Lamb Cake

Probably 10 years ago I won this cast iron lamb cake mold at a Christmas party as part of a white elephant gift exchange. The lovely lady who gave away the pan thought it was atrocious. It had been found abandoned by the previous owner, in a kitchen cupboard, when she had moved into her home.

I love the pan, but it has just been sitting on the shelf. I think of it as  a wool related decorating accessory.

A few months back I discovered a fun blog called Mid Century Menu.  Ruth features all kinds of fun and kitschy 50’s recipes and her willing husband taste tests them. She posted 10 tips for the perfect lamb cake and then posted eight days of lamb cakes leading up to Easter – that’s eight different cake recipes and eight different frostings.(she is a very brave and dedicated blogger)

I decided that I would give the recipe that her husband liked the best a try- “The Pope Family Recipe” and I went with their favorite “Vintage Birthday Cake Frosting”.

I never would have guessed that to bake the cake you fill the “face half” – add supports in the head and neck then pop the “back half “on top. As the cake raises it fills the other half.  I imagined that you filled both halves- then somehow glued them together with frosting. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

I was a little nervous about unmolding the cake-especially when I realized that I had greased, but not floured the pan- as Ruth advised. Still I was able to get the poor thing out without too much trauma.  Thankfully there was enough batter to make some cupcakes because David didn’t want to wait till the next day to try the cake.

I let the lamb rest overnight before frosting it. The process was a little tedious, but worth the effort. A little late for Easter- but a fun and tasty experiment.  

PS- When I checked in on Ruth’s blog this morning I noticed she's running a gelatin recipe contest…Hmmmmmmmm

http://www.midcenturymenu.com/