The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Easter lamb cake (known as agnuszek or baranek wielkanocny in Polish) is a traditional Eastern European dessert.
In the 1950s, the trend for frugal cooks tired of paying exorbitant bakery prices was to purchase a cast-iron lamb mold to make it themselves. These molds are considered family treasures that are passed down at Easter time and through the years.
Pound cake is the best candidate for a mold because of its close crumb. Scratch-made or purchased pound cake mixes both work fine. Extra batter can be used to make a little cake for the swieconka basket.
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Gather the ingredients.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Heat oven to 375 F.
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Using a pastry brush, coat the interior surfaces of both halves of a seasoned lamb cake mold with solid vegetable shortening, making sure you get into all the crevices.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Place halves on a baking sheet, open-side up, and heat for 20 minutes.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Pour off any excess shortening. Reduce heat to 350 F.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Prepare pound cake mix according to box instructions.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Place the front-half of the mold on a baking sheet and fill with batter to the lip, 1/4 inch from the top.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Submerge a toothpick in the batter in each ear to reinforce them.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Place the back-half of the mold on top of the front.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Place in oven and bake about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the vent holes of the lamb come out clean.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Remove from oven and place on cooling rack for 15 minutes.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Carefully remove the back end of the mold, inserting a knife between the mold edges if they are stuck together. Allow cooling for an additional 5 minutes.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Place another rack on the lamb cake and carefully flip it over and remove the front half of the mold. Let lamb cake cool completely lying on its back.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Place a dab of cream cheese frosting on an oblong platter and set the lamb on top to secure it.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Frost all sides of lamb, swirling it to represent lamb’s wool.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Wrap a narrow red ribbon around the lamb’s neck. Use raisins for eyes and nose, cutting them in half if necessary to make them more proportional.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Place coconut and green food coloring in a zip-top bag and shake it, to color the coconut. Place green “grass” around the lamb.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
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Serve for Easter and enjoy.
The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 284 | Calories |
| 12g | Fat |
| 43g | Carbs |
| 2g | Protein |
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 10 to 12 |
|
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 284 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| 12g | 16% |
| Saturated Fat 5g | 25% |
| 25mg | 8% |
| 217mg | 9% |
| 43g | 16% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
| Total Sugars 33g | |
| 2g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 19mg | 1% |
| Iron 1mg | 4% |
| Potassium 92mg | 2% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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