I just received this an hour and when I opened the box, I was disappointed. I had just returned a mini-muffin maker, and thought this made only minis. I didn't even want to open the box! I did open the box however, and am glad I did! The wells are deeper than I thought; definitely not muffin high deep, but still pretty good size. You can't see the depth in the photos, so I'll try to upload some. The top has an extra 1/2 or 3/4 of inch to let the product rise. I wanted to make the equivelant similar to a normal sized muffin for breakfast, but I had plans for other uses as well. I washed the unit since it smelled like manufacturing oils and even after I washed it, it still smelled a little. I figured it was the insides (I was right, and it went away by the end of the second batch). I refuse to own a machine that can't be thoroughly washed. I held the cord up and after soaping it up, rinsed it well. Sprayed very little non-stick spray and let it heat up. I prepared half a box of vanilla cake mix and poured it up to about 1/4 from the top of the well. The book states that the red light will turn red when ready, but will frequently turn on and off to maintain the temperature of the unit. That means the light does not indicate when ready, but I really don't think it's needed, since it bakes the cakes up so fast. The book states to close the top as soon as you pour the in the batter. Both batches came out evenly cooked. The tops touched the top plate on the first batch, but no big deal-just a flatter top. Poured 1/2 ince from the top the next time and the tops had risen nicely on the second batch. The cakes came out fluffy! My kids ate one each plain, but then I split them open and put a little whipped cream on top. I cut mine open too and a portion of a sliced banana on each half. YummY!!! The cake size is about the size of a twinkie (I haven't had a twinkie in a while, so it may not be exactly that size). It may be a little shorter, but if so, then only by a little. I think eating one is great portion control; eating two is like eating an oversized muffin. These are so much better than mini muffins! I plan on using this a lot, so I will update as I go along. Good luck with yours!