Easter just wasn't the same. The eggs were hidden in the yard for the annual hunt, family was around for a meal together, the kids were dressed in their finest and the sun was shining. But mom was missing, and so it felt a little empty, like something was missing.
Of course we expected this first Easter, like all the holidays to be hard. But we had a double whammy. What are the chances really, that Easter this year, April 8th, would also be my mom's birthday? I so wish she would have been there to sing happy birthday too. She died too young.
In her spirit though, I carried on one of her traditions.... the lamb cake. I grew up in Chicago and that' what we did. My first Easter out East here with Rob, I remember telling him my mom was bringing the lamb cake for Easter dinner. He looked at me like I had three heads. a lamb cake? What in the heck was that? His mom always got an Egg cake from the bakery.
So I explained, a lamb cake is a pound cake in the shape of a lamb. Why I dunno. It's what we always did. And we always kid my brother about getting the butt. He asked how in the world we got our lamb in the shape of a cake, and I explained with a lamb cake mold of course. I don't think he really believed I wasn't messing with him until he actually saw the thing.
This year, I asked my dad for the mold. I didn't know how I was going to make a gluten free lamb cake, but I was damn well going to try. My memories, the traditions, that's all I have left of her now, and I can't let them go.
It was a lot harder without gluten to hold the thing together. The first attempt didn't quite make it. Right into the trash it went! The second attempt fared better.... I was able to un-mold and frost the thing before it fell apart. Rob was all set to try a third time when I came up with a solution. Instead of having the lamb look at you from the side, I moved the head to the front. It was the best I could do. But you know what? It's what my mom would have done, kept trying til it worked out. I'm sure she was laughing with joy as she watched me muddle through this cake!
So happy Easter everyone, and Mom - I'm having a piece of cake for you!
