Easter Lamb Cake Antoinette Pope

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cup sifted cake flour (or 2 1/4 cups all purpose)

2 1/4 teaspoon double acting baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring

Have ingredients at room temperature at least 1 hour during cold weather.

With electric mixer cream butter well. Add sugar a small amount at a time, and beat several minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time and beat each about 1 minute. Add flour sifted with baking powder several times alternately with milk combined with vanilla, and beat after each addition only until batter is smooth. Grease each side of lamb mold with generous  shortening, and sprinkle with all purpose flour to coat everything. Shake out loosed flour. Pour batter into the half containing the lambs face. Insert a heavy toothpick in the nose for reinforcement, and a toothpick in each ear. Press toothpick down partly into batter. Cover with other half of mold, being sure the edges lock. Place mold on a small old baking sheet and bake at 375 F. for approximately 45-50 minutes. Use a thermometer to check for doneness around 200 F. Remove from oven: let cool about 15 minutes before removing upper part. Let cake in lower part of mold cool further about 30 minutes: Then gently turn it out onto a cake rack. Le it become cold before icing. At this point you could freeze it without icing. Serves 8  I iced it with American buttercream Wilton recipe.

Wilton Buttercream

INGREDIENTS

 

• ½ Cup Solid Vegetable Shortening (can be substituted for an additional 1/2 cup unsalted butter)
• ½ Cup Unsalted Butter (1 stick softened)
• 4 Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar (confectioners' sugar)
• 2 Tablespoons Milk, Heavy Cream or Water
• 1 Teaspoon clear vanilla extract(Pure or Imitation)
• Pinch of Salt 
• You can play around with the ratio of shortening to butter.