The Elusive Easter Lamb

Oh mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy, and people eat...little lambs.

Sorry Baa Baa, that's just the way it is. Easter is especially wrought with dangers for you little lambs. One minute you're springing through a lush meadow and the next you're broiling away under a bed of rosemary and garlic.

Ohh no Baa Baa, don't bleat! I'm not planning on skinning the black wool of you anytime soon. It's those darn Easter lambs I've got it out for...





The Easter Lamb: A rare breed of pound cake and powdered sugar. Native to Germany, the Easter Lamb is in danger of extinction. Easter Sunday is the most perilous day in the short life of this species. On this occasion it is brought to church by village elders to be blessed in pompous ceremony only to be consumed shortly thereafter by a ravenous pack of local family out for the taste of sweet.

This Easter I would mount my own expedition in search of this sweet and fragrant creature, leading lead me through forgotten corners of my godmother's farm house and eventually ending in blood shed.

We begin our search in the German countryside. More specifically behind the weather beaten boards of a barn annexed to the tilted walls an old farm house. Turquoise shutters creak in the wind, a fire blazes in the kitchen, while we rummage through a knee deep stacks of the past.

The artifact is eventually found in a crannied nook behind the larder. Four pieces of old tin- the key to an Easter Lamb.

The cake mold- in the shape of a lamb- had been put to rest by a great grandmother, and now I was going to resurrect the tradition with the help of a little flour an eggs.

On March 27th at 4:30 pm the crooked farm house set within the green Allgäu countryside once again housed its very own Easter Lamb Cake to be blessed by the local priest.

On March 28th at 4:30 am I was still snuggled into a deep conversation with my pillow while my godmother carried lambsy to his final rite.

Though I sadly was unable to participate in the ceremonial pomp of the lamb blessing (warm bed vs. wooden pew), I found myself full of vigor come feast time. However, so were others, and I had to politely explain to my overzealous table partner that the flavor of fork in your hand would be the rather unfortunate aftertaste to the last piece of Easter Lamb Cake she was eying.

Luckily all diners left the table without any puncture wounds. The same cannot be said for the Easter Lamb.






Recipe for Easter Lamb Cake (Almond Lemon Pound Cake):

It might be a little difficult to find a mold to make a real Easter Cake Lamb, but if you do, it's important that the dough is fluid enough to reach every last fold in the tin. That being said it also needs to be firm enough to stand upright, so I made the dough with an extra egg to make it more pliable while later firm. The eggs also make this cake deliciously moist- reason enough not to save this cake only for Easter. It can also be baked in a loaf pan, and would be a great afternoon coffee cake with a layer of Streusel on top.

1 Easter Lamb Cake Mold150g of soft unsalted butter100g of sugar3 eggs150g of flour1/2 tsp baking powder50g of ground almonds/almond mealzest of one lemonjuice of 1/2 a lemona packet of vanilla sugar or 1 tsp of vanilla extractpinch of salt4 tbs of milkDeco
For Easter Lamb: slivered almonds, honey, and powdered sugar.For Almond Lemon Coffee Cake: Streusel dough.
Preheat oven to 190 Celsius or 400 Fahrenheit.
Mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add egg, vanilla, lemon zest, and juice.In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, almonds, and salt. Slowly add this to the butter mixture making sure it is all well blended. Lastly add milk bit by bit in case the dough is to thick.With an Easter Lamb mold: Butter and flour the mold. Spoon the batter into the mold, starting with the head, making sure to push the dough deep into the mold to be sure to fill it out. Place on the middle rack and bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown on top and an inserted knitting needle comes out clean.Let lamb cool before taking it out of the mold. In the meantime heat up some honey on the stove until fluid. Once the lamb is taken out of the mold, brush the honey around the base of the lamb and cover with slivered almonds (to represent hay). Dust the lamb with powdered sugar before serving.With normal cake pan: Pour batter into buttered and floured pan. If you made the Streusel, crumble these on top of the dough before placing the cake in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown. Serve with a dusting of Powdered sugar.