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Polish Lamb Cake Recipe [Baranek Wielkanocny]

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Polish lamb cake.
Polish lamb cake: An Easter delight!

This Polish lamb cake recipe is the perfect sweet addition to the Easter Basket. Made with a lamb-shaped mold, the moist baranek wielkanocny cake tastes as good as it looks!

Baranek Wielkanocny – What Is The Polish Easter Lamb Cake? 

Polish lamb cake.
Polish lamb cake: An Easter delight!

The Easter lamb cake recipe is a traditional Polish recipe handed down through the generations dating as far back as the Middle Ages. The lamb shapes signify Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and his place as the Lamb of God. 

It is possible that this tradition was based on the Jewish tradition of eating the roast lamb at Passover to celebrate their freedom from Egypt. Jews who followed Christ started making lamb-shaped bread to celebrate Jesus as the lamb of God. 

Of course, others say that the lamb-shaped cakes have pre-Christian pagan origins, where the dough was shaped like animals and baked as a substitute for real animals during a sacrifice. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the innocent lamb acted as a mediator between the human and the divine world. So it was sacrificed to deities to invoke their action. 

Since the 17th century, the lamb cake has been an important part of the Święconka, the Easter basket that you bless in church on the Saturday before Easter Sunday. At that time, they were made of dough in the poorer homes and of gingerbread in the richer homes. Some of the wealthier homes even had their Easter tables decorated with porcelain, silver, or real gold lambs!

How To Bake A Polish Lamb Cake Recipe

Most of the Polish lamb cakes are dry and not that tasty. They’re made to look good, but not always taste good. This cake has it both – this Easter lamb cake recipe is delicious and moist! 

Start by oiling the lamb cake mold with a silicon brush. Mix all the ingredients for the dough together, including the zest of a lemon and sour cream.

Pour the cake dough into the lamb-shaped mold and bake for about 45 minutes.

Oil the lamb cake pan.
Oil the side of the lamb cake pan
Batter being poured into the pan.
Pour the batter into the pan
Lamb cake pan filled with batter.
Make sure you leave about an inch of space at the top

Once out of the oven, allow the lamb cake to cool down for a while. Once cool, tie a red ribbon around the lamb’s neck, then sprinkle with icing sugar and serve! 

Baked lamb cake.
Baked lamb cake
Baked lamb cake.
Lamb cake is ready!
Lamb cake with red ribbon and icing sugar.
Tie the lamb cake with a red ribbon and sprinkle with icing sugar

Tips For Baking Polish Baranek Wielkanocny Perfectly!

  • A lamb cake mold is essential to make this cake. It will be impossible to get the lamb shape without this mold!
  • This cake is small in size. You can multiply the recipe a few times to make more lambs. 
  • Leave some space at the top of the mold so that the batter doesn’t overflow. 
  • You can use raisins or dried cranberries for the eyes of the lamb. 
  • Sprinkle with powdered sugar to make it look like snow!
Kostek loves his edible lamb.
Kostek loves his new edible (not toy) lamb

FAQs About Polish Lamb Cake Recipe

What Are The Other Names For The Easter Lamb Cake?

The Polish Easter lamb cake is also called baranek wielkanocny or agnuszek.

Are There Other Ways Of Decorating The Lamb Cake?

Icing sugar as snow is the easiest and prettiest way to cover the lamb cake. But you can also cover the Easter lamb cake with a glaze of icing sugar or pipe it with white buttercream. Tie a red ribbon around the neck or pipe with red buttercream. You can make a grassy ground of green buttercream or by using edible Easter grass.

Which Mold Should I Use For This Easter Lamb Cake Recipe?

Lamb cake was once made in heavy cast iron lamb-shaped molds that were difficult to handle. But you can now buy Teflon molds that are much lighter and easier to use. This medium-sized mold weighs hardly half a kg. Of course, you can always get lighter aluminum molds that weigh a quarter of a kg. Whatever suits your cooking style is best!

What Other Polish Dishes Can I Make For Easter?

Other Polish dishes that can be made for Easter include:

What Other Ingredients Go In The Easter Basket?

The ingredients added to the Polish Easter Basket include sausage, horseradish, eggs, salt, pepper, bread, lamb, and cake.

I’m Not A Fan Of Lemon. What Other Flavor Can I Use?

Lemon zest is the traditional flavor used in the Polish lamb cake. If you don’t want to use lemon zest, you can use vanilla essence, orange zest, or cocoa powder. 

How To Store Leftover Lamb Cake?

Cover the lamb cake with foil or move it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. 

Polish Lamb Cake Recipe [Baranek Wielkanocny]

Yield: 6 servings

Polish Lamb Cake Recipe (Baranek Wielkanocny)

Polish lamb cake.

This Polish lamb cake recipe is the perfect sweet addition to the Easter Basket. Made with a lamb-shaped mold, the moist baranek wielkanocny cake looks and tastes delicious!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (110g) of oil
  • ¾ cup (150g) of sugar
  • 1 ¼ (150g) cup of all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup (60g) of potato starch
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 lemon
  • 3.5 oz (100g) of sour cream
  • 1 tsp of baking powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
  2. Oil the lamb cake mold using the silicone brush.
  3. De-wax lemon by pouring hot water over it.
  4. Zest a lemon, then juice it.
  5. Mix all the ingredients for the dough together.
  6. Pour the dough onto the lamb cake mold. I recommend putting it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper in case the batter from the mold leaks.
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
  8. Cool off for about 20-30 minutes.
  9. Using the knife, straighten the bottom of the cake.
  10. Take off the cake from the mold.
  11. Sprinkle the lamb with icing sugar when it's cold.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 88Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 120mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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