Banana Cloud Cakes - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

These dessert cakes are topped with a yummy vanilla cream, whipped up in minutes. There's no last minute dash to the supermarket to buy cream when Easy Frost is on standby in your pantry! I love the pure white billowy texture and my family loved the taste.

  

I simply made a vanilla cake recipe with a couple of drops of banana creme oil flavouring added. I cooked it as individual shapes in my greased and floured dessert shell pans. Remember not to fill batter too high as they will rise. You could make a favourite cake like coffee, carrot or red velvet and take these desserts in any direction. Turn them out to cool on a wire rack.

Many of us bakers have a stack of various pans stashed in the cupboard. Get them out, dust them off and enjoy the novelty shapes! Nowadays you can also buy 6-12 cavity pans of funky shapes like snowflakes, baskets, fluted bowl and square to jazz up your food presentation.

I trimmed the bases of my mini cakes slightly so would stand up straight. Then I simply followed the packet instructions for Easy Frost vanilla mock creme and piled it in.

Some fresh banana slices and some banana candy topped this desert off nicely and it was a hit with all ages.

Princess Anna of Arendelle Frozen Cake - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

It was difficult for my daughter to move past her favourite movie Frozen when choosing a birthday party idea. So as mum I accepted the challenge and went about creating a cake to suit. This was my first attempt at a dolly varden style cake and I am pleased with the result.

Princess Anna's skirt is made with a dolly varden pan and she is sitting upon a hexagonal cake. I liked that it had 6 points reminiscent of a snowflake and thought it added more interest than a traditional square or circle base. 

This is a white chocolate mudcake so quite dense in texture and really easy to work with when decorating. It was a big mixture to fill both tins generously. We are talking 5+ cups of caster sugar and 700g butter eeek! Once baked and cooled I covered both cakes in a thin layer of buttercream that I added a couple of Tablespoons of sparkling plum powder to for a sharp fruity hit.

I first covered the skirt cake in a 'petticoat' thin layer of white fondant so it was sealed all over. Blue pettinice was the perfect colour to finish Princess Anna's skirt. I draped it in two panels, the front being embossed with a swirly design from the floral impression mat set. I covered the joins with a ribbon of jade fondant. Blue sugar pearls were inserted into the middle of the embossed flowers before the fondant dried. A purple scalloped base was made from fondant and a small circle cookie cutter and all were adhered with a little sugar glue. Rose designs were added to the sides to keep it looking authentic.

This dolls legs are incredibly long as she is pointing her toes. They ended up going halfway down into the base cake! It meant cutting a hole in the cake card for her ankles to slot through. I wrapped her lower body in plastic wrap so she didn't get dirty then used an apple-corer to cut a space down for her legs and bottom. The cake board was adorned with various size snowflakes made with this plunger cutter set. Actually I didn't even make the snowflakes, my daughter (then still 5) managed to stamp, plunge and glitter them entirely herself. We used white sparkes but they would've also been neat in silver or sea green. 

Here is our birthday princess in her specially tailored costume for the party - gotta love clever Nanas! Six years old today XX

I love receiving customer photos

I especially like receiving them late on a friday afternoon - it really makes my day. I just received this stunning photo of an orange cake, made in the Nordicware banana bread or "monkey" bread pan my lovely customer Elise kindly agreed I could show it to you all. I think she did a great job. It was made for her sons birthday. It is yet to receive it's orange drizzle icing, which is currently being mixed up. I adore Elise's suggestion of Grand Marnier syrup for an adult version.

A cake pan to make any letter or any number

This awesome new cake pan can make any letter or any number - what more do you need?. I have been so excited ever since I knew these pans were on the way. Today they have FINALLY arrived. They are very heavy and a nice quality.This wonderful cake pan can be used to create any letter from A to Z or any number from 0-9.
Simply follow the guide included to move the squares to create the outline of the shape required.
Spell out words for events, or a childs name. Can even be used to create no#s such as 2 & 1 to place on top of a large sheet cake for large celebrations.
Can be used with cake, brownie or Jelly. Measures 4x7x1'' deep.

How to bake the perfect bundt cake

Kiwicakes is proud to be a supplier of Nordicware. We've got some great Nordicware pans in stock, with many more to come. Here are some great hints and tips, for how to bake the perfect bundt.

HOW-TO BAKE THE PERFECT BUNDT CAKE

Helpful Hints For Fail-Safe Results

You do not have to be a culinary expert to bake a perfect Bundt® cake or bake in any of the various Nordic Ware shaped pans. You just need the proper tools and the inside know-how! Say goodbye
to cake sticking to the sides of the pan and hello to the many “oohs” and “ahhs” you’ll get when presenting your work of art to guests or to the kids!
1. Use the proper cooking spray. Spray the Bundt® pan with a non-stick vegetable oil. We recommend a non-stick spray such as Bakers Joy* which contains flour. After spraying, take a pastry brush and brush the oil into the grooves of the pan and then turn the pan upside down on a paper towel, allowing excess oil to drain away. Avoid using spray with Lecithin listed as an ingredient as a gummy residue can build up over time. Better than using spray, brush pan with a solid vegetable shortening and dust lightly with flour. Briskly tap the pan several times with the palms of your hands to distribute the flour evenly and then turn pan upside down over a sink to remove excess flour

2. Avoid bubbles in the batter. To prevent air bubbles in the cake, slowly pour the batter in one corner of the pan and allow the batter to slowly flow in and around the Bundt® design.
Gently tap the filled cake pan on the counter a few times, this will make the air bubbles/pockets rise up and away from the outside of the cake.
3. Showcase the details using a spatula. Mixes and recipes may vary, so fill the pan about 3/4
full to avoid overflow. With a spatula, push the batter to the outside of the pan pushing
slightly up the walls; this will help the cake climb up the sides, giving you greater detail on the outside of the cake.
4. Bake and then cool for 10 minutes before inverting. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven. Black or dark colored pans require a 25-degree Fahrenheit (10°C) heat reduction from the recommended oven temperature. Bake for time indicated and cool 10 minutes – no less, no longer. With hot pads, pick up the cake pan and gently shake the pan from side to side listening for thumping. This indicates cake is loose and ready to invert. A plastic knife may be used to carefully loosen the cake around the center tube and sides if sticking persists.
5. Invert, continue cooling and dust or drizzle. Invert on plate or cooling rack; continue to cool. Dust with powdered sugar using a sifter or drizzle your favorite sauce on top. ENJOY!
*Instructions can be used with any Nordic Ware Bundt pan.
For more information about Nordic Ware visit www.nordicware.com