The CakePanStore.com Blog

This past Valentines Day, my husband and I weren’t able to be together due to his work schedule. We decided to improvise and have two Valentines Day celebrations where we would both do something special for each other. We would celebrate one on February 13 and the other on the 15th.

Well, the 13th was my turn, and this is what I did…

I baked a cute heart shaped pizza (his favorite food) using a heart shaped cake pan. I used an old recipe I had laying around, and placed all the ingredients into the specially shaped pan, and here are the results.

For ingredients, I added mushrooms, pepperoni, and artichoke. Let’s just say that it was quite delicious and enjoyed with a nice bottle of wine.

If you thought that cake pans are only for baking cakes, then think again. In this post, I’m going to show you a creative new way to use your cake pans that you may not have thought of.

Particularly, I’m talking about shaped cake pans, and in this example, I’ll be using the Elmo face cake pan to bring Elmo’s World home with you in the form of an edible candy plaque using your Elmo cake pan. Here’s how…

Before you start, you’ll need some supplies.

You’ll need one Elmo face cake pan, one package of White Candy Melts, two packages of Red Candy Melts, orange and black candy colors, and disposable decorating bags.

Before adding anything to the Elmo cake pan, you must first, melt the package of White Candy Melt. Each package of Candy Melt is about 14 oz. Once the white candy is melted, divide it into thirds. One third you’ll leave white. One third you’ll add orange coloring, and one third you’ll add the black coloring.

Once you have these three colors, you’ll place the melted and tinted candy into disposable decorating bags (these are the same ones used to decorate cakes), cutting a hole at the bottom to release the candy as you squeeze the bag. You’ll be ready to start filling in the details of the Elmo cake pan.

Starting with the black candy, fill in the mouth, and pupils. Next, use the orange candy to fill in the nose. Refrigerate until firm. Once the candy is firm take, the Elmo cake pan out of the fridge and fill in the whites of the eyes. Refrigerate once again.

When the whites are firm, remove the pan from the fridge, and melt the 2 packages of Red Candy Melt. Mold the remainder of the face using the melted red candy. Please note that less than 1/2 the depth of the Elmo cake pan will be filled. This is normal.

Once the face is molded with the red candy, refrigerate until firm. After about 30 to 40 minutes, your candy Elmo should be ready to un-mold. You’ll know that it’s ready because when sufficiently chilled, the candy plaque will release from the Elmo cake pan easily.

You can un-mold the finished product from the Elmo cake pan onto your hand, a soft towel or a waxed paper covered cake board. When you’re ready to serve, simply cut to size.

There you have it. It’s so simple to bring the magic of Elmo home with these easy to follow instructions using your Elmo cake pan, and a few extras. Your kids will love how it looks, and how it tastes. Use the Elmo candy plaque for a birthday party, school party, or any other celebration where Elmo will be appreciated.

Start by purchasing your Elmo face cake pan at the premier online store. Visit CakePanStore.com today to get started.

You’ve just baked a beautiful cake and watched it rise nicely in the oven. Now it’s time to take it out. You put it on the rack or counter and leave it to cool. You come back to decorate it and it doesn’t look the same. It fell! Why? Cakes can fall for a number of reasons or even just one.

Temperature is a key factor. Cakes may fall when the baking temperature is too low or high. Be sure to follow the baking instructions and bake your cake at the specified temperature and cooking time. Taking your cake out a few minutes early can also cause it to sink.

Ingredients are sometimes the culprit in the case of the fallen cake. Incorrect ingredient measurements or not using fresh ingredients has been blamed for making cakes fall. Using the incorrect amount of water, flour, sugar or oil can do your cake in, literally.

High altitude will make cake baking tricky. Measurement adjustments must be made, usually less sugar and/or more liquids. My advice is to consult a cookbook specifically for high altitude baking.

Lastly, over or under beaten cakes will also fall. Over beaten cakes usually have too much air trapped in the batter. Under beaten cakes will not rise because the batter is too thick.

So what else can you do?

You may still be able to save the cake thanks to frosting. If you strategically place a little extra frosting in the areas of the fallen cake, no one will ever notice.

It’s also been said that you can prevent a cake from falling by doing the following: After the batter is in the pan, raise the pan a few inches from your counter and then let it drop onto the counter. Doing this will release the air bubbles.

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