Little Lamb Baby Shower Cupcake Cake (Girl or Boy!)

Hello everyone! Hittin' you up with a recipe today! Well, sort of!

This absolutely adorable cupcake cake was made back in August of 2021 for my cousin's baby shower. Since then baby Rosie has been born and is ever so adorable.

When brainstorming ideas for the shower, we were originally going to go with... flowers? I honestly can't quite remember. But what I do remember is that we switched the theme to an adorable lamb idea, and that is how this cake was born.

Enter Google. So many people have done lamb cakes. My particular inspirations were this one and this one. I knew that right off the bat we wanted a cupcake cake because it would be easier for my large family to grab and go, but since I was feeding 40 people I was also worried that it wouldn't taste good.

Enter common sense and Sally, because Sally is awesome.

Common sense- the room was full of adults, not everyone was going to eat a cupcake, and we also had fruit and cookies. So down from 50 we went with 23 to fit the lamb image, and then added a few extra random grass ones on the side.

And then Sally. Oh, Sally.

I've been following Sally McKenney for over a decade as she's posted some America-famous recipes that make my mouth drool. In my top five are her Simply Perfect Vanilla cupcakes.

So, mash together ridiculously fluffy cupcakes with a fluffy lamb?

Ultimate fluff. I promise you.

You'll see I've made a minor tweak in the amount of vanilla added, but otherwise this is all courtesy of Sally!

Have fun eating!

Ingredients: (I recommend doubling this recipe... or tripling it. ;)

•1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)

•3/4 teaspoon baking powder

•1/4 teaspoon baking soda

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

•1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

•3 large egg whites, at room temperature

•3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

•1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature

•1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk at room temperature

•vanilla buttercream, food dye, and piping bags for decorating

•sheet pan covered in blue tissue paper and cling wrap for background

•double-sided tape to attach cupcakes to the pan Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners – this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside. Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream.

Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.

Pour/spoon the batter into the liners – fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides.

Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30-36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. 

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. Stick double-sided tape on the bottom of each cupcake and attach to a sheet pan covered in tissue paper and then cling wrap. Make sure tissue paper and cling wrap are secure on the back with more tape. Arrange the cupcakes in the shape of a lamb. I recommend a large sheet pan, no matter the size of your lamb.

Frost the cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, using a simple piping bag with the end snipped off to create fluffy dots, and other piping bags with much smaller snipped off ends to add the lamb face and bow or bowtie. I used a simple grass decorating tip to create the patch the lamb is "standing" in.

Any leftover cupcakes will keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days, or freezer for a week! But, I promise you...

...you won't have any left over. ;)

-Katie

(This post is not sponsored.)