The way I see it, we need a little spring. As they say, reality is something you rise above, so let’s do that today! Let’s rise above! Get a cup of tea Girlfriends, turn on the MUSICA, put your face close to the screen so even your peripheral vision is enveloped in bloom and enjoy your. . .
It’s spring fever. You don’t quite know what it is you want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so bad. ♥ The Adorable Mark Twain who knew.
Can you smell the fresh ocean air up from the harbor, still cold, filled with flowery scents of spring? Whoosh! The wind blows through the petals. Wrap your sweater a little tighter. Mmmm, we are so lucky. Don’t you just love the internet?!
We can see last year’s weeping cherry trees in full bloom even on a snowy day . . . makes you want it so bad, your heart just aches for it. It’s coming Girlfriends. The waiting is what makes it so wonderful. ♥
Right now we are still having our most delicious dinners of deep dark and delicious homemade Chicken Soup — but today we are looking for COLOR and so it’s time out for . . .
We love to do the chicken dance — here’s my recipe for Carrot Cupcakes which I think you will want to save. SO good, filled with fruit and nuts, lots of shreded carrots, pineapple and coconut. Cream Cheese frosting. The recipe will also make a three-layer cake ~ with so much batter you will have extra cupcakes, enough for your spring-starved girlfriends, chicken hearts and wolfmen too.
We just got in a new batch of these festive easy-to-make kits for darling dancing chicken cupcake toppers in case you’d like one.
And we still have the Cupcake Garlands that Janie made for us. It’s these happy colors I love to see. But you know, I’m on a lamb kick right now.
They are just so darn cute. They baaaa “Spring.”
And here’s my newest concoction. We found perfect old-fashioned Lamb Cake Molds for our web store . . . I made the cake using my Grandma’s homemade Lemon Daisy Cake recipe because it makes a firm cake, almost a pound cake but not quite, a cake that isn’t too crumbly and holds together. But a box cake and frosting will work too and I’m not against anything that makes a lovely smell come from the oven (there’s one boxed white cake I’ve used that has confetti colors in it that I think might be perfect for lamb cake) ~ the directions that come with the pan tell you to make it using less liquid. ~ in case you feel a need for speed. I’ll show you how to make the Lemon Daisy Cake, and I’ll put the full recipe at the end of this post so you can print it out.
So here we go. First tip: Successful unmolding of your cake is paramount. The way to do that (for any molded cake) is this: Melt a couple tablespoons of Crisco and brush it into ever nook and cranny of your mold. The mold should be cool when you do it so the oil will stick.
Also, take the time to flour your pans. Just shake flour over the oil until it sticks everywhere and shake out any extra. Notice we have kitchen twine, toothpicks and wooden skewers? You will need these … as you’ll see later. Put your prepared pan on a cookie sheet with the lamb face down. Preheat your oven to 375º ~ feel your kitchen getting warm and cozier by the minute. Pop an old movie into the player . . . I watched/listened to Gosford Park while I cooked — here’s the MUSICA from it …
This recipe and lamb cake is really so easy! All ingredients should be at room temperature. Two sticks of butter and two cups of sugar go into a large mixing bowl.
Put four roughly measured cups of flour into your sifter and sift three times . . . then measure out 3 cups. You want to measure after sifting. Any extra flour goes back into your container. Put the sifted flour back into the sifter, add one TBSP baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt and sift again two more times. Use my waxed paper method for sifting unless you have a method you like better.
Allow all petty pets to watch your every move.
Now cream the softened butter and sugar together with an electric mixer . . .
. . . until light colored and fluffy
Then, one at a time, add the yolks of four eggs (save the whites in another bowl), beating well after each.
Once the eggs are incorporated, sift in dry ingredients by thirds alternating with buttermilk ~ little bit of flour, a little bit of milk, repeat~ beat until smooth after each third.
I like the old-fashioned tangy flavor the buttermilk gives this cake, but if you are at home and all you have is regular milk, that will do just fine.
Stir in the grated rind of two lemons . . . so easy to do with the wonderful Microplane Graters (← let me demonstrate!) . . . Miracle things no kitchen should be without. Like little razor blades for fast easy no-more-knuckle-in-the-food cooking.
Beat your reserved egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the cake, and voila, Daisy Cake batter is done.
Fill the face side of your mold (you’ll be able to tell which side to fill because the other side has a tiny steam-hole in it). Big tip #2: Head-falling-off can occur, it’s a possibility you will want to avoid from the get go. Because if it does, you’ll try to glue it back on with frosting. Which puts a wide messy crumbly lump around the lamb’s neck. While you’re busy sticking the head back on, the ears fall off. It’s terrible. I’ve made that mistake, but no more. Now I am stick woman. Toothpicks for the ears and wooden skewers for the neck.
