Whew! Thanks for sticking with me. The contest took soooooo long to finally wrap up this year. It’s been plagued with all kinds of techical difficulties and site issues. I am sorry for everyone who couldn’t get the gallery to load or who wasn’t able to vote. Hopefully, it hasn’t been so long that you’ve forgotten about the contest. Or whether or not you entered it.
But anyway, let’s do this!! First, the winners chosen by you, the readers. Then the ladies from Mid-Century Potluck were kind enough to send their winning choices. After that is my choices and Tom’s, which were really, really hard to make. You all did such a great job! And then we have some winners chosen randomly at the end.
Winner For Best Detail Work:
Sewing Dervish – Tried something new this year…
Sewing Dervish!
Best Non-Cake Lamb:
Martha Stevens – This is my hand-shaped lamb meatloaf with mashed potatoes fleece and olive and whole clove eyes and nose. The spring garden is made of steamed broccoli florets and zucchini cups filled with asparagus tips.
Lamb Meatloaf
1.75 – 2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 C. breadcrumbs (I used panko-style gluten-free breadcrumbs)
1/3 C. Milk or more as needed to soak breadcrumbs
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
2.5 ounces of breakfast or uncooked, loose sausage
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Tomato Paste
For Decorating the Lamb Meatloaf
2 pounds of prepared mashed potatoes
2 or 3 Kalamata Olives and whole cloves for the eyes and nose.
Assorted spring vegetables, lightly steamed
Soak breadcrumbs in milk. Add the egg and other ingredients and blend well with a fork, then with your hands. If needed, before shaping the meatloaf, chill in the refrigerator to firm up the mixture. Use a greased baking dish or line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment baking paper. The dish should be able to hold the hot juices, but allow some air space around the meat so that it browns evenly. Form your lamb. If needed, you can brace the head with crumpled parchment paper. Bake at 325 F. until cooked through and browned, about 1.25 hours. When ready to serve, top with mashed potatoes and if desired, lightly brown the mashed potatoes under a broiler at 375 F. for a few minutes or use a hand-held torch. Remove from the oven. Allow to rest for about fifteen to twenty minutes before adding the eyes and nose and transfering to a serving platter. Surround with steamed vegetables.
Martha Stevens!
Best Non-Lamb Entry:
Cheryl Wright – A star wars easter baby yoda!
Cheryl Wright!
Best Bunny Cake:
Sabine Trapp Bunny – This is my second Easter cake. It was a very rich pound cake with lemon zest baked in a 1970s Easter rabbit mould.
Sabine Trapp!
Best Face Decoration:
Kimberly Birkett & Tiara Berkel
Kimberly Birkett & Tiara Berkel!
Most Creative Decoration:
Congo Conga Cam
Congo Conga Cam!
Kid-Decorated Cake:
Cammie Vallepalli – This cake was decorated by a teenage girl making her very first Lamby Cake! I sent her the raw elements and she came up with this!
Cammie Vallepalli – Purple Ribbon Teen
Best First Lamb Cake:
Janet Spink – This is my first year trying, and I’m very happy with the result!
Janet Spink!
Winners Chosen By Mid-Century Menu Potluck:
Sarah Sloan – Lamb Baked Alaska
Sarah Sloan!
Shana O’Shea – 3
Shana O’Shea!
Jena Hupman – Martian Lamb, Inspired by Uncle Martin from My Favorite Martian, especially the hair. Orange cake with orange frosting.
Jena Hupman!
Alex Nicholai – Here is my entry for your lamb cake contest. It’s a yellow cake with raspberry jam & vanilla frosting. Making it was a lot of fun! I don’t have any special pans, so I did carve the face out of pieces of cake that I stacked together & held in place with some skewers. Thank you for holding such a fun competition!
Alex Nicholai!
Winners Chosen by Me:
Lisa Boyce – Here is my lamb that just wants to go gnome 😂
Lisa Boyce!
Janice Bird Lamb Cake – With this past year being one of isolation, fear, tension and death for so many, including me, I decided this was the year to do a traditional lamb cake. Something familiar that would bring a smile to my friends and family.
One exception is instead of the usual bell around her neck I used a heart shaped locket that my Dad gave to my Mom when they were High School sweethearts. When opened the locket has a photo of each of them from that time period…the 1940s.
I make my lamb using a “pudding in the box” cake mix. I’ve learned how to make it without the use of toothpicks or dowels. It’s then iced with Wilton’s decorator frosting.
This is the fist time my family will be together for a holiday since December 2019. Sadly, my sister died this past year. She loved all holidays! So I am dedicating my lamb cake to her.
Janice Bird!!
Winners Chosen by Tom:
Andrew Birling – I love your blog, and finally decided to enter the Lamb Cake Contest! Here’s my pastel rainbow chocolate lamb. Thanks for being a bright spot in my week, especially during this past year of pandemic!
Andrew Birling!
“I really like all the swirl colors.” – Tom
Regan Oliver – Candice the Promiscuous Lamb (with Butterflies)
Renalde cake recipe with Vintage Birthday Cake Frosting
Regan Oliver!
“No one ever asks me what I want on my lamb cake. I don’t want coconut, I want jelly beans. I just want jelly beans jammed into it.” – Tom
Random Draw Winner #1:
Barbara Lawrence Spaghetti Lamb – 3
Barbara Lawrence!
Random Draw Winner #2:
Name: Lambie (cuz she’s a lamb…says my four year old)
Cake: Gluten Free Chocolate pound cake, recipe by Gluten Free on a Shoestring
Frosting: vanilla buttercream
Baker: Allison Martinson (with help from Eleanor)
Allison Martinson!
Random Draw Winner #3:
Lisa Guppy
Lisa Guppy!
Winners – Please email me your mailing address to ruthmidcenturymenu@gmail.com. And thank you to everyone who entered the contest!
