Customer Reviews

Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Cast-Aluminum Nonstick Tea-Cake and Candy Mold

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Many of the comments refer to issues removing cakes from the pan. If you use Baker's Joy or Pam for Baking spray you will have NO problem. Place the pan on the open dishwasher door and spray away... you will have no mess to clean up either. i have many shaped pans including this one and the secret to easy removal and clean up is the spray.

Also, many of you are using cake mixes as the box instructs. these pans work best with a denser cake such as a bundt or pound cake recipe. there are many recipes/books for modifying mixes into such cakes, or you can start from scratch. see [...]

when you put the batter into the pan you also need to tap the pan on the counter or run a toothpick through the batter to remove the air bubbles that get trapped at the bottom of the mold, hence distorting the shapes.

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!

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.

I like the idea of this bundt pan. I made 3 batches of chocolate truffles on it. The recipe that comes with the pan is awesome. HOWEVER, I have yet to figure out how to get the chocolates out easily. The first time, I used a non-stick spray (not vegetable oil). I thought that might be my problem because the company recommends vegetable oil. On the next two batches, I poured vegetable oil in the little holes and spread it around using a pastry brush. Again, I had to fight to get the chocolates out. I kid you not -- my husband pounded on the pan with a big rubber mallet to get the chocolates to come out! I must be doing something wrong. I will call customer service tomorrow -- but if there is a trick to this, they should have told you on the instructions on how to make the truffles! Other than that, the chocolates turned out beautifully and I will use this pan again, even if I have to call my husband to help me out with his rubber mallet!

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.

I am very happy with the impressed comments of my friends after making the raspberry truffle recipe that came with the pan. After reading the other reviews about release problems, I was a little apprehensive. However, I had no problems getting out most of the chocolates. I didn't coat the pan at all before adding the chocolate. The last five minutes I put the pan in the freezer because I was going to be late for the party. To get the chocolates out, I put down a sheet of wax paper and simply banged the pan upside-down onto the table. The pan is cast-iron aluminum and a bit heavy, so I didn't need to use much force, I just let gravity do the work. About half came out perfectly. I collected those, and then banged the pan again. A third firm tap got the last 3 out, though the last one did fall apart, probably because I didn't coat the sides with chocolate very well. All in all I was very happy. I had to substitute in their recipe though, and used pommegranate juice instead of raspberry extract because I couldn't find any. I also ended up with too much ganache, so I ended up hand rolling and dipping those to keep. I'm glad I did, since all of the molded truffles got eaten at the party! The recipe was very delicious and the chocolates were gorgeous!

I didn't realize this was considered a candy mold also but I can certainly see why it would ill-suited for that purpose.

As a mini bundt cake pan though, it seems perfect to me. I've made Mexican chocolate cake (from The Pastry Queen cookbook) dusted with X sugar and they looked perfect. I've also made red velvet cake and pumpkin muffins in this pan. I used Baker's Joy. I had absolutely no problem with getting them out with just the flick of a knife along the side of each one, and they had perfect definition. This pan makes great little two bite cakes/muffins which are easy for taking to work or anywhere you lack plates & forks for eating cake.

I used this pan for little tea cakes using a banana bread recipe and it worked really well. I sprayed the pan with cooking spray with flour and brushed the cooking spray evenly over the pan with a pastry brush. All the cakes turn out great and there was no sticking at all! I am very happy with the result.

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?

Ever since I received the product, this cake mold has been by favorite!
The tea cakes come out so cute, and the quality of the pan is excellent!