How on earth do you use a cake mould?

[expatkat]

I come from a land where people buy, not bake, birthday cakes, so I confess I'm a baking ditz.

I have a rubber bear mould. I reckon I pour the batter into it. But then what? If I put it into the oven bear side down, the whole thing will be unbalanced. But if I put it in bear side up/batter side down, won't all the batter spill out?

Someone please help a hopeless baker!

(And no laughing at me! )

expatkat..no ones laughing promise bear side down, have you got anything it can balance on, maybe a loaf tin or similar?

Cheers, mothernature.

I take it you are ABSOLUTELY SURE?

If so, my experiment begins this afternoon after I pick up the kids. . .

oops didn't read it being rubber!

is it for the microwave or for jelly imstead

Hi everyone--I'm touched you've been trying to circumvent an oven disaster in my absence!

I do think it's going to be OK only because MIL used this very same mould (in the oven) to bake a cake quite successfully some years ago, and then gave the mould to me. She tried to explain to me how you use it, but I simply cannot remember. And I don't want to call her to ask her again because she's the sort of person who wouldn't be impressed with that. (And I also don't want her to know that I haven't used the mould until now.)

I suppose I'll work under the assumption that it's oven proof, but at the same time I'll keep an eye on the bear & remove it pronto at the first sign of deterioration.

Many thanks, you guys.

Expatkat - if you're worried about the mould wobbling in the oven, why not try "supporting" it with bits of scrunched up foil?

Put the mould on a baking tray (if you have one) then put some bits of scrunched up kithen foil under the bits that you think need support to stop the mould unbalancing.

You should also grease the (inside of the) mould really well before putting the batter in. Just use your fings to squidge around some soft butter into all the nooks and crannies. (See - I'm not assuming anything! !) The other thing you need to do is to leave it for a bit longer to cool down, once you take it out the oven, before turning it over to unmould it.

Good luck!

I have rubber cake moulds (from Lakeland of course) Prettybird's suggestion is very sensible about the baking tray otherwise they wobble around. Good luck and welcome to Baking Land

About that butter, prettybird. . er. . . (Cake is already in oven.)

We'll see if I actually stay in Baking Land, Tommy, or if this is just a quick drive-by. It will depend on whether or not the cake sticks to the mould, I reckon.

Beautiful bear cake, all in one piece (miraculously) with lovely home-made chocolate icing, making him a big brown bear. Yum! (And MIL will be so impressed.) Thanks again, all!

Expatkat, will you ask you MIL where she got it? Sounds fun! Homemade choc icing ..... mmmmmmmm.

JJ I got a teddy baking tin (not rubber mould) in Migros over here last year. btw I have tried to email you but think I'm using an out of date address.