Customer Reviews

Nordic Ware Pro Cast Dinosaur Cakelette Pan

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I made these in secret for our 5 & 8 year old boys, and were they EXCITED! We had a combo of their birthdays at Peter Piper Pizza, with all their friends, and these little cakes were easy to take along, and ALL the kids were thrilled! We put a candle in each one and had everyone blow them out at the same time, after we sang "HBD to you." It was a HIT, but a couple of the kids wanted to "SAVE" theirs instead of gobbling them up - didn't plan on that - needed toters or baggies or something for their cakes, and a marker for their names (just FYI.)
I wanted GREAT DEFINITION in the details on the cakes, so this is what I did: First, I heated the pan while the oven was preheating, THEN sprayed the insides of the hot pan thoroughly with food release spray. Then I put 1/4 cup batter in each HOT dinosaur (the sections only hold 1/3 cup to the TOP, so more was too much) and baked them 25 degrees HOTTER then called for, AND FOR A LOT LESS TIME. (Watch the cakes!) After cooling for ten minutes, they fell right out, with EXCELLENT detail! Later I used glazing sugar to make a thin icing to glaze them. PERFECT!
Also, about cleaning the pan, after I pop out the cakes, I slip the STILL WARM pan into a sink of HOT water (NO SOAP!) and let it soak while I finish the icing. Then I simply use a soft brush to swirl out the crumbs in each section (NO scrubbing!) and rinse the pan, then set it in the still hot oven to dry. READY for the next time!
For a lifetime of use, Nordic Ware pans LOVE this method - especially the NEVER scrub and NEVER soap part! I have had some of my Nordic Ware for DECADES and they are in BRAND NEW condition. Try it!

I really really really love this pan. I've never once had a problem getting the cakes out because I always spray with non-stick spray first. The *only* complaint I could possibly give here is that clean up is such a pain, often requiring a cotton swab to get everything out of each crack and crevice. Still, that's the price one pays for having that level of detail in a cake pan.

I find just plain muffin packets work fine. I like the chocolate chip mix. Use Baker's Joy for great results.

I have been making banana muffins with this pan. I spray the pan with Pam in between every batch. All I have to do is turn the pan upside down and tap the bottom and all of the dinosaurs fall out perfectly every time. You shouldn't have a problem if you use nonstick cooking spray. The details of the dinosaurs are very clear in the muffins and they are always a big hit when I give them away! To clean it, I have a dish brush with bristles that I use. Also, if you leave some hot water in it for a few minutes, it helps to loosen the pieces. I don't really have a problem cleaning it if I am not doing it with a dish rag.

I walked by this pan at my local Target, and not surprisingly, it caught my eye and I had to check it out. My son is a serious dinosaur enthusiast, so I knew I *had* to get this pan, but I was afraid it would be a pain to use and clean and that the cakes wouldn't come out cleanly. My other NordicWare specialty pans have been kind of disappointing in that regard (esp. the sand castle). I kept picking it up, putting it down and walking away, only to finally give in and buy it. That was months ago.

Well, I finally tried it last night to bake banana chocolate chip muffins. I bake these at least once a month and know exactly how they should come out. They baked up beautifully in this pan! I was not expecting that. Because the batter is thick and has mini chocolate chips, it did not get completely into the crevices. So I did not get the full detail for the dinos, and it was hard to see the outlines shapes because of the chips. But they popped right out (I used the baking spray with flour; it's a must for a pan like this...get it in every corner!). I would expect that regular cake batters (or just thinner ones) would show all the fabulous, adorable details in this pan. The designer really did an amazing job with the details! It has two cavities each for a T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and a sauropod.

My husband cleaned the pan tonight and said it was easy, much easier than he expected. I bake a lot and we're used to having to get into the crevices and use various tools to get my specialty pans clean, but this was a welcome change. I will be using this pan a lot more often. My 8-year-old LOVED the novelty of it, and even my 12-year-old's friends who saw his triceratops muffin at lunch at school today thought it was cool (after the initial, "What the heck is that?!").

You MUST get this if you have a dinosaur fanatic in your house!!! I am going to try brownies next!

Brownies (from regular box mix) came out perfectly showing all detail in this pan. Clean-up was kind of a pain...even used a toothpick to get every little crevice cleaned out. Definitely a hit though.

I recently made cupcakes in the shape of dinosaurs using this pan for some little boys and they loved them so much. Even the big boys loved them. This is one of the coolest pan Nordic Ware has ever made.

Note: The cupcakes must be baked til they start pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 15 min at 350 F especially if using prepackaged mix or they come out done but very pale and less definition then if they were fully done. I made that mistake on the first batch. Also, make sure every nook is well buttered/floured or you will have a massacre (I lost a head and a foot on my first try). The second batch came out well browned, well defined and all in tact.

As for decoration, I outlined them with some pastry coloring. They were awesome. :)

Happy baking and as always, Enjoy!

I love using my Nordic Ware Pro Cast Dinosaur Cakelette Pan! The dinosaurs popped out beautifully after standing for 10 minutes right onto my cake cooling rack and washed easily and quickly in hot sudzy water, ready to be prepared for baking the next batch. I used a natural bristle basting brush with a generous amount of room temperature shortening (I used the Organic All Vegetable Shortening) making sure all the crevices were covered and dusted the molds thoroughly with Wondra flour shaking the pan from side to side making sure the enire molds were covered with flour. Then I shook out the excess flour and the pan was ready to be filled with batter. I filled the molds half full (slightly over 2 Tablespoons)and then with a small metal spatula moved the batter into the crevices and made an indentation through the middle of the mold lengthwise

My grandson (5 yrs) loved them.

Thank you.

This pan is TOTALLY worth every penny! My 3 1/2 year old son absolutely LOVES the muffins we make together in our Nordic Ware Pro Cast Dinosaur Pan. He loves to pick out which dinosaur he wants to eat next. 100% recommend!!!!

I purchased this pan last week and was at a loss on proper baking and cleaning.

I followed the directions from another reviewer here and it worked perfectly and cleaned easily.

The muffins are the cutest with lots of detail.