Customer Reviews

Nordic Ware 55248 Platinum Series Nonstick Mini Bouquet Bundt Pan 6-c.

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I am a big fan of Nordic Ware bundt and mini-bundt pans and over the years have accumulated quite a few of them. The mini bouquet bundt cake pan is a favorite, and never fails to impress guests and make any event more festive. People see the intricate cakes and assume great effort was involved, when none was required. Just a few rules are required to turn out perfect cakes every time.

The recipe on the cardboard sleeve included with the pan is delicious, but if preparing a favorite cake recipe or adapting a cake mix (there are lots of recipes on the internet for altering a cake mix to work with these highly detailed bundt pans) remember that the cake needs to be richer, denser, like a pound cake. Lighter colored cakes show off the details more clearly, so vanilla, yellow or lemon cake might be a good choices. If planning for a party, the volume of batter created for a normal cake or bundt cake will fill the mini bundt pan twice -- twelve mini cakes. I've seen these floral cakes used in place of a wedding cake, and they made for quite a stunning presentation.

The pan has a non-stick finish, but, like all cake pans, it still needs to be carefully prepared for baking. I have never had a cake stick to any of my Nordic Ware pans, but there are a few rules to follow to ensure good results. Always spray the pan thoroughly with a spray made for baking, like Baker's Joy (a spray that contains flour.) After spraying turn the pan upside down to drain the excess while preparing the batter. Greasing and flouring the pan by hand or with a pastry brush is of course possible, but with all the tiny nooks and crannies, the spray is much faster, and more thorough.

Pour the cake batter into the pan slowly so bubbles can be kept to a minimum. Then give the pan a good rap or two on the counter to release any air bubbles that may form because those bubbles will leave gaps in the pan's design detail.

After baking, place the pan on a cooling rack for ten but no longer than fifteen minutes. When the cake is hot from the oven it is very fragile and likely to fall apart when unmolding. But, leaving the cake in the pan longer than fifteen minutes causes it to adhere to the sides and it is difficult to unmold. I actually set the timer for this step because it is so important -- ten minutes for a mini bundt pan and fifteen minutes for a regular sized bundt pan.

When ready to unmold, place a plate or tray, or even the cooling rack over the pan and invert it. Let the cakes finish cooling. Because the cake is richer than a plain cake, frosting isn't a necessity and just obscures the details of the design. A dusting of powdered sugar is sufficient.

Last year as a holiday gift I sent Nordic Ware's Fairy Tale Bundt pan to four different friends and family who love to bake. That pan looks like a gingerbread house and each of the four corners is a pine tree that ends with a pointy top. It is a very intricate design but even the most skeptical of the recipients had no problem unmolding the cake. No one lost the tree tops. By following the guidelines for pan preparation and proper timing for cooling the cake, the cakes unmolded perfectly. In comparison, this pan is much easier to unmold.

Do not use metal utensils on the pan because they will scratch the finish. This is a heavy weight, quality pan that with proper care, should last a lifetime.

This pan is cute. It's well-made. It's solid. It's great, until you use it. I have never been able to get a flower out! I have to scrape them all out and it's absurd. I follow directions and they always stick. And then there's junk in the cracks and it's hard to get clean. Cute idea, but not worth the effort since you get no cakes!