The Lamb Cake Gets a Makeover.

Easter was over a week ago. I know. I’m a little behind…again. But seriously, this time I have a legitimate excuse – I have a wedding to plan! And although I’m writing a week late, I did actually make the Lamb Cake for Easter, I just haven’t had a chance to tell the world about it yet. This is the 4th year of the Lamb Cake; the 4th year since my Aunt Cetta gave me the lamb-shaped pan, and I decided to make it my job henceforth to bake the traditional Easter Lamb Cake every year going forward.

the pan where it all started.

Over the years, the Lamb Cake has evolved, Year 1, I was just learning how to make this thing happen. Year 2, I played around a little and made some adjustments, Year 3, I had a near disaster, but managed to save the Lamb and maintain good form. This year, I was tired of the same old Lamb. I wanted something a little different. Plus it was also my fiance’s (I’m still getting used to saying that) birthday, so I wanted to make the Lamb out of things that he would like. He’d been asking me to make him a red velvet cake for a while now, so, I seized the opportunity to make the inside of the Lamb red velvet. Why didn’t I think of this before! Anyway, with red velvet insides, I needed something that worked on the outside. Instead of piping the Lamb with swirls of buttercream, I flat-iced it with a thin layer of my signature buttercream , then coated it with coconut flakes.

flakey.

The coconut complimented the red velvet innards quite nicely, if I do say so. I put the Lamb in a box, and we carted it off to my parents’ house for Easter dinner. When it was time for dessert, I added a little something extra, to make it a little more birthday cake-like.

now it’s a party.

We devoured it as usual, until only the head remained (I will not subject you to the gruesome photographic evidence).

Until next year….

Featured Fan Favorite: Carrot Cake Lamb.

A while back, I had been doing this Featured Fan Favorite thing – where someone finds a recipe on the blog that strikes their fancy, makes it themselves, and tells me all about it – including a picture of their results, Well, I’m happy to say that the Featured Fan Favorite has returned, and what better way to bring it back than with a reader’s very own Lamb Cake!

Juli Eberts created her Easter Carrot Cake Lamb based on the recipe from the blog!

it’s b-ewe-tiful!

I especially love how she did the face – I may have to try it that way next year! Juli says, “The kids named him Sammy the Lambie and everyone loved the cake!  Thanks for the great recipe!”  (Sammy the Lambie!! I wish I’d thought of that!)

Thank you, Juli, for sharing your fabulous cake and for following Small Indulgences! xoxoI

I bet you’re now asking yourself, “How can I be the next Featured Fan Favorite? Why, it’s simple! Pick a recipe – any recipe from the blog, create it, and tell me all about it in an email to  – smallindulgencesbakery [at] gmail [dot] com. Don’t forget to include a photo! There’s nothing I love more than sharing the work of fans! (except maybe eating the work of fans.) 😉

 

Once, Twice, Three times a Lamb-y.

Yep, I did it again. For the third consecutive year, I’ve upheld the tradition of making the Lamb Cake for Easter, using the trusty old cast-iron pan that my aunt gave me.

where the magic happens.

I also kept up the tradition of making it a carrot cake, with cream cheese icing. The only thing I did change were the color of his eyes.

my brown-eyed lamb.

I went with the same jelly bean nose as seen on  Lamb #2; but I liked the larger ears Lamb #1 had, so I made sure to make them a little bigger this year. 

the better to hear you with.

I will say this – this year’s lamb appears to be a tad “shaggy-er” than the previous two. Some lambs are just shaggy-er than others, I suppose.

shag-a-delic.

Either way, the lamb once again survived the ride to Easter dinner at my parents house, and this year, his arrival was anticipated, and my mom had set up a special table, specifically for the guest of honor

it’s a lamb in a box. on a table.

We didn’t finish the entire lamb, and I  again took the head back home with me – which I will definitely be sharing with others (the lamb has a big head).

Until next year….the Lamb will be baaaaack!

Sugar Chicks.

I actually got the inspiration for these cupcakes from a pin I came across on pinterest (the best site for inspiration, EVER).

I was looking for new ideas for Easter cupcakes. I didn’t want to make the same ones I’ve done in the past, especially since I knew for sure I would be making the Lamb Cake again. At the same time, I had an assignment from my photography class involving shutter speed. I had this grand idea that I’d incorporate the assignment into my cupcake baking. How, you may ask?

Like this:

whip in motion – long shutter speed.

And this:

whip in motion – short shutter speed.

We were instructed to take pictures of something moving – falling water, a bird flying, etc. The first thing that came to my mind? My mixer (aka “H.A.L.”) in action of course.  While the cake mixed – it was a Lemon Genoise (Italian Sponge) Cake, so it took a while – I snapped a bunch of photos on different shutter speeds.  It was a true learning experience – especially since I had to lug the mixer around the kitchen until I found the spot with the best natural light. H.A.L. is rather heavy, especially with a bowl full of batter in tow. (FYI – in both of those photos, the whip was moving at the same speed – it’s truly amazing the difference the shutter speed can make!)

