@ChesterV Have you tried the petit four pan by Nordic?
I have tried and tried but can never get the definitions to come out.
Have gone as far as to use my homemade baker's grease and a paintbrush to make sure every nook and cranny is coated.
Nothing stuck but only a couple turned out.
Called their customer service and they suggested a pound cake batter but nope that didn't work either....
I have dropped the pan on a solid surface so many times that the pan is now dented so can't be that the batter isn't getting down there.
I do a lot of teas and really want this to work ....
You mean this?
No, I have not used this.
I do have the mini bundt pan mentioned earlier, and I have had issues with the cake sticking in that as well. I really, REALLY have to bang the pan on the table to get the cakes to come out!!!
I have found though, using that spray with the flour in it, does actually help a lot.
The problem with really small molded shapes like this, is that the smaller you get, the worse the cake sticks. I've even heard that people who used silicone mold pans like this have a heck of a hard time getting the cake out.
I wish I could show you what I am about to explain to you, as it would be better visually, but I am unable to, so I hope this makes sense.....
First off, you want to use a thick, viscous batter, like an old fashioned wedding cake batter. It is thick, but bakes pretty solid, and comes out of molded pans the best. Which is why the guy told you to use a pound cake batter. The problem with pound cake though, is it is not viscous enough, as it will crack up a lot when trying to get it out of a pan.
Bake the cake to the point it just starts turning brown on top....maybe "dark beige". What this does is allows the cake to cook as solid as possible without burning or drying out. The more solid the cake, the better it will come out of a molded pan. Tiny molded pans like this are still a hazard though.
Once you get the cake pan out of the oven, tap the hell out of it! Tap it to the side, tap it this way, tap it that way, tap, tap, tap. This will loosen the hot cake from the sides of the mold. You should be able to see the cakes in the pan come loose from the sides.
Let the pan cool, with the cakes in it after tapping. Once cool enough to touch without burning yourself (you still want them warm), tap, tap, tap, tap, tap again.
Place a flat cookie sheet or baking pan over the cake pan, flip it over and "drop" it onto the counter or the table. Not enough to damage anything, but enough to jolt the pan.
Slowly lift one edge of the pan to see if the cakes come out of the molded pan. If some of them stick, dont force them out. Do the tapping thing all over again. Usually, the ones in the middle of the pan don't get jolted or tapped enough, as the ones on the edge do. So just take your time and tap the heck out of it until it comes loose. If it still looks like it wants to stay stuck in there, turn it upside down over the flat pan or cookie sheet and tap it upsidedown, against the table while holding it on one end at an angle, so you can see if the cake falls out or not.
If it still stays stuck, you can try and use a soft plastic knife or plastic flat toothpick to coax it out.
You might have to give up and just rip the little sucker out if it wants to be obstinate.
Well, thats the best way I can explain how to handle that situation. I hope it makes sense.
Another trick (this does not work for me) some people use, is to do the tap, tap, tap method to loosen the cakes in the pan, then stick the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Supposedly the loosened cakes will shrink away from the pan and you can turn it over onto a cookie sheet or flat pan and tap it upside down to get them to fall out.
Let me know if any of that helps.
It's time I learned my pans so help me out.
