What recipe should I use for this pan?

February 20, 2008 1:19 PM

What is the best recipe for a castle shaped cakelette pan (think mini bundt cakes) with many sharp angles?

I have this castle cakelette pan by NordicWare. I used a cupcake recipe from Cook's Illustrated today that tasted fabulous, but was too delicate and did not show the definition of the pan well. Can anyone recommend a recipe that will get down into the grooves of this pan and show lots of definition? Tasting great is also a requirement. ;-)

posted by HauteMama to food & drink (6 comments total)

I'd go with a pound cake.
Good definition with the dense texture.
posted by Seamus at 1:28 PM on February 20, 2008

Bundt cake. Very firm. Any bundt recipe should work.
posted by GuyZero at 1:29 PM on February 20, 2008

I agree with Seamus and with GuyZero. I have a castle-shaped bundt pan and a train cake mold that makes a cake that stands up, and both do really well with either bundt or pound cake recipes. What they have in common is density, and both will nicely define the details of your mold. You don't want a recipe that results in cake either light or airy - you want that heaviness. Go for something that bakes to a medium/golden color - too dark or too light and you don't see highlights and lowlights of the details all that well. There are tons of recipes online, and in a pinch I have been known to use a boxed cake mix. But don't tell anyone.
posted by iconomy at 1:39 PM on February 20, 2008

Ooooh my favorite: Persimmon Pudding with Hard Sauce. This is a wintertime winner. Rich, dark, fruity spice cake with buttery sauce. Has always come very neatly out of tall, intricate molds for me.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:42 PM on February 20, 2008

I should add: you sift powdered sugar over the balck cake before serving, and it makes it look beautiful!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:43 PM on February 20, 2008

I was thinking pound cake too. I guess I should mention I'm making these for my daughter's first birthday. While that Persimmon Pudding looks lovely, I don't think the baby would go for it.
posted by HauteMama at 2:23 PM on February 20, 2008