Then I tie the mold together with kitchen string, just in case. If, for some reason the batter tries escape out the sides, I’m ready. We want a perfectly molded little lamb here, on the first try. Pop the cake in the oven an let it fill your toasty kitchen with fragrance of lemon-baking heaven.
Set your timer for 55 minutes and take a look outside and see what’s going on.
There’s bound to be something.
After the cake comes out and is cooling, you can pull out your Summer Book and find my recipe for Old-Fashioned Boiled Frosting on p. 109. But just in case you don’t have that book, here’s the recipe . . .
This is another easy recipe that’s like science magic. You need a candy thermometer like you see here. I have it hooked on the side of a small heavy-bottomed pan that already has a third-cup of water in it . . . I’m adding a cup of sugar.
Then 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt gets stirred in ~ put the pan over high heat and boil without stirring until mixture reaches 240°.
While that’s going on, beat two egg whites until stiff.
When the sugar liquid is hot enough, pour it in a thin stream into your egg whites beating all the while, and watch it get thick, white and fluffy . . .
Just like this! Look at that! You are a genius!
When the buzzer goes off, Ta-Daaa your lamb cake is done. Pull it out of the oven, and now is where your patience must never come to an end. You have to wait until he is totally cool before you set him up to frost. You can cut the string, take off the top part of the mold, let him sit like that a while. Put the mold piece back on, turn it over, and do the same thing. Until he is completely cool.
Meanwhile you’ll have made your frosting . . . swipe the middle of your cake platter with a wide swath of frosting so the lamb has something to anchor him in standing position.
This is what we’ve waited for. He’s up! He came right out of the pan with no help. Look at him! He’s perfect. I didn’t have to do a thing but turn the pan into my hand and set him into the frosting smear. But then, how to frost him was my next question. I wanted to see if I could come up with something a little bit different than the way I usually did it (with raisin nose and chocolate chip eyes), make him more real. I needed inspiration and I knew just where to get it.
I pulled out the little book we bought in a bookstore in Ambleside in England filled with lamb pictures, all the different breeds.
I thumbed through it and chose this guy. That’s what I wanted my lamb to look like. Within reason.
So I started applying the frosting. I couldn’t hold the camera and frost at the same time, but there is no real trick in the frosting ~ it all goes pretty easily. For the corners like under his chin or around the ears, just put a good lump of frosting on the very end of your spatula or wide knife and plunk it right where you want it, spreading from there. You can wipe off the plate with a damp paper towel when you are finished.
Hello just-born lamb. Of course Lemon cake and coconut go together perfectly, and lambs need wool, so here is. If you press the coconut in a little bit, it keeps him from looking too hairy.
Just as sweet from the back. In the past I’ve decorated the plate with green-tinted coconut (like Easter grass) and jelly beans, and egg-shaped frosted cookies . . . but I was taking this cake to friends for dinner and it isn’t Easter quite yet, so I decided to leave it plain and my version of homemade-elegant.
So darling, always the cutest thing on the table at any party. (Just pulled out my lamb vase too — almost time to fill him with forsythia cuttings! I collected a few more lamb vases when I could find them on our cross-country trip in case you “need” one too . . .)
I wrapped him up, lamb cake-to-go-go. So that’s about it. I hope you enjoyed our springtime retreat and are all inspired to make a lamb cake of your own. And if so, you might need a lamb pan, and that is what I can help with.
Because I washed my lamb cake mold, dried it and tied it with a ribbon, and here it is, all freshly imbued with successful lamb-cake baking DNA ~ and I hope you will leave me a comment at the bottom of this post, because if you do, you will be entered in my drawing, and he can be your very own. In the next few days, our darling girl Vanna will pull one of your names out of her Easter Bonnet (the one with all the frills), and one of you will be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade. Or, at least you will have a new, slightly used, lamb cake mold. ♥
Now one other thing I wanted to ask you. Do you have this book? Because if you do, you will know how inspiring it is. I found this one years ago in a used bookstore and have loved it ever since. It’s my go-to, never-gets-old classic; a small, 
inviting garden book, where every word is a pearl. Planning a garden takes a little time, and this book will help you get in the mood. You feel as you should when you read it, as part of the earth, part of the ebb and flow of the seasons and the ancient practices of sowing and reaping from the precious green earth that God has given us. You can smell the warm dirt, taste the crisp, still-warm-from-the garden organic vegetables, hear the bees buzzing in the rosemary. That’s how you feel when you read this little book. ♥
The charm doesn’t end with the wonderful words of Mary Mason Campbell, it continues with darling drawings by Tasha Tudor. Kitchen Gardens was published in 1971 and describes the art of gardening as the simple and wonderful thing that it is.
