
I’m in the process of revising this recipe. And I’ll be removing the recipe below until further notice. If you have used it in the past or still have access via wayback machine, please be advised that this recipe was devised for a cast-iron cake mold and not the modern aluminium versions.
A few years ago, I stopped in front of the picture window of a Polish bakery. For several minutes, I stood staring at the most amazing little yellow lamb cakes dusted in powdered sugar. Strange, I didn’t go inside and buy one. I suppose, I’d probably already squared away our Easter dessert. But, those lambs remained with me.
On a regular basis, I found myself looking at “vintage cast aluminum lamb molds” on ebay. Only, they were crazy expensive [in the $100 range, plus shipping and customs]. Now, if I’d known you could simply buy a lighter-weight Nordicware or Wilton version, I probably would have gone for it. But, I didn’t know these existed. Finally, a few weeks ago, I founding a seller on ebay clearing out their supply of vintage cast aluminum lamby pans for $25 each. And, I hit “buy it now.”
Once the lamb pan came, I had to find a recipe. Apparently, the general rule for the molded lamb cake is to make something in the “pound cake” family. However, The more “pound cake” test lambs I made, the more I realized that those cakes were missing both moisture and, flavour. The best recipe I tried, by far, likely because of its inclusion of buttermilk, was the Nordicware Chocolate Lamb Cake. So, if you’re looking for a starting point, start there! But, be warned, I had to cut the temperature to 350 and the cook time down to 40-45 minutes to get any moisture in my lambkin. And, I still felt the need to poke the lamb full of holes (talk about savagery!) and soak it with vanilla simple syrup before I deemed it palatable.
Strange thing, most of the “notes” on the recipes that came with the original tins as well as those for the lighter weight aluminum pans said that a “box mix” would work just as well. If that’s the case, I thought, why not just use my favourite chocolate cake recipe? So, I started tweaking my go-to chocolate cake to get it to work in my lamb mold. Et voila! A winner! Sure, you have to be a bit more gentle with your lamb than you would if he were a pound cake. But, with a bit of care, you’ll have a chocolate lamb that everyone will actually WANT TO EAT! Also, due to proportion, the recipe leaves you with enough batter to make 5 or 6 additional cupcakes! Yippee!
Below, you’ll find my Moist and Delicious Chocolate Lamb Cake recipe. A few things I learned along the way? Be sure to spend time greasing and flouring your pans. Be sure to place wooden coffee stirrers or toothpicks into the head before baking. And, tie the top and bottom of the mold together with kitchen twine. Also, freezing the cake after it’s fully cooled, just for a half an hour, helps you feel more confident about keeping your moist lamb in tact as you ice it.

I’m in the process of revising this recipe. And I’ll be removing the recipe below until further notice. If you have used it in the past or still have access via wayback machine, please be advised that this recipe was devised for a cast-iron cake mold and not the modern aluminium versions.
ENJOY! And, Happy Easter!
I don’t like coffee would you just add water instead or increase your buttermilk?
Hi Emily! Sorry to take so long getting back to you! I was finishing a big project! I think you could safely use either water or buttermilk. I might use plain milk to have a few less milk solids in the mix, or hot chocolate:) or water.
Oh dear, Louise, that’s awful. As a home cook and not a professional, I’ve only tested this recipe in my specific pan. Though I’ve made it several times without fail. It sounds as if your cake didn’t rise! Potential troubleshooting: First, I’d wonder about the leavening agents… Look to see if your leavening agents are up to date and not expired (sometimes you just get a bad batch of baking powder or even soda!). Second, check the join on your lamb mold? Are you sure that the backside fits snugly into the front side? If you are using a thinner aluminum pan, I wonder if a more traditional pound cake recipe or just your favourite regular circular cake recipe would work better?
If you baked it face down per the instructions, I hope at least you got the face! You could then serve your half-cake flat on the plate with the face facing up!