( 5 reviews )
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Posted: May 25 2009
This is a great little pan for making individual shortcakes. The recipe that is attached to the pan is absolutely wonderful. Just make sure you grease the pan liberally or they will stick. My only complaint is the basket detail show in the picture is not what the final product looks like at all. I even tried to overbake the last time for more browning, but still does not look like a basket.
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Posted: May 5 2009
The first time I used this pan I tried a box of yellow cake mix (the kind with pudding in the mix). I followed the baking instructions for the "Butter Shortcake" recipe that came with the pan, 325 degrees for 20 minutes. I also put a baking sheet under the cake pan. I used Wilton "Cake Release" and let them cool for exactly 10 minutes before I easily removed them. Although they were fully baked, there was no browning on the outside so the basket definition just wasn't there. They looked more like the regular store bought shortcakes. Looking at the picture on the box it seemed to me they used a much denser cake recipe similar to a pound cake. So, for effort #2 I tried the "Butter shortcake" recipe that came with the pan. DISASTER!!! They stuck badly, and again, seemed underdone and pale in color. I finally decided to try my no fail Rum Bundtcake recipe (just google Bacardi Rum Cake) which always produces a nice brown crust. Instead of rum I used Grand Marnier. Baked it at 325 for 20-25 minutes, until the tops were a nice dark golden brown (unlike the previous attempts). I did not use a baking sheet underneath this time. Although the basket pattern is still not as smoothly defined as the photo on the box, they turned out nicely browned and I am satisfied enough to serve them for Mother's Day. I plan to glaze prior to filling them which I hope will help bring out the basket pattern some more. I probably would have given this product more stars had it not taken 3 attempts to get a satisfactory result. Has anybody out there produced a finished product that looks like the one on the box? If so, I would love to hear how you did it! By the way, I have used the Nordic Ware mini bundt pans with the Rum cake recipe and they always turn out great.
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Posted: Apr 18 2009
I used this pan for the first time today - I almost forgot I had it until my boyfriend brought over some strawberries and suggested shortcake. The pan came with a recipe but I already had a white cake mix I wanted to use up. I checked everywhere on-line for tips on using the pan with a mix but to no avail. Here's what happened. I baked the first batch at 350 degrees for 21 minutes - a little overdone, but edible. I put a little too much batter and it ran over the top. As suggested here, I used ALOT of floured cooking spray and they popped right out of the pan, but they didn't look much like the picture. The second batch, I used regular cooking spray and didn't put as much batter in, and only left them in for 19 minutes. They came out much better, but still the shape left a little to be desired. I think if I bang the pan down on the counter a couple of times to get rid of the air pockets, they will probably come out much better shape-wise. All in all, I'm please with the pan and hope my review helps others in my situation.