And this book is for you too. I have two, and you get one. I signed it and when I find out the name of the winner, I will put their name in this lovely old book and off they will go, Lamb Cake pan and Kitchen Gardens, hopefully to make someone’s day. I have to say, you deserve to win after reading all this! It’s getting long — I’m so sorry!
And now, one last thing, just so you can see ~ this is where we were going for dinner the night I made the lamb cake . . . Isn’t it pure fairy tale? Our friends Arnie and Paula live here. When I see visions such as this, I think maybe winter’s not really that bad! Here’s your recipe:
LEMON DAISY LAMB CAKE
You will need melted Crisco and flour to prepare mold, plus two wooden skewers and two toothpicks for lamb.
- 2 sticks butter (1 c.), room temp.
- 2 c. sugar
- 3 c. sifted cake flour
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 4 eggs, separated, room temp.
- 1 c. buttermilk
- zest of two lemons
Grater, in case you need one . . .
Preheat oven to 375°. Paint the inside of your mold with melted Crisco, sprinkle with flour and shake out extra. Cream softened butter and sugar together with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Measure your dry ingredients: sift approx. 3 c. flour three times before measuring out three cups and putting them back into the sifter (any extra flour just goes back into your container) ~ add baking powder and salt to sifter with flour in it and sift two more times. Set aside.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, to butter-sugar mixture; beat well after each ~ put the egg whites in another bowl.
Sift in flour mixture by thirds, alternating with buttermilk, beating until smooth after each addition. Stir in lemon zest. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
Fill face part of lamb mold (the side that doesn’t have the hole in it) full and put it on a cookie sheet. Lay toothpicks in centers of lamb ears, put clipped wooden skewers or a popsicle stick in center of neck down to body for support. Press them down slightly into batter. Put on the top of the mold and tie it together with string. Put the cookie sheet with the lamb cake into preheated oven and bake 55 minutes. Remove from oven, cut string, allow lamb to cool 15 min; remove top, cool longer, turn it over, remove other side of mold, allow it to cool competely before frosting.
You will have extra batter — enough for one 8″ single layer cake, or several cupcakes. With my extra batter, I made a bunny cake… with a vintage bunny cake mold I found somewhere on my travels. Lambies and chickies and bunnies . . . oh my!
CLASSIC OLD-FASHIONED BOILED FROSTING
You will need a candy thermometer for this. Pour 1/3 c. water into a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, then stir in 1 c. sugar, 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Hook the thermometer on the side of the pan making sure the tip of it is in the mixture. Boil until the mixture reaches 240°. Meanwhile beat 2 egg whites until stiff. Pour the 240° syrup over the whites in a thin stream, beating constantly until thick and glossy. Lay a wide strip of frosting down the middle of an oval serving plate. Tip the lamb cake out of the pan into your hand and set it in the strip of frosting to anchor it. Frost the lamb; pat and sprinkle coconut onto sides. Press coconut in slightly to keep the lamb from looking too hairy. Voila, he is done, and you are amazing! Happy Spring Girlfriends! I think I have delighted you (in the immortal words of Jane Austen) long enough! ♥
This blog was great Susan! Like many others, I used to have the cast iron version of this pan, inherited from my Danish grandmother. I have moved so very many times……not sure when I may have cast it off. So excited that you found the updated version! So, of course, I ordered it today, along with another piece of spring: your watering can tote. Can’t wait to get them! Thanks for the recipes and clear explanations and photos of the process. It all helps. Your give away is most generous. The books is beautiful. I have a vintage Betty Crocker Cookbook for kids that I still use occasionally. It is kind of falling apart, but I still love it. I especially love the vintage art in it. Hi to all the girlfriends! Spring is coming!
Hi Susan,
A lamb cake…how delicious and sweet. A lovely addition to the Spring Tea I’m already planning!
What a lovely giveaway! The little lamb mold would be wonderful for Easter and I love love love Tasha Tudor! Thank you so much for this delightful opportunity…
Your blog could be as long as you want it to be… we will love it!
Sweet lamb and book, if only.
Hugs
You have such a generous spirit, Susan. Thank you so much for the wonderful surprise–a twofer. I have old copies of Victoria magazine that featured Tasha Tudor, one of my favorite artists and such an interesting person. She lived in a house with no modern conveniences.
I Just loved the lamb cake. The pictures of Spring were so heart warming. It gave me hope that all this snow will melt someday. Thank you for a wonderful website.
