Hi all,

Please help!  I’m trying to make a 3D bear cake and have tried Chocolate Fudge and Golden Luxury [as suggested by forum members].  Both taste great but were very soft and unable to hold the 3D shape after unmoulding.  The Golden Luxury (used Lindt white chocolate) held its shape better than the Chocolate Fudge, but it was still too soft to support the head.

What am I doing wrong? 

Did I unmould too soon?  I opened the pan after 10 mins (as per Wilton’s directions).  I tried both Wilton Release and Pam for Baking but the cake stuck to the pan in patches.  How much spray should I use, a light mist or a heavy white coat?  Am I taking it out of the oven too early?

I’d really appreciate any advice, thanks!

I find 10 min not sufficient.  what I do after 10 min is to take half pan off and rest the bear on the other half pan.  After 10 more min, I rest the bear on the first half pan you took off.  then let cool completelly and refrigerate still on either half pan.  when chilled, any cake that has buter in it wil become sturdy.

Mita,

You might try slightly longer beating times to help stregthen the cake’s structure, and following Hector’s advice to wait longer before unmolding should help also.  But you will still need to address the sticking problem.  Does the pan have too much detail to consider parchment? 

I’ve also heard that chocolate cakes are more prone to sticking, but not sure if that holds true for white chocolate. 

Good Luck, and let us know what finally works!
Julie

Hector, I unmoulded the bear somewhat as you described -  10 min in the pan, cool one side, replace pan and then the other side.  But I didn’t wait 10 min on each side and then I removed both sides to let it cool down completely, as per Wilton.  And then you let cool completely in one pan.  Should I regrease/respray the pan or wipe off the crumbs when I put it back on the bear?  I tried both because I found the cake stuck even more when I replaced it in the pan.  How much spray should I use, an even mist or a heavy white coat?

The cake was also a little damp and sticky in some spots, although the wooden skewer came out clean; was it underbaked?  I read through past posts and saw that Elicia used whole eggs, do they make it firmer?

Julie, I’ll try increasing the mixing times.  The cake has too much detail for parchment.

I know others have been successful with this so with your help, I’ll keep trying!

whole eggs as oppose to just yolks, will make it firmer.

If I see it sticking, line your pan with plastic wrap.  I don’t wipe off crumbs, takes too much work and heat.  Neither I respray due to the odd taste

When you do this cooling, you should leave the core, do you?

Be careful when you fill the pan with cake batter, you don’t want to wash off the spray coating if you need to stuff the bear well with a spatula.

I’ve done 3-D spherical cakes, and I always use Rose’s pouncake recipes. Poundcake is denser and stronger than other kinds of butter cakes. 

Baking 911 had a discussion about cakes releasing from bundt pans (a problem I’ve always had). Maybe the suggestions will apply to your cake pan. I haven’t yet tried their suggestions, but here is the link so you can check it out:  http://www.baking911.com/cakes/bundt.htm. The suggestions seem sensible, especially the part about using equal proportions of shortening, oil, and flour to prepare the pans.

Good luck!

Hector, I’ll line the pan with plastic wrap during cooling to avoid any sticking.  I do leave the metal core in, though the cake baked in there fell out.  I probably am wiping off some of the spray while filling it with cake. I’ve been pouring from a 4 cup measuring cup to get Wilton’s suggested 6 cups of batter, but the spatula sounds better.

Chrsitine, I just love the other cakes more, but if they still don’t work, I’ll try the poundcake or chocolate bread.  Thanks for the link.

And now with all your helpful suggestions, I’m ready to try Bear # 3!

Mita, I hope bear #3 turns out well. Keep us posted. I am not an experienced baker and so if I can do it, anyone can. Good luck!

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all of your input.  I incorporated all the suggestions and Bear # 4 was a success!  The bear was Sour Cream Butter cake with Sour Cream Ganache “fur” (the chocolate mousseline wasn’t dark enough) and mousseline for the light brown and white frosting.  The base was also Sour Cream Butter cake and mousseline.

My son recognized it as a bear and loved it, and everyone said it was delicious.  Thank you again for taking the time to help me, I couldn’t have done it without all the help!

Hi Mita - well done -what a great cake!

Awesome job.  It’s beautiful.

Great job Mita, and I love the way you decorated the bottom layer too.

Wow! Gorgeous cake!

Great job Mita! I’m so glad it turned out well.

Thank you for all the kind compliments.  It was a lot of fun to make, despite some stressful moments.  Now I can’t wait for another birthday!