German Easter lamb cake recipe – Easy, no-fail

If you're looking for a no-fail lamb cake that's easy to remove from the mold, stands up well on the plate, and is deliciously moist, look no further! This authentic, German Easter lamb cake recipe is so easy to follow, even beginner bakers will be impressed with the results!

Lamb cake tradition

As Easter is right around the corner, I thought I'd share a delicious cake for your Easter table. The Easter lamb cake recipe is one of our favorites. There are a few different ways to make this cake, but this traditional German Easter lamb cake recipe is the best I've found. Not only is this lamb cake quick and easy to make but it can also be made up to three days in advance. That means less time spent in the kitchen on Easter Day! This cake is dense, not overly sweet, and will be the perfect addition to your Easter teatime table.

I'm sharing some of my no-fail baking tips below so that your lamb cake is a success, and if you're worried that your cake decorating skills are not up to it, don't be – you don't need any!

Table of contents

• Lamb cake tradition
• Where to buy an Easter lamb cake mold
• Can I use a pound cake recipe?
• What does a lamb cake symbolize?
• Easter lamb cake - ingredients
• Tools needed
• Shop supplies
• Easter lamb cake decorations
• Instructions -Easter Lamb cake batter
• Instructions for preparing the Easter lamb cake mold
• Instructions for filling the Easter lamb cake mold
• How to bake an Easter lamb cake
• How to remove an Easter lamb cake from a mold
• How to decorate an Easter lamb cake
• German Easter lamb cake is finished!
• How long does an Easter lamb cake last?
• Conclusion
• These posts are good too!
• 📖 Recipe

Where to buy an Easter lamb cake mold

I bought my lamb cake mold from a German baking website. I also bought an Easter bunny cake mold which is very cute, and I'll be trying that out over Easter too. Both molds have a non-stick coating on them for extra protection.

You can find identical lamb and rabbit cake molds here or lamb cake molds from Nordic Ware here.

Can I use a pound cake recipe?

I've seen this cake made with a chocolate pound cake recipe or similar pound cake recipes but as this is a German Easter lamb cake recipe, I'm going to show you the original recipe with a white cake mix today.

What does a lamb cake symbolize?

Traditionally eaten at Easter time, this cake in the shape of a lamb is said to have originated in Germany and symbolizes Jesus Christ as the sacrificial lamb of God. A classic German lamb cake has a red ribbon tied around the lamb's neck which symbolizes the blood of Christ on the cross.

Easter lamb cake - ingredients

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• 1 Cup/110g Confectioners sugar (icing sugar), plus extra for dusting
• 110g/one stick Butter softened
• 1 Cup/110g Flour
• 2 ½ Oz/70g ground Almonds or hazelnuts
• 2 Eggs at room temperature
• 3 Tbsp/40ml milk
• Fine dried breadcrumbs (For the mold)
• 1 level teaspoon Baking powder
• Pack Vanilla Sugar (0.30oz/8g)
• A pinch of salt

Tools needed

• Easter lamb cake mold
  • Lamb Cake mold with sticking out ears
  • Lamb Cake mold with flat ears (mine)
• Cookie sheet
• Electric mixer
• Large bowl (This is mine)
• Medium-sized bowl

Shop supplies

Easter lamb cake decorations

• Mini Easter eggs (I used these ones)
• Natural straw or hay
• Cake stand

Instructions -Easter Lamb cake batter

Step 1 - Beat egg whites

Separate the eggs. Add half of the sugar to the egg whites. Using an electric mixer, mix on a high speed until the egg whites are stiff enough to form soft peaks. You can use an electric hand or stand mixer to mix the batter.

Step 2 - Combine wet and dry ingredients

Add the remaining sugar to a large mixing bowl with the egg yolks, butter, salt, and vanilla sugar. Beat the mixture at a medium speed until it is smooth and has turned a pale yellow color.

Step 3 - Add flour

Sieve the flour and baking powder together over the egg/butter mixture.

Step 4 - Add nuts

Now add your ground almonds and milk to the flour mixture and mix gently either by hand or with the electric mixer on a low speed. The important thing is not to over mix the cake batter.

Step 5 - Combine both cake mixtures

Fold the beaten egg whites into the cake mixture until all the ingredients are well combined.

Instructions for preparing the Easter lamb cake mold

Step 1- Wash the mold

If your Easter lamb cake mold is new, you will need to wash it in warm soapy water before use.

Step 2 - Grease the tins

Undo the small clamps holding the sides of the lamb cake mold together and lay the cake molds side by side.

Grease the insides of each side of the cake mold with butter. Make sure you get into all the nooks and crannies with the butter.

Greasing is an important step and if it's done right will avoid your cake from sticking to the cake mold after baking.

If you have an Easter lamb cake mold with sticking-out ears, pay particular attention to greasing that area since the ears are more apt to burn.

TIP: Some people say that you should use solid vegetable shortening to grease an Easter lamb cake mold although, with the molds that I use, I have never found it necessary. If you use vintage or heavy cast iron Easter lamb cake molds that are prone to sticking, you may need to use shortening.