What a darling lamb cake. The pictures of Spring were so inspiring. Thank you for a wonderful website.
well, as usual, thank you. oh! thank you!!!!! mostly, for being you! this was a wonderful treat for my wind-swept heart! even tho we did reach 60 degrees here in va., the WIND is ferocious where I am, soooooo, didn’t want to whine, but did gratefully accept your message-of-cheer-and-warmth!!!!!!!!!!! nice. I am very much a “book-freak”…having just ordered 3 of your wonderful books since I had never gotten them when first published……and, we have a library / den in our new home, and hubby is custom-building a combination storage-center / bookcase in our little kitchen…and, you’ll be pleased to know…when he wanted to measure the shelving space on this bookcase…he brought your “vineyard seasons” fresh off my present cookbook-storage-shelf down to his workshop to make sure it would happily fit on his wonderful project!!!! wow!!!! you are surely having a smile in your heart, as I did, when that happened. it is a great compliment to you!!! well, I am much appreciative to be placed in your wonderful drawing for these goodies!!!!!!!!!!! where on earth would I find such generosity??? I applaud you soooo much for your spirit-of-sharing!!!! thank you. keeeeeep warm & cozy!!!!!!!!!!!! wish you were coming to our home for dinner…your presence would be a present!!!!!!!!!
I am definitely having a smile in my heart! And one for your husband too, being so thoughtful! Thank you Chris!
Dear Susan,
This has to be the best giveaway to girlfriends, EVER! I was just content to watch the lamb cake come together and I could smell it all the way to Colorado! MUST make the cake! Thanks for a lovely bit of Spring today….which we won’t see for such a long time here!
You are the best girlfriend ever!
Oh, Susan.. just read your wonderful blog, and I have to tell you. Each Wednesday afternoon I go to a ceramic shop to paint, but we have such a wonderful group of friends that we always find a reason to celebrate something. Today, we were planning my birthday (in the merry month of may) and a friend asked what kind of cake I would like and out of the mouth came… “I want a lamb cake!” Everyone enjoyed the moment.
Think Spring!
Hey Susan! I really enjoyed your post today! It made me smile and the pictures were really lovely. I don’t want to be in the lamb mold contest (as lovely as it is I think there are others who would enjoy it far more) but I wanted to say thank you. It is so fun to share a bit of your day today. It made mine a little sweeter.
Your lamb cake recipe looks fabulous, and it is quite a bit different from our traditional one we use at Easter. I may have to enter if we ever have another Lamb Cake Palooza, but I know I will just have to try it out for myself this spring. I never saw the toothpick trick but that would have come in handy last year when I tried the German Sweet Chocolate Lamb cake, it took me 2 tries to get it right. You are true kindred spirit, since I too display my lamb mold when not in use in the spring tied with a ribbon.
It felt like spring here in WI today but the rain, sleet, snow mix is coming back tomorrow. I loved listening to the birds and seeing your spring pictures. I have never heard of that book so I will be on the look out for that. Thanks for another wonderful post, you bring me a lot of cheer!
Hi Susan, thank you for bringing a little bit of Spring to us. This winter has been a tough one. Will definitely try your cake recipe!
oh I’m so glad someone else like to think Spring. I’m enjoying every day of life, but I do love the spring/summer time. There are some crocuses blooming down the street. I wanted to take their picture today but they weren’t open. I did see one daffodil in bloom the other day–so cheery! thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you Susan for the delicious cake recipe! It will be this Sunday evening’s special dessert with our Downton Abbey ‘tea fest’. Usually I make scones alongside our Canadian Rose Tea, but your cake looks too tasty to pass up! Since I don’t have a darling cake mold like yours, I will simply make little muffins…wish you were here to dine with us!
Nina
Thank you Susan. You always brighten my day with your beautiful posts. The lamb cake is so cute! XO
I just loved this post. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your tips to ensure our success with the cake. This is definitely on my list to make as part of our Easter celebration. I just bought everything at the grocery store to make your Carrot Cupcakes. Bonus Find – pastel sugar and sprinkles to decorate them. We LOVE these cupcakes in our house.
What an adorable cake pan and a lovely book! Even though we are in sunny AZ and are not suffering with snow like most of the northeast, I would love to try the lamb cake! Thanks for the opportunity!
I am delighted! Thanks for the fun give-away.
Love your blog. I always enjoy pictures of your birdfeeders! Nice Get ready for Spring Giveaway!
How cute:) My Aunt Ruth gave my Mom and Mom gave me the frosting recipe years ago – yummo. What a wonderful job you did and great directions. I have only made a heart and pumpkin cake. 🙂
I didn’t find your blog until I bought your latest book, A Fine Romance, and noticed all the 5 star reviews on Amazon. What’s with that? I wondered. “That” is what led me to your blog, which I now enjoy with every new post. (I’ve since gone back through all the old posts and caught up.) I’m sure I’m not the first to say how much you brighten every day (even when there are no new posts). You have a knack for finding the beauty in everyday life, a fine art in itself, even without your lively drawings. Now I understand what the Girlfriends are all about, and I’m glad we are so strong in number. Surely it’s a fine thing to be spreading the joy of living all around. Thanks so much for your inspiration!
