What’s Better Than A Huge Pumpkin Cake? Mini Pumpkin Cakes!
Written: Jul 11 '03
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Pros: Great for making individualized mini cakes, easy to use.
Cons: Can be a little hard to clean if not dealt with immediately.
The Bottom Line: Put a fright into your Halloween guests with the mini pumpkin cakes!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Wilton Mini Pumpkin Pan |
What would Halloween be without a few pumpkin cakes? Better yet – mini pumpkins! I received this as a gift several years ago and while I didn’t use it right away, it’s become a staple for my Halloween baking and decorating! This isn’t the type of baking tray that you will use often – but when the need arises it is a real lifesaver to be able to bake six mini cakes at one time rather than using individual mini molds and having to balance them out on a cookie sheet, ultimately wondering if they are cooked all the way. It might take a little time to prep the pan and decorate them but the end result is well worth the effort – especially when you see the reactions on kids faces when they each get their own mini cake or see their name on a pumpkin.
Wilton Mini Pumpkin Cake Pan 2105-1499
If you’ve never seen this baking pan, here’s the scoop. It’s a little smaller than a standard baking sheet and has six mini pumpkin wells that get filled with cake batter to make mini pumpkin cakes. You can also use this for brownies or pumpkin loaves. You might need to vary the baking time a little depending on which type of cake you are making but generally they take twelve to fifteen minutes to bake in a preheated oven. For brownie and pumpkin loaves you might want to use a little less batter or mix to avoid getting a rounded top – this means they won’t lay flat when you go to decorate them. If this happens you can slide them with a knife to create a flat surface or allow them to completely cool in the pan and use the Wilton Cake Leveler to slowly go over the tops.
Each baked cake is about four inches wide, inch and a half deep and almost three and a half inches high. This means they are the perfect size for individual cakes for kids or adults that might be tempted to have seconds or thirds from a standard sized cake. Out of a single cake mix you should be able to get about twelve mini cakes depending on how you pour them out. If you use a little more in each well, you might only end up with eleven. I don’t use an oil spray to coat the inside of the pan, instead I use a basting brush with vegetable oil to make sure that the entire surface has a thin coating. I then tip it over to allow excess oil to drain out and flour the insides of each well. This might take a little longer to do than using a spray but you will get a nice release from the cake and won’t have to worry about any part of the cake sticking to the pan. Since there is a lot of detail to the pumpkin, it really pays to take your time with this step.
The finished product might not look all that impressive – especially if you are using a chocolate cake mix or brownie mix. A lot of the detail to the cake won’t be seen until you start to decorate it. There is an instruction sheet on how to decorate your little treasures but this is just the basics – how you choose to decorate them is completely up to you. There are also detailed instructions on how to bake the cakes and some very helpful hints. I like to use a white cake mix and add a few drops of orange food coloring [make it a little lighter than normal since it will darken as it bakes] so I can eliminate having to frost or ice the entire cake. The pumpkins have a nice jack-o-lantern look to them, have a small stem section at the top and a huge toothy smile.
Care & Cleaning
Making sure that you get this completely clean is a mission priority. I generally soak this for about 15 minutes in warm water than use a small stiff brush to get into the crevices. I don’t suggest using this in the dishwasher for one simple reason – if there are pieces of cake mix stuck in the cervices, there is a good chance that a normal dishwasher might not be able to power it out. If it goes through the drying cycle, it might just get baked into the crevice. Digging out these pieces with a knife could bend the mold or puncture it. Since I’ve had mine for a few years it doesn’t look as good as it did when it was new but aside from a few baked on oil spots and dents around the edges, it’s still perfectly usable.
Things To Know
If this pan doesn’t seem like it would work for you, there are several Wilton alternatives. The petite pumpkin pan [2105-8462] will yield 12 cakes [about two inches a piece] and serves as a great alternative to making cupcakes. If you are looking for something bigger, the Jack-O-Lantern pan [2105-3068] will give you one large cake about twelve inches by twelve inches. This is great for those that don’t want to invest a lot of time into decorating but still want something festive as a centerpiece. You can also go with the pumpkin pie pan [2105-3970] – which does just as it says – it’s a pie pan for making pumpkin pies.
You don’t have to use this for baking; it also serves as a very creative serving dish for candy corn or other Halloween candy. Add a few yellow and black bows on the side and you have a colorful and festive serving dish for treats. If you don’t want to use this for serving candy or it looks a little beat up, you can still hang it on the wall with a few ears of dried corn and a couple of bows. Since the small hang hole is on the right side [horizontal] you might want to poke a few small holes in the top so you can display it correctly. Another alternative is to use it for small votive candles. Make sure that you line the bottom of the pumpkin wells with sand to prevent he wax from sticking and keep it on a surface that won’t be damaged by heat. Martha Stewart I am not, but if I can do it, anyone can.
This last suggestion takes a little bit of time and patience, but trust me – it is well worth it! You can use this to make a 3-D cake, it might be small but it is always something that gets tons of compliments. Bake the cakes as usual, allow them to cool completely and decorate them as you wish. Make sure the bottoms are as flat as possible. You then take extra icing or frosting and apply a moderate coating to each side. Press them together and viola – an instant mini 3_D cake. You can also do the same thing with ice cream. Make sure you purchase the rectangular half-gallon containers and slide them about a quarter inch thick. Take parchment paper and make a template of one of the completed cakes and use this to cut out the ice cream. Slide the ice cream between the cake and serve. I like to top mine with strawberry milk mix [the liquid kind] to give it a creepy appearance.
The Bottom Line
While I initially didn’t think this would get much use due to the amount of time that would be needed to decorate the individual cakes, it has turned out to be a real blessing. I can make individual cakes for the kids, create small pumpkins to give to guests and use the baking pan as a serving tray for treats. With a little bit of care your pan will serve you for many years and it should be considered a must have for hard-core Halloween fans. I received mine as a gift but I did check the Wilton Online Store to verify the price - $9.99 all year round. You might be able to pick this up for a few dollars less after Halloween but even at the suggested retail price, I consider this a real bargain.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Halloween related products and reviews …
Wilton Spooky Cookie Cutter Set
Wilton Dancing Skeleton Baking Cups
Wilton Halloween Mix
Wilton Copper Halloween Cookie Cutter Set
Wilton Black Colored Sugars
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): Gift
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