After the photoshoot, I baked the cupcakes. They were light and spongy and lovely. They were splovely.

like a sponge.

I whipped up some buttercream, colored it a very light yellow, and gave them each a layer of frosting.

ice, ice, cupcake.

I then dipped them in bright yellow sanding sugar. It created a “Peep effect.”

not a peep!

I gave them all eyes using inverted chocolate chips, and let them sit for a bit.

eyes without a face.

Finally, I piped on some yellow wings, an orange beak, and little orange feet.

I shared the results with friends, and all was right with the world. Happy Easter!

Return of the Lamb Cake.

Right before Easter last year, my Aunt gave me a bunch of baking pans, including a stainless steel “lamb pan.” I went on to discover that the lamb-shaped cake produced by this unique piece of bakeware is actually an Easter tradition, one which my Aunt embraced many years ago. So, last year, I decided that this tradition should experience a revival. And thus, I made my very first Lamb Cake, for Easter 2011.

where the magic happens.

So, being that the definition of “tradition” is an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior, i had to make the lamb cake again this year. And make the lamb cake, I did.

Lamb Cake 2: the sequel.

Personally, I think this year’s lamb cake turned out just a tad better than last year’s. I used the same carrot cake recipe (this one, doubled and minus the cinnamon chips), and the same cream cheese icing (however I’ve tweaked that recipe over the year so it’s a little better than last year’s). I decorated the body using the same star tip, and lined the bottom with jelly beans. I used a small jelly bean for the nose this year (last year I piped it), and this year I piped the blue eyes (last year I used mini M&Ms). But the biggest difference is that this year, I gave him a tail.

a tail of two lamb cakes.

For the tail, I used this stuff called, I kid you not, Fluffy Stuff. It was similar to cotton candy. It was perfect.

Anyway, for the second year in a row, the lamb cake was the belle of the Easter ball. The tradition has now officially been revived. Thank ewe.

Choco Peeps.

A few years back, probably about 5 years ago, I decided that I was going to bring chocolate covered Peeps to Easter dinner. In theory, it sounded fantastic – two of my all time favorite things combined into one yummy treat. Well, it didn’t go so well. The chocolate was cheap, didn’t melt smoothly and didn’t taste all that great, and not to mention, they no longer even looked Peep-shaped. If i had brought them to dinner with no explanation, everyone would have assumed they were just odd-shaped bumpy chocolates. Bah.

Anyway, one thing I learned in pastry school was how to work with chocolate. I’m by no means a master chocolatier at this point, however, I once again attempted chocolate covered Peeps, and this time with great success! I sprinkled them with some shimmery sugar crystals, to give them that extra glow.

sparkly choco peeps.

They’ve retained their peep-like shape, and if one were to be presented with a box of these, I do believe they would be easily identifiable. The bad news is that because I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out, I only made a few. The Choco Peep is an endangered species; eat them wisely.

On a side note, I had extra chocolate that I didn’t want to just throw away, so I covered two chocolate chip cookies with it. Now that’s what I call conservation.

why didn’t i think of this years ago??

on the lamb.

I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but my aunt was an amazing baker. She’s older now, and getting rid of many of her good ol’ baking tools, and being that I’m also into baking, she’s offering the majority of them to me, and I am giddily accepting each and every one, including a brand new mixer.

the good stuff.

While this is a wonderful thing, at the same time, it causes me to come to two somewhat sad realizations:

1. they just don’t make bakeware like they used to

2. people love stuff and we can’t take it with us, no matter how good it makes us feel to have it while we’re here.

So number #2 being the more esoteric of the two, let’s focus on #1, and even more specifically, the “lamb pan.”

nothing screams "cute" like a metal lamb.

The lamb pan weighs more than all the other pans combined. It’s stainless steel, I believe, and thus is prone to rust (however no one on the planet takes better care of their things than my aunt – she gave me white gloves that were like 30 years old, still in the original plastic sleeve and still spotlessly white). So needless to say, this lamb pan is rust-free. Out of all the pans in the lot, the lamb was the one that struck me the most. I HAD to bake the lamb. I had to prove to myself that I could do it, and make my aunt proud.

So, I bring you “Jeanine vs. The Lamb: An Easter Miracle.”

not baaaaad! get it?

I used a dense carrot cake for the innards, and some authentic buttercream for the coat. I’ll admit, I had a little trouble with the head, but it was nothing a little extra icing couldn’t glue together. I even somehow transported it, intact, to Easter dinner at my parent’s house (28 minutes away on some bumpy roads). Sadly, my aunt did not get to see it live. But I did show her a picture, and she grinned, rather sheepishly (that’s two!).