Thank you Gale for those kind words . . . love having you here!
Susan, thank you for the weather as well as the darling lamb cake and recipe’s.
I am also a BIG Tasha Tudor fan and have been since the 70’s. Here in So Cal is has been sunny and DRY so your snow looks wonderful. I wish they would ship the snow in refrigerated train cars out here to help with our drought.
As usual a wonderful time in the afternoon reading what you are up to today.
I am thinking Spring.
Between noticing the days are lengthening in both the morning and evening and reading your scrumptious blog entry, Susan, it does feel like spring here even though we will probably have snow for the next two months. Spring is a state of mind!
I could smell the lemon as I read this. Now I have to make this cake. I love the lamb mold. The closest I have ever come to using a cake mold was Easter egg shapes and they didn’t look great on the sides so I cheated with extra frosting. I have all sorts of rabbit, egg, and chick cookie cutters and some single sided cake molds, but I have always wanted a lamb, too. My cooking always comes from the heart and my intentions are to make something that looks great, too, but more often than not I settle for taste—and a well set table.
Love this post…I am soooo ready for spring!
I just adore your art and your blog. always so refreshing and inspiring. I would just love to win your lambie cake pannie! My little grandpies would be so tickled if their grammie made them a cake like that! so my fingers are crossed… but congrats to whoever wins!
happy Day!
xoxo
vivian
Susan, thanks for the spring getaway! It was wonderful while it lasted, my husband came into the room and said, “why do I hear birds?”, haha. Your lamb cake is adorable and looks delicious. I love lemon anything, so I’m definitely going to try it!
I was so excited to see that kitchen garden book since it has so many things that I love: gardening,Tasha Tudor, and old cookbooks! What a thoughtful treat for a lucky girlfriend, thanks!
How beautiful!!!
OH Susan, I have all kinds of things I could say and want to say but all I will say is this for now…I love your life, I love that you share it with all your girlfriends, I wish I was your neighbor and you bless me every day with your art, your words, and all that you share. Love YOU!!!
Thank you for every single post you share and for being so generous with your heart. I would LOVE to win but I know whoever wins deserves it!!
Melissa
Hi Susan, this morning I got a text message from my dear friend Debbie that said “have you seen Susan’s blog today? You are going to love it!” So I looked it up ASAP and I certainly do love it and love my dear sister/friend for making sure I got my name in for the drawing. Of course she knows I will share it with her if I win!
Why do I all of a sudden NEED cake??
Thank you always for your inspiration… Love, Nettie
Hi Susan,
No need to apologize for a long post. I enjoy reading them very much. I’m also a fan of Tasha Tudor and have several of her books. I can’t wait to try the cake recipe 🙂 looks yummy.
Have a lovely evening.
OH–I love Tasha Tudor’s illustrations–I’d love to have that book!
My mother used to have a lamb pan just like that! I wish I could find it!
Your cake looks great.
My mom’s close friend came to the United Staes from Germany. Every year she would make from scratch lamb cakes for Easter. She would probably make at least 20 or more and give them to friends and family. I looked forward to that lamb cake every year. When I could not travel to my mom’s for Easter, I would ask her to freeze a piece for me, I didn’t want to miss it. Real butter, flour, coconut, raisins for eyes it was to die for! She would take a springy colored ribbon , put a bell on it and tie it around the lamb’s neck. Coconut was colored green so the lamb would be sitting on a field of grass. Jelly beans were scattered on the “grass” I will never forget Irma’s lamb cake!!!!!!!!
I think this blog is the perfect beginning for your “Spring” book. Please, please, please. I really want a Spring book. My niece wants a Spring book. All my friends want a Spring book. By Christmas, if you don’t mind, so my shopping will be easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.
Wow! Your lamb cake looks good enough to eat! Oh…you will eat him!! Yum! No I do not have a copy of the Betty Crocker book you mention…my mom has a very used traditional Betty Crocker cookbook though…Happy Spring!
Oh thank you Susan for the wonderful spring get away. As much as I love winter, snow and the cozy indoors….it was wonderful to have a Spring day to give us a glimpse of what is just around the corner. And a chance at a wonderful lamb cake mold and garden book just excites me even more. Sunshine on a cold cloudy day is special. Thank You!!!
Love this cake, so cute!
Thanks for this bit of Spring and the fun give away. Although we have not have snow we have had lots of cold and I’m looking forward to spring and getting started in my garden.
