Easy Spring Lamb Cake
You may or may not be familiar with the yearly tradition of an Easter lamb cake. Each year, as the spring holiday approaches, people share lamb cakes ranging from charming and adorable to something closer to a failure. Our version makes it easy by starting with a box of Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Cake Mix. Decorating your lamb cake can be as simple as a wool coat made from coconut pressed into the frosting, or as detailed as piped swirls and stars of frosting. Keep the face minimal and bare, or add eyes and a nose with icing, candy, or sprinkles. Have fun and make it your own!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need for this Easy Spring Lamb Cake.
3D Lamb Cake Pan: While not exactly an ingredient, a lamb cake pan is necessary for this cake. Look for a pan that is between 10 and 12 inches wide, and where each half of the pan can hold about 3 cups of batter. Be sure to thoroughly grease all the nooks and crannies in the pan so the cake will come out of the pan easily.
Cake Mix: Using Betty Crocker cake mix ensures your cake comes together quickly and easily, so you can spend your time and energy decorating this adorable cake.
Frosting & Decorations: Make a scratch buttercream frosting or use Betty Crocker’s Rich & Creamy Frosting. Make this cake uniquely yours with a variety of candies, sprinkles, decorator icings, fruit, or even edible flowers!
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Milk, eggs, butter, and baking spray with flour.
How to Make Easy Spring Lamb Cake
Follow these tips to make the cutest Easy Spring Lamb Cake. See the recipe for all the details and instructions.
1. Prepare the Lamb Cake Pan
Spray both pieces of the lamb pan generously with baking spray with flour, or grease well with shortening, then dust with flour. The two pieces of the lamb cake pan are the front and back of the lamb. The front piece (with the facial features) is the bottom pan, while the back piece is the top pan (this pan may have a vent hole).
2. Make and Bake the Cake
Prepare the batter and pour it into the bottom cake pan, filling it almost to the top with about 3 cups of batter. Then place the top pan over the bottom pan and bake. Once baked, cool completely on a cooling rack and refrigerate before decorating. Chilling the cake makes it sturdier and easier to secure to the serving plate and decorate as you please.
3. Decorate
Use a variety of frosting, icing, candy, sprinkles, coconut, fruit, or flowers to decorate and get creative!
How to Store Easy Spring Lamb Cake
Follow these tips for storing this Easy Spring Lamb Cake.
Refrigerator
You can make the cake a day or two ahead. Keep the decorated and uncut cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Wrap leftover cake slices in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freezer
Freeze the leftover cake, whether whole or in slices, until the frosting is firm. Then wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.
Thawing
Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving for the best texture. Do not microwave as the frosting will melt and possibly burn.
Easy Spring Lamb Cake
- Prep Time 30 min
- Total 3 hr 0 min
- Servings 12
- Ingredients 14
Ingredients
Lamb Cake
- 3D lamb cake pan (3-cup capacity, about 11x7x1 1/2 inches)
- 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ White Cake Mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
- Pinch of kosher salt
Decorations, if desired
- Sweetened shredded coconut
- Assorted Betty Crocker™ Decorating Icing
- Assorted sprinkles
- Ribbon
Instructions
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Step1
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease both halves of the lamb cake pan with baking spray with flour. Place the bottom half of the pan (the half with the facial details) on a baking sheet.
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Step2
In a large bowl, whisk the cake mix, milk, melted butter, and eggs until smooth. Pour about 3 cups of the batter into the bottom half of the pan until almost full but not overflowing. (See Tips for suggestions on how to use leftover batter.) Place the remaining half of the pan (with the vent hole) on top of the bottom pan and secure, making sure the halves align.
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Step3
Place the baking sheet and cake pan on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 38 to 40 minutes. (Some of the batter may leak out the sides or vent hole, but that is okay.) Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the top half of the cake pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Remove cake from the bottom half of the cake pan. (The cake may break if you try to turn it out while still warm.)
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Step4
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. (Refrigerating the cake will create a more stable surface to frost and decorate.)
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Step5
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and softened butter with an electric mixer on low speed until blended. Increase speed to high and beat for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, milk, and salt for 30 to 60 seconds or until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
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Step6
Trim the bottom of the cake if necessary so the lamb cake can stand up. Spread or pipe an even layer of frosting across the bottom of the cake and place it on a serving platter. (The frosting will help the cake stay in place on the platter.) Pipe a line of frosting around the bottom edge of the cake to help secure the cake to the serving platter.
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Step7
Spread a layer of frosting over the cake. Press coconut into the frosting for the lamb’s wool or create wool out of frosting by forming stars, ruffles, and rosettes using a piping bag and a variety of decorating tips.
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Step8
Decorate as desired using assorted decorating icings, sprinkles, and ribbon.
