- Cast aluminum
- Nonstick material
- Fine details
- Even baking
- Makes fun, intricate cakes or candies
Good Release, but not well defined
I only used this pan to bake chocolate muffins. I used the Baker's Joy Flour Spray to ensure easy release and that worked great. However, the details of the designs were not well defined. Perhaps that would show up better using a lighter colored batter. But the size is perfect and I like Nordic ware products. I have not tried making chocolate candies with it, but perhaps turning the pan over and using a mini creme brule torch lighty near- but not touching the pan will get the chocolates out without melting them?
Careful & Informed
This is a fantastic pan, that with the right method makes perfect little cakes and truffles.
The Nordic Ware website has amazing tips, and if you follow the instructions, it works. Baker's joy or shortening and super fine flour gives you the detail you should have with this pan.
The reviewer with the thicker batter idea is correct, and I would never use an "ez-make-insta-batter" with this gorgeous pan, the nasty additions they put in it may gum up your pan (lecithin, fats).
Worth the extra mile!
the secret to it
okay. there is a secret to using this pan. cake batter doesnt work. all of my little shapes got stuck. but i used gingerbread batter and they came out beautifully (with the help of a greased pan of course). so the secret is to use a thicker batter. muffin and bread batter anyway.
PERPLEXED
I ALSO HAD TROUBLE REMOVING CHOCOLATES FROM THE MOLDS. THE PLAIN CHOCOLATES USING EXTRACT CAME OUT FINE...THE CHOCOLATES USING CONDENSED MILK WERE TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE. I READ IF YOU PUT THE MOLD IN THE FREEZER FOR 10 MINUTES IT WILL LOOSEN THEM. TRIED THAT..NO LUCK. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE TRICK IS. PERHAPS NORDICWARE SHOULD ADVISE THE CUSTOMER OF HELPFUL HINTS ALONG WITH THE RECIPES.
Quick Bake Sale Treats!
I'll admit I like tiny things and when I saw this pan, I just had to think of an excuse to try it. It took a while, but when I needed something quick and easy for our school bake sale, inspiration struck! I bought a cake mix and made two panfuls of teensy-tiny cakes in about an hour. Given that it only takes about 15 minutes for the little cakes to bake, about the only "baked" treat I could have made faster is Rice Krispy treats.
WIth the first panful, I just sprayed the pan with canola oil. I ended up overfilling the pan a bit, but I was able to slice the tops off neatly with a bread knife before I turned the cakes out onto a cooling rack. The patterns weren't quite as distinct as I would have liked, but once sprinkled with powdered sugar, it was pretty easy to tell them apart. I did overfill the pan a bit, so to get nice, even cakes I sliced the tops off before turning the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
For my second panful, I used a pastry brush and then floured the pans. I was a little sloppy- I didn't wash the pan after the first use (but just brushed out the crumbs instead) and I probably didn't do a good job getting into every nook and cranny. When I turned the cakes out, about 1/2 of them stuck in the pan. Rigorous shaking got all but four out, but I had to use a toothpick to pry out the last four and one of them did not survive the process. However, the ones I got out had MUCH crisper detail and were really lovely without any embellishment at all.
I'll need to experiment a bit more to find the perfect grease/flour technique to preserve the details and get the cakes to release. All in all, though, I'm pleased and I expect that this pan will make lots more teensy-tiny cakes for bake sales and little girl tea parties.
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