Your beautiful cake reminded me of the little pet turtle I had when I was kid. Don’t scratch your head, wondering, “how could a lamb cake remind someone of a turtle?” My mother always brought my sister and me a surprise when she’d go shopping in “the big city”. This particular surprise came home with her (on the bus) in a white cardboard Chinese take-out carton. What delicious surprise did she bring home from the Jenny Lind Bakery? As we peered inside, we saw no cupcakes or cookies, but instead, two tiny turtles. One had a rose decal on its back, and the other, a perfect little lamb decal. Thus, “Rosie” and “Lambie Pie” joined our family. Thanks for stirring up that darling memory for me, Susan.
What a charming lamb. We are a chocolate family though so we are also black sheep! What would be for the wool? Coconut just won’t do, maybe teeny tiny squiggles from a fine holed pastry bag. Oh my.
You could color the frosting with all colors — I think that makes black, and then toast the coconut. 🙂 He’d be brownish though.
That sounds reasonable. Thank you
Or cover it with shavings from a really good chocolate bar (made with a vegetable peeler) … YUM 🙂
Thanks Mary, I will give that a try. I wonder how many shavings will actually make it on the cake!
Or maybe white chocolate shavings?
It was warm today, and windy, but still a briskness in the air, a delicious taste of spring.
Dearest Susan, thank you for sharing the inspirational thoughts of spring! I love every season, especially when we reach the point that we achingly anticipate glimpses of the surprises in store for the next season… like the snow drops and crocuses that are bound to be just around the corner of all our melting snow! Hyacinths and daffodils can’t be far behind!! If we’re blessed with a patch of earth to call our own, let us fill it with the beautiful glories of nature! Here’s to HAPPY GARDENING to make for a HAPPY SPRING!!
Thank you for bringing back my memory of that yummy, yummy frosting! I remember my mother frosting a Devil’s Food Chocolate cake with it! Thank you, too, for this Give-Away gift post. I look forward to seeing who gets to receive this Spring-time Special! ♥♥♥
Stay warm and Safe, Susan! charlene
Your little lamb looked perfect! . .almost too good to eat! Fingers crossed for the give away . .thanks
Delightful as always, Susan. My sister used to make lamb cakes when her children were small, this brings back memories.
I didn’t know about the gardening book with Tasha’s drawing, oh my!
Thank you for such a splendid giveaway. I know whoever wins will be thrilled.
Thank you for the lamb cake tutorial!!! I already have the pan but love the tutorial and the recipe! I also love the way your sweet lamb is iced with her snout and ears out!!!
Can’t wait for spring! Would love to win the adorable lamb pan and kitchen garden book. I am starting my seed beds tomorrow. Looking forward to tiny English peas, crunchy lettuce and radishes. My birthday is in April and my mom used to make my cake look like an Easter basket with green tinted coconut, chocolate bunny, and jelly bean eggs.
P.S. Wouldn’t the lamb cake be SO SWEET for a baby shower? LoVe!!
Even if I never tackled a lamb cake, the mold would be inspirational. Here in NC, we are having a touch of spring today. After 8 inches of snow last Weds./ Thurs. we’ve had temps in the high 60’s today. Teasing us though. Thunder storm last night could mean more snow in 10 days. I am ready for spring. Thanks for the reminder that it is on its way.
I need to think spring but there’s 3 feet of snow outside my cottage – it’s hard to imagine it right now. Thank you for this wonderful post!
Lemon cake is one of my favorites! Enjoy your winter wonderland! Before you know it, it will be spring!
What a lovely cake that looks delish! Thanks for the great giveaway!
That lamb cake looks adorable. Fingers crossed for the giveaway. Thanks! 🙂
Hi, Susan! Thanks for the pretty pics, the recipe, and the lovely visit to your kitchen. The lambie is adorable, and I know he was delicious too. Stay warm up there! We’re all done with snow here on the NC coast 🙂
What a wonderful giveaway, Susan! Thank you! I’m going to make the cake this weekend. But I hope to make it again when I win! 🙂 Ann
Thank you for all the delicious-sounding recipes. I can’t wait to try the chicken soup. Thank you too for the opportunity to win the lamb cake mould & the fascinating book.
What an adorable cake. Just like the newborn lambs popping up everywhere around here. I saw two black ones down the road the other day, just born and full of life. Oh Spring we know your coming soon, the daffodils are up as are the tulips a little sun will help them bloom. Thanks for sharing with us, and Happy 1 more month till Spring!
Your posts are never long enough for me……….Thank you for the touch of spring as we once again look forward to another “Winter Storm Warning”/”Blizzard” due to arrive tomorrow.
