Traditional German Lamb Cake Recipe (Osterlamm)
If there’s one Easter cake that truly represents the season in Germany, it’s the Osterlamm, or German Lamb Cake. Growing up in Germany, you would see it everywhere at German bakeries, ready to be added alongside your dyed eggs and tulips on your Easter brunch table. There’s just something so special about slicing into that fluffy, golden, lamb-shaped treat with its dusting of powdered sugar. My version of a lamb cake is lemon-flavored and has a hint of rum (totally optional)This authentic German recipe is full of tradition, a favorite Easter recipe in our family, and in case you are not familiar with it, will be a new way to switch it up this Easter. It’s the kind of cake that sparks sweet memories and starts new ones with my own kids.
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 183kcal
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer I love mine for mixing the batter for this recipe, but a hand-held mixer will work great too.
- 1 Easter lamb mold This is the exact one I use and have tested with this recipe. This mold will work as well, but is a little bit smaller, so you may have batter oozing out the sides.
Ingredients
- 70 grams butter unsalted butter, plus more for rubbing on the cake pan to prep it
- 175 grams granulated sugar
- 2 grams pure vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest only, I always use an organic lemon when using the zest.
- 1 tablespoon spiced rum I like using STROH rum, but any spiced rum will work. You can also leave it out.
- 4 eggs size US large, yolks and whites separated
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 180 grams all-purpose flour plus more for dusting the cake pan to prep it
- 5 grams baking powder
- 60 milliliters milk 2% or whole milk
- powdered sugar for dusting the cake after it has cooled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 310 Fahrenheit/155 Celsius on the convection setting (Umluft), or 335° Fahrenheit/ 170° Celsius on the conventional setting (Ober-/Unterhitze).
- Using your paddle attachment of a stand mixer, beat the soft butter with ½ cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the vanilla extract, lemon zest and the spiced rum until creamy, about 3 minutes.Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula.70 grams butter, 175 grams granulated sugar, 2 grams pure vanilla extract, 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon spiced rum
- Gradually add in one egg yolk at a time until combined.4 eggs
- In a separate bowl, using the whisk attachment on a hand-held blender, beat the egg white with the salt until almost stiff. Add in the remaining sugar and beat until stiff.1 pinch sea salt
- Sift your flour and baking powder together, then add to the egg yolk butter mixture, alternating with the milk and beaten egg whites until incorporated.Either use your stand mixer for this step (low setting) or use a rubber spatula. Mix until you see no more visible streaks of fluffed egg white or flour, but be careful not to overmix the batter.180 grams all-purpose flour, 5 grams baking powder, 60 milliliters milk
- Prep your lamb cake pan by rubbing on soft butter and dusting it with flour to create a non-stick surface. This is the only way I can recommend to help the cake not stick to the pan.
- Pour the batter into bottom half of the prepped pan, then top with the top pan (the one with the vent hole).Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick has just a couple of crumbs on it. Insert the toothpick through the vent hole.
- Carefully transfer the cake mold (still assembled) to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Stand it up on a cooling rack and place a tall glass on either side of the cake to help hold it up straight as it cools.
- Once cooled, lay it on its back to dust it with powdered sugar. Stand it back up and place it on a serving platter. Dust it with some more powdered sugar and attach an optional decorative ribbon.Optionally serve your Easter lamb cake with lightly sweetened, vanilla-flavored whipped cream and fresh berries.powdered sugar
Notes
Storing: You can cover this cake at room temperature for 3 days (wrapped up or under a dome) or covered airtight in your fridge for up to a week.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with whipped cream (I flavor mine with a bit of vanilla extract and sweeten it with a bit of powdered sugar) and optional fresh berries.
Nutrition
Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg