Mini bundt cakes are a fun type of miniature cake that always seem to be a little more upscale looking than a cupcake. While you can dress up a cupcake, the beautiful designs of a bundt cake are hard to top when it comes to supplying dessert cakes for a party or other special occasion. Most mini bundts are slightly larger than cupcakes, so the molds hold more batter and give you a slightly bigger cake, though they are still small enough for one serving. If you want to go larger and still get the effect of miniature bundt cakes, Nordic Ware’s Quartet Mini Bundt Pan makes larger mini bundts in four different designs. The Quartet pan has four cavities that each hold 2 1/4 cups of batter. This is triple the size of a regular mini bundt pan and, when the pan is full, it uses the same amount of cake batter as a standard cake mix makes (or any recipe for a 9×13-in pan or two 8-in round cakes). Each of the small cakes has a different design – Star, Elegant Heart, Bavaria and Original Bundt – based on Nordic Ware’s most popular large bundt cake pans. The pan is made of heavy duty cast aluminum and has a nonstick interior, but greasing and flouring the pans will still help to ensure you get a clean release on all the little ridges and swirls that make these cakes look so beautiful.
While making four mini bundts is tempting, the other nice thing about the pan is that the small cakes are a very useful size. You can make just one or two of the bundts to serve to a small group, so you won’t have a huge cake sitting around when you are only trying to serve two or four people. Unserved cakes can be wrapped well and stored in the freezer for later use.
flora
July 8, 2011These look so pretty! Any clue about baking times for this size pan, so as to adapt recipes that originally call for using either a fullsize bundt or a mini-bundt?
Nicole
July 8, 2011Flora – It will depend a bit on the exact recipe you’re using (and the oven temp!), but I would say that 15-25 minutes would be the range that I would expect for most cakes in this type of pan.
Maureen
July 8, 2011I have two sets of these and sometimes find it difficult to get the stuff out without leaving some stuck on.
What’s the secret to pop out ease and cleaning?
Stephanie P.
July 12, 2011I love a mini, and I must have these pans!
@Maureen, Cook’s Country magazine recently said the best way they found to keep cakes from sticking is to grease the pan, put in parchment, grease the parchment, then flour the pan.
I would do that in regular cake pans, since these are small, and parchment would ruin the designs, I’d do a thorough grease then flour coating (or cocoa powder dusting if making chocolate cakes).
Taahir Latib
July 19, 2011@maureen
By greasing the pan it should be perfect or adding flour as Stephanie suggests
Just do not add too much as to alter the recipe.
During my internship as a chef I learnt the hard way of greasing and adding to much flour to your pan.
It will flop your cake if you use to much.
I would suggest a index finger dipped greasing of two molds of the pan with a light drizzle of flour on it,then add your mixture.
Alternatively I would suggest using a silicone mold it will be much easier to work with and wont require extra greasing.
Try to have a look at the Silikomart fantasy mold very similar to Nicole’s mold just in silicone.