Thank you so much for the little spring “getaway”! Just what I needed today in snow and ice covered central PA. I’m curious if the bowl pictured for your frosting is a Texas ware melmac (or Boonton melmac). I have several of each and love that they were made to use up the odds and ends of colors from the melmac dishware. The ones I have are soft colors that go with my vintage Luray pastel dishes, but this one looks brighter than any I’ve seen.
Mine are fairly new … made by Zak Designs. They come in lots of sizes and colors.
I have these bowls… from a Crate & Barrel outlet store 🙂
Hi Debra, aren’t Lu-Ray Pastel dishes the best. The colours are so pretty, so soft and almost liminous. Do you have a whole set? I only have a few pieces but I’m always on the look out for more. Hard to find and fairly expensive. They look like spring to me.
I have multiple pieces in the original four colors, but not a whole set of anything! I just pick them up when I see them, usually at thrift shops. They’re lovely all displayed mixed together.
Lovely as always! Thank-you for the brief respite from winter!
~ ~ Good Evening ~ ~ I have never made a lamb cake before~ I ‘d like to try~ wink ~ wink! ~
I have a couple of books illustrated by Tasha Tudor~ I love her art~ Thanks for another great give~a~ way ~Hurry Spring!~
that lamb cake is just too cute!!! I am definitely feeling the beginnings of Spring fever!!!
I’m all over anything lemony tasting! Luv, luv, luv it. And I bet being in a lamb shape would make it taste even better. How could it not? But I just thought, Why not make 2 people ecstatically happy, & send 1 the cake pan & 1 the book? (Just trying to broaden the winner pool, hoping I might be one!) Thanks for sharing your yummy recipes & your lovely gifts.
Thank you for the lovely post — I really enjoyed your Spring pictures, it will be here soon – counting the days. Your lamb cake is adorable – reminds me of the one a friend made me years ago for my birthday.
Never apologize for a longer blog! I look everyday to see if you have a new one up! Thank you for the adorable cake and cooking suggestions and all the pictures. Yes, your friends’ house looks so cozy and warm. What will you do without a lamb cake pan? Someone will enjoy….. hope it’s me!
My mother used to make lamb cakes every Easter. Such fond memories too- of the lambs head falling off and such…..We ate it no matter what. She loved making cakes, and I do too. I’d rather eat cake than other food most of the time, if I could! Your lemon daisy cake sounds like one I’m going to have to try.
Love the lamb cake, so darn cute and the Kitchen Gardens book looks wonderful! Your friend’s home is pure fairy tale, just like yours! Thank you Susan for another fun packed, fantastic post! I loved every word and picture. Oh, I forgot to ask when I left my comment on the “Staying Warm” post, what are the green flags in the top picture marking? Wishing you a wonderful week! ♥
Darling cake. The thing that really got me, though, was the glass measuring cup with a candle…love it!
What an adorable cake! Very cute and needed during this long stretch of winter, especially here in central New Hampshire. Spring is definitely coming…and thanks for the inspiration in the mean time.
Dearest Susan,
I just finished your lovely book, “A Fine Romance”, and was feeling a little blue because the story was over, and then look what pops up into my email – your delicious lamb cake! I told my hubby I really wanted to go back to England, I was lucky enough to study for one semester in West Wickham, just outside of London and then was able to visit my daughter during her semester abroad at Queen Mary College in London as well. I’ve been making tea and reliving the travel and adventures I had during those wonderful 4 months on the island. I sure wish I had taken advantage of visiting more gardens and the homes of interesting people like you did – just one more reason to go back again. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book to capture my imagination during the cold, snowy winter months. Fondly, Cathy
Loved hearing your remembering. Lucky you for having that experience! I think you’ll go back soon!
All I can say is THANK YOU! After all the snow and ice that has been here in Pennsylvania, your spring pictures are priceless. The lamb cake is so adorable, and any of us girlfriends will be so excited to win the lamb mold and the wonderful garden book you have added to the prize.
You are a ray of sunshine!
Love the lamb, gr. aunt would make this for us each Easter with cherry eyes!!
Thank you for the spring fever post. It is running rampant at my house. My constant, canine companions want to be outside every minute. I ate lunch outside on my patio today. I had to wear my winter coat, but it was wonderful. Thanks again for reminders of spring.
Loved the pictures! After a very mellow start to our winter here in Homer, Alaska (it was spring weather) we finally have snow & colder temps. I may not make that adorable lamb cake but it has inspired me to go home after work and make an Angel food cake! Haven’t made one of those in years!
We’re not snowed in here in the moderate Pacific Northwest but I’m still ready for spring. I need a little gardening inspiration too. The book and the lamb cake mold would quickly become treasured and well-used additions in my turn-of-the-last-century home. Bring Spring on!!
