Baking a cake in a pudding basin??

[kiwidreamer]

I'm making a fairy toadstool cake for DD's birthday, I've got a 1.5lt pyrex bowl for the stalky bit (the one Tesco have in their collect stamps and buy offer at the moment) and need to find something suitable to bake the top of the toadstool in... can I bake a cake in a pudding steamer? Is a pudding steamer the same as a pudding basin?!

It needs to be about 2.25 or 2.5ltrs or 9/10 cups in size but all the listings on Amazon are in cm's, that will be the diameter of the pudding basin I assume. The pyrex bowl I have is 16cms and 1.5ltr so should I be looking for about a 20cm pudding basin - what do people think??!!

I don't really want to spend very much on the bowl but I suppose I could go to John Lewis or something for a touchy feel and then order online for cheaper :)

They sell 20cm pyrex in most supermarkets or cheap stores. An old fashioned pudding basin has a flatish bottom.

To be honest I have never had success with cooking in a pyrex the cake is either bone dry (yuk) or stodgy. I have done many and thrown out many. This is what I do - I use a 15cm basin (line base with a little parchment snipping around to get it to snugly fit) and 15cm tall cake tin. I make up the cake mix (use a moist recipe) I poor 1/3 of the mix in the pudding dish and 2/3 into the tin - cook. The pudding dish takes ages and will be near enough the same as the cake tin. This works as you get a smooth round top as a template.

I would not cook a cake in a bigger pyrex it will not cook the outside will cook first the middle will be raw and peak. (too deep to cook). I would bring in the same principle here - pop some in the pyrex and the rest in a deep tin. Dont forget to line!!!!!

Granche/butter cream two pieces together - you may need to trim first to obtain level. Then slightly freeze, Trim edges to make shape similar shape as dish then trim down the base to get a more rounded finish.

I have used this way on many of the kids cakes including ladybird, hedgehog and alien cake (see pics).

I wonder how you will hold up the cake - I assume you will pop a cake card on the base and then dowel the stump???

Hope helps.

If its a 20cm bowl then I would slice the main part and buttercream/granache (hence 3 layers) freeze then trim. You must granche/cream first otherwise youll have a bumpy finish and be a nightmare to finish.

I would use a moist recipe such as a real chocolate cake or a moist vanilla (obmit the vanilla you can use orange or lemon etc) It does not have to be a heavy maderia or a dry victoria as long as you freeze then you can carve to shape. I personally always use a chocolate or vanilla and chocolate granache as this give a smooth finish without too much sickily buttercream.

Hmmmm I'm panicking a wee bit now at baking in the basin / pyrex, I have a brilliant recipe for a moist but dense cake that uses sour cream in the recipe. I've used it before and think the consistency will be right, the Australians Womens Weekly instructions say that the top will sit on a cardboard round... I assumed this was something I could just buy, better go check that out!

I'm going to do a practice run on the stalk cake this weekend, that's the pyrex dish... if its a total nightmare then I might buy another pudding basin or bail on toadstool idea

That cake's going to be huge, isn't it?

I've done ordinary Victoria Sponge mix in pudding basins (to make the head & body of a snowman) , but I've microwaved it, so I suppose it's more like a steamed pudding, but it keeps it light. I've made the same cake (no imagination) with madeira cake, baked in the oven in the usual way.

Both were fine

I think Lakeland are selling spherical type cake tins, unsure of size though.

Just had a look - hemisphere cake pans