It was the Saturday before Easter, and I had a problem staring right at me. Well, technically three problems: three undecorated lamb cakes, waiting to be frosted and turned into cute lamb desserts.
Have you ever seen a lamb cake? I encourage you to Google it, but beware — lamb cakes often go astray. These lamb-shaped Easter cakes are fun to make but easy to mess up. My family had a competition going on. Who could make the best lamb cake? And by “best,” we meant “least horrifying.”
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The contest started with a distinct disadvantage. One of the lamb’s heads had fallen off. The decapitated lamb had been a little underbaked, but no matter! It was the day before Easter; we had no time to make a new one. This lamb, my mother decided, would be lying down on a bed of coconut grass and taking a nap.
We took up our frosting knives and got to work. Most families decorate gingerbread houses, but why wait until Christmas for some friendly competition? I was in it to win it. My lamb was going to be as cute and not-terrifying as possible.
It was gentle business, frosting the lambs. You had to be careful not to lob off an ear or knock over the entire cake. As we went, they began to take on a life of their own.
My brother decided to model his lamb after our cat, Arnold, complete with melted chocolate spots. My mother’s decapitated lamb became a glam lamb, or “glamb,” if you will. She made a necklace of Starbursts and even added a gold hoop earring, attached with a toothpick to the lamb’s head. My father watched the lambs develop, patiently waiting for dessert to be served.
My chocolate lamb got cuter and cuter and I went along, and I got more and more attached. I added two Junior Mints for big brown eyes, and I melted. This was too precious. I was disproportionately proud of my lamb cake.
Some coconut shreds dyed green for grass, and there you had it: three Easter lamb cakes.
I’ll leave it up to you to decide whose lamb is the best, and please know your comments will be taken seriously in the #2024LambCakeCompetition. We will accept all critiques and compliments, though we prefer compliments. Remember, this lamb cake is my magnum opus.
While this experience was really just a fun way to hang out with my family for the Easter holiday, it was also a reminder that you can start new traditions whenever you want. My family has a few long-standing traditions that we do every year for various holidays and special events, but we’ve decided this lamb cake competition is our chance to build new spring memories.
As my brother and I have grown older, we grow further from the traditions that made up our childhoods. But that doesn’t mean the family fun has to stop just because we have our own lives. We still come together, especially for holidays like Easter, and especially if it includes a competition and cake.
Later that night, as dessert was served and we sliced into the lamb cakes, it was bittersweet (but mostly sweet — there was a lot of sugar involved). My beautiful lamb was eaten within a few minutes.
But no worries, because next year’s competition is already scheduled. And with any luck, my lamb will take the cake.
Who has the best lamb cake?
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