Easter Lamb Cake

Pour prepared batter in bottom half of mold (approximately. 3 cups) Place top of mold over bottom half, interlocking seams. (Top half has vent holes to permit steam to escape.)

Place mold on cookie sheet and bake 375°F. for: 45-55 minutes, or until cake tests done: (Test with toothpick through vent hole.)

Remove mold from oven. Cool 5 minutes.

Turn mold before standing in upright position, Trim bottom of cake if surface is not flat.

Place a dab of icing on plate and stand mold in upright position.

Frost with fluffy icing and decorate with: jelly beans, raisins, cherries, or chocolate chips for eyes and nose. ( Best results cool cake in refrigerator or freezer before fasting, this makes a firmer surface for Icing.)

To enhance these delightful cake molds, place green tinted coconut around base of lamb or bunny; add jelly beans and a colorful bow at the neck.

Grease the inside of the lamb cake mold using a pastry brush and solid vegetable shortening (do not use butter, margarine or liquid vegetable oil).

Sprinkle flour inside the pan and shake, then turn the pan upside down and tap lightly to remove excess flour. Touch up with more shortening and flour until completely greased and floured.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil. Beat at a medium speed with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.

Pour 6 full cups of batter into the front half of the pan (the side without the small vent hole). The batter should come right to the rim of the pan.

Snap the back half of the pan in place and tie tightly together in two places with bakers’ twine.

Bake at 350℉ for 50-60 minutes. You can check to see if it’s done by sticking a toothpick through the vent hole.

Remove from the oven and let your lamb cake cool in the pan on a cooling grid for 5 minutes. Remove the top half of the pan and cool for an additional 5 minutes. Replace the top pan, turn the cake over and remove the bottom pan.

Let the cake rest in the front half of pan, lying down, until completely cooled (at least 4 hours).

Remove the cake from the lamb cake mold by placing one hand gently on the cake surface and setting the cake and pan upright on a serving platter. Carefully slip the pan top away from the cake.

In an electric mixer, beat softened butter on low for 1 minute. Then add sugar, and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 4-6 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed.

Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Add eggs, one at a time, letting each egg completely incorporate into sugar mixture before adding the next egg. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Add vanilla, and let incorporate.

Add milk, and let incorporate.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

Turn off mixer. Add half of the flour mixture. Turn mixer on low, then gradually increase speed to medium-low. Mix until first half of flour mixture is almost completely incorporated, scraping down as needed. Then add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until the flour mixture is just mixed into the batter. Batter will be thick.

Heavily grease the inside of both halves of the lamb cake mold with Crisco.

Pour the cake batter into the front half of the lamb cake mold. Using a spatula, spread the batter out to fill every corner. Fill the mold level, do not over fill.

Place the back half of the lamb cake mold on top. Place the mold on a lipped baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, until the back half of the mold lifts off easily, the cake is golden brown, and a toothpick in the center of the cake tests clean.

Take back half of mold off the cake. Let cool, inside the front half of the mold, on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes.

After cooling for 15-20 minutes, turn the cake out of the front half of the mold onto the wire rack. To avoid wire impressions in the cake, let cool standing up.

Cool completely before icing.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 3D Lamb Cake pan by greasing generously with vegetable shortening. Then add some flour and swirl around until it covers everywhere. Pour out excess. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs, beating until light and fluffy. Stir together dry ingredients in a medium bowl and add to creamed mixture, alternately with buttermilk while beating on low speed with electric mixer. Once combined, beat on medium low for 2 minutes.

Pour all but ½ cup of batter in prepared pan. Discard extra batter or make a cupcake. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let cool. Carefully remove pans and place cake on serving plate.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick.

Frost lamb cake. Add two small blue jelly beans for eyes and one small pink jelly bean (cut in half) for nose. Cover the body with coconut flakes.

To make grass, place shredded coconut in a large bowl. Add green food coloring and mix until combined. Place the green coconut around the base of the cake. Then add more jelly beans, if desired.