OT- need help with Christmas baking

[mousy_in_canada]

I am catering a Christmas banquet on Saturday, and I am trying to make little individual cakes that are in a cake mould, it is in the shapes of Christmas trees, stars, wreaths and poinsettias.. now.. my issue is every time I make some they just look like clumps of cake... can't see the detail.. I was going to make molten lava cakes but I found out as soon as they cooled, they shrunk in on its self.. regular cake has bubbles and you can't see the detail.. does anyone have a recipe that you think will work.. I made mini chocolate cheesecakes yesterday and they turned out the best out of what I have done so far... what do you think.. . here is a pic of the pan so you can see what I am talking about
Thanks for ANY help you can give me.
I really should not have taken this on so close to leaving!

 

[luvdiz2]

Could you detail with icing?

btw they look yummy!

 

[mousy_in_canada]

you know, I thought that because I make Birthday cakes to order with wilton icing but they are WAY to detailed and it would take forever to make 60 of them.. I was just going to make molton lava cakes and put cherries and green garnish on the plate with chocolate piped on the plates, because of the detail they are driving me insane with trying to get the best look and they have to taste ok too lol

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

This recipe might work - it's a fairly dense cake but it is the best ever chocolate cake I've had. found it when we had to make my ds' his first birthday cake and he was allergic to eggs and dairy! The only thing I would suggest though to make the detail come out is to dust it with icing sugar after you take it out of the pan.

No egg Chocolate cake

3 c flour ¾ c cooking oil
2 c granulated sugar 2 tsp vinegar
½ c cocoa 2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda 2 c water
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Measure dry ingredients into a bowl, mix and make a well in the center.
Add remaining ingredients into the well and mix until smooth. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

These are cupcake size, how long would you say to bake them for?
I am going to try it tonight.
THANKS!

 

[madonna31]

BitsnBearsmom - do you know if that cake can be frozen? Sounds GREAT!

 

[Donald - my hero]

I used to own a home - based cake baking business (Cause for Celebration)

For all those pans that are in shapes I found a product that I believe is made by WILTON. It comes in a tub and is called "quick release"

Cake Release
by Wilton

No need to grease and flour your baking pans; just brush pans with cake release. Spread cake release on the bottom and sides of cake pans with a pastry or grease brush and fill with batter. Cakes release perfectly without crumbs every time, giving you the ideal surface for decorating.
8 ounce bottle.

I used it allll the time and loved it! Another tip , whenever I was out of the stuff or now that i just do home baking, I grease the pan and then coat it with DRY CAKE MIX. This won't leave a flour flavour to it. Hope this helps

 

[mousy_in_canada]

OH I LOVE that stuff by Wilton, it really is awesome I have 3 bottles on hand for my wilton cakes I would hate to run out of it!
Great tip about the cake mix too, that is smart

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

I usually do 18-20 mins for cupcake size and always check after 15 mins or so. When the cake springs back or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean it's done.

This really is the only chocolate cake we make now - it's not crumbly and messy when they eat it either!

And yes I've frozen it before - I made a train cake that had to be done in sections and it was easier to freeze each section to work on it that way.

I love baking and decorating cakes!

 

[Mortlives]

After you've baked them, could you spray the tins, line them with melted chocolate and stick the cakes back in until the chocolate hardens into a shell for them? I think that would work.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

What a great idea, I can brush it on it the sides, that may really work for the detail!!!