Step 3 - Dust with breadcrumbs

Shake fine dried breadcrumbs over both sides of the lamb cake mold making sure that the molds are fully coated. Pay particular attention to the lamb's head which is usually the part that tends to stick most. Shake the cake molds back and forth to spread the breadcrumbs evenly then, shake the excess breadcrumbs onto baking paper.

Step 4 - Re-assemble mold

Put the sides of the Easter lamb cake mold back together and re-attach the clamps to the sides. Gently tap the lamb mold onto your work surface a few times to disperse any air bubbles that may cause holes in your cake during baking.

TIP: To avoid the cake mixture seeping through the cake mold, always double-check that the clamps are securely fixed around the edges of the pan. The first time I used this Easter lamb cake recipe, I missed that one of the clamps wasn't properly secure, and guess what happened to my cake batter? It ran straight through the side of the mold! To be on the safe side, I tie some kitchen string around the bottom half of the mold to make sure it stays tight during baking.

Instructions for filling the Easter lamb cake mold

Once you've checked and double-checked that the clamps are holding the lamb cake mold together securely, you can start to fill it with batter.

Using a spoon or spatula, fill the cake mold until it is slightly over half full then smooth out the batter with the back of a spoon. If you have extra batter leftover, you can use it to make a few cupcakes.

TIP: Don't be tempted to fill the lamb cake mold to the top because the cake may rise too far and spread over the top of the mold. To avoid overspill, you could tie some parchment paper around the top of the mold but I've never needed it.

How to bake an Easter lamb cake

Step 1 - Heat oven

Preheat the oven to 356F/180 degrees (top and bottom heat – no fan/air circulation).

Step 2 - Insert cake into the oven

Stand the cake mold on a rack in the center of the preheated oven. Make sure that the opening is facing upwards. Bake the lamb cake for 35 to 45 minutes.

TIP: After around 35 minutes, test the cake to see if it's cooked. Slide a knife halfway into the cake and pull it out again. If the knife comes out clean (without any sticky mixture), the cake is done and can be removed from the oven.

How to remove an Easter lamb cake from a mold

Step 1 - wrap with a damp tea towel

Here's a pro tip for loosening the cake from the mold. Wrap the Easter lamb cake mold in a damp tea towel then, lay it on a cooling rack for around ten minutes.

Step 2 - turn out the lamb cake

After ten minutes, remove the tea towel and clamps from the mold and gently turn the cake onto a wire rack. Stand the lamb cake upright on the wire rack to avoid the pattern of the cooling rack transferring to the cake. Let the cake cool down completely.

Step 3 - straighten

Once the cake has cooled, slice a piece off the bottom of the cake to make it straight. Your Easter lamb cake will stand solidly on the plate or cake stand.

How to decorate an Easter lamb cake

Lemon or buttercream frosting

There are lots of different ways to decorate an Easter lamb cake. Some people drizzle over a thin layer of lemon icing or use a pastry brush to brush the white frosting onto the cake. Others add lemon zest to the cake mix to give it a bit of a kick.

In the United States, it's common to cream butter and cream cheese together to make a buttercream frosting and use a piping bag to make swirls representing lambswool.

You could decorate the cake with jelly beans, cut in half to create a nose and eyes for the lamb's face.

Dusting with icing sugar

A traditional German Easter lamb cake is usually placed on a serving platter and simply decorated with a dusting of confectioner's sugar.

You might find it easier to stand the cake on a cookie sheet while shaking the confectioner's sugar over the top.

If you want to keep with tradition, attach a red ribbon around the neck of the lamb cake.

Decorating the base of the lamb cake

We usually surround our cake with straw and sprinkle a few mini chocolate eggs around it for decoration.

Another option would be to make some coconut grass by coloring shredded coconut with green food coloring and sprinkling that around the lamb cake.

German Easter lamb cake is finished!

Now, all you need is a sharp knife and a cake tester! Everyone in our house loves this German Easter lamb cake recipe so much that this one almost didn't make it to the final photoshoot!

How long does an Easter lamb cake last?

An Easter lamb cake can be baked up to three days before Easter Sunday. To keep this dense cake fresh, wrap the cooled and undecorated cake in foil and keep it in an air-tight container until needed. Decorate the lamb cake on the day that you'll be eating it.

Conclusion

If you've never tried a German Easter lamb cake recipe, now is the perfect time. If you follow my baking instructions you will end up with the perfect lamb cake centerpiece for your Easter table. Who knows, you may end up starting a new Easter tradition!

If you do decide to make your own Easter lamb cake, I'd love it if you could post a photo of it on one of my social media channels. Use #chalkingupsuccessblog on Instagram or tag Chalking Up Success on Facebook to share your lamb cake with me.

Even better, post a picture in the free Chalking Up Success Facebook group. Here's my Facebook group: Organize, Decorate, Create.

Happy Easter time to you!

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