OMG! My baby turns 18 in March and now I want to make her a Lemon Lamb Cake! That is perfect! She will absolutely die! Oh Spring how I have missed you!
What lovely spring pictures. I am so ready for things to start blooming. I noticed the daffodil leaves just starting to poke up through the leaves yesterday. Your pictures and stories are, as always, lovely.
Oh my gosh! So adorable. Thank you for your Springtime inspiration!
Oh my Susan. You have me wanting to come to dinner to dine with your dear friends, bake a lamb, and maybe enjoy a cuppa tea at your pretty home! I too would enjoy being entered into your “Lucky lambie” giveaway and signed by YOU Book too! Sounds fun and a treat just in time for spring! Many thanks!
I would love to win!
While I love winter and the snow (6 inches more today in the Berkshire foothills!), I appreciate the reminder that spring is coming, eventually!
The lamb pan would be perfect for a baby shower cake; we recently learned that my nephew and his wife are expecting their first child! I’m also looking forward to planning what we will plant this spring. Betty Crocker and Tasha Tudor are a winning combination, for sure!
We are on the edge of spring here in Austin, and it’s time for prancing lamb season! This cake looks perfect for any Easter or spring celebration, not to mention looks so yummy. I’m definitely trying this recipe for my next spring “prance”! Thanks for sharing, Susan! 🙂
Hello Susan,
Thoughts of Spring, lemony desserts, Tasha Tudor, gardening, lambs, you!…..these are a few of my favorite things! As always, DonnaRay from the shores of Lake Ontario where it was 43 degrees today…. baa baa bad case of Spring fever way too early!
I wish you a beautiful Spring soon~~~We haven’t even had a Winter here in San Diego!
This was an amazing read…so very fun and lighthearted. I look forward to trying this cake recipe out and start playing this spring. 🙂 Thank you for all your encouraging words/posts/recipes and everything else.
Thank you for your pictures of spring! We have just had another 12 inches of snow with another storm predicted for tomorrow. I just loved the lamb cake and your hints to use skewers and toothpicks to anchor the neck and ears so they won’t crumble. I so enjoy your blogs and never think they are too long!
Even if my name isn’t selected, the lemon cake will be on my Easter table this year…..it sounds so delicious and of course, the pictures sure sell it’s sweetness!
What fun! This precious little lamb and classic book will be instant springtime!
Thank you for the pictures of flowers. I am dreaming of them now. The snowdrops and crocus are late this year. I do not have sheep, but I do have a goat named Millie. I guess I could tell my grandchildren I made them a Millie cake. The book reminds me of a cookbook I have called The New England Butt’ry Shelf Cookbook. I used to check it out of the library when my children were little, then it finally disappeared. I found it years later, another great use of the internet, and it brings back fond memories.
Love that lamb cake and love ANY book illustrated by Tasha Tudor. I have a collection! Just picked up a copy of The Doll’s Christmas at a library sale.
Hi Susan,
Fluffy lambs…..yummy carrot cupcakes…..perfect diversions for cold weather. Hopefully Spring isn’t too far away. Our daffies are just starting to peek out from the ground. I think everyone is ready for warmer weather. Soon. Soon.
xoxo Pam
I just love, love ALL of your blogs and look forward to each new one!! The lamb cake took me back to my childhood as a neighbor of ours made one and we still have pictures of it. I was so excited to see something so special!! I would love to try and make one like it and since I am a BIG Tasha fan the book would be WONDERFUL!!! Thank you for sharing your life with all of us. It just makes my day!!! Joyce from WA. P. S. Quite a few flowers starting to bloom here—-the Daphne Odora being my favorite. ( I may not have that spelled correctly) The SNOW is beautiful where you are–love it!!!
Love your lamb cake and would love to own your lamb pan. Good way to usher in spring. Baa, baa, baa.
What a delightful post! Loved the singing birds and the lamb cake… I am going to make the carrot cake cupcakes for a luncheon on Saturday. Thanks so much. Thanks for the chance to win the lamb pan and the book. Blessings, Ginny
Lovely little lambkins! Listening to the sounds outside, you can almost feel the first stirrings of Spring! And keep these lovely blog posts a’comming’!
Thanks again! Loved it! Needed it!
What a fun way to celebrate spring – gardening and lambs. The cake reminds me of the little molded butter lambs sold in grocery stores around Easter. My mother-in-law would always have the butter lambs at her Easter table. Saw some dirt and grass, from beneath the snow today, for the first time in a few weeks! Thanks for the spring preview. In the mood now to change my winter decorations to spring!
Wonderful spring pictures and the cutest lamb cake ever! Thanks for such a happy post!