Coconut Lamb Cake

The following recipe was submitted by Erin, from Growing with my Girls.  It would be another great option for those of you that would like to make a Lamb Shaped Cake for Easter but do not have a lamb shaped pan.   Thank you Erin!

I thought I'd share this Easter lamb cake - no special pans needed. I made this cake last year for Easter Sunday for the first time, and I think it will become a family tradition!

Coconut Cake

Adapted from King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking

Coconut Frosting:
1 can (14 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
5 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla or coconut extract

Cake:
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut extract or 1/4 tsp. coconut flavor
5 large egg whites
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional for topping

Directions for frosting:

Set a fine mesh strainer or colander over a bowl and line it with a linen towel. Pour the coconut milk into the lined strainer and let the coconut water drain for up to two hours, until you have a thick lump of coconut cream. After it has drained, cream the butter with 2 cups confectioner's sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the salt and vanilla or coconut extract until smooth. Add the coconut cream and mix, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add remaining confectioner's sugar until you have a smooth, spreadable frosting. Cover and keep at room temp until ready to use.

**Note: Last year I found a little box of coconut cream at our local health food store and used it rather than draining a can of coconut milk. I added it a few spoonfuls at a time until the taste and consistency were good. The frosting came out thick but spreadable, and very good. This option allows you to skip the draining step if you can find coconut cream at a local store. I can't find it this year!

Directions for cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Place the coconut and all-purpose flour in a food processor. Process for thirty seconds and set aside.

Cream together butter, baking powder, sugar, salt, and extracts in a large bowl until light and fluffy, at least five minutes. Add egg whites one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each. Stir a third of the whole wheat pastry flour into the creamed mixture, then half the yogurt, another third of the flour, the remaining yogurt, and the remaining flour, scraping bowl thoroughly. Add the coconut-flour mixture and stir until batter is evenly mixed. Transfer to prepared 9x13 inch pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the edges of the pan. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and then cool completely. The cake may be frozen for 30 minutes before frosting to make assembly easier.

I cut the cake freehand with a serrated knife, but I looked at the shape drawn on page 62 in the little book Lent Begins at Home. You can see in the picture above that I used some scraps from the top edge of the cake to form an ear and the tail, which I then put in the appropriate places before frosting. The cake can be put back in the freezer briefly if desired, so the crumbs from the cut edges will be less of a concern. Spread frosting all over the lamb and then make a face using two chocolate chips for eyes and a pink jelly bean (you can probably snitch one from the kids' Easter candy! ;) as a nose.

The optional coconut listed at the end can be sprinkled over the frosting. This gives the lamb cake a woolly, textured appearance, like in the photo below, which was taken without a flash and more clearly shows the coconut on top.

Have a blessed and happy Easter!!