating.
