Ok, so my first bear only filled out half (used a wilton pound cake recipe). So then i tried the recipe from cc for pound cake that is good for 3d pans and it was very moist and not dense enough and it all crumbled!!! 2 bears and not one turned out, what a waste. what am i doing wrong...
cake 1: very dense...too dense and did not fill out
this is the recipe i used:
1 1/2c butter
2 1/2 c gran. sugar
5 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
3/4tsp almond flavour
3 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c milk
Picture attatched of what i did with it
cake 2: recipe was from cc which said it was good for 3d cakes and had a 5 star rating. the cake was very moist and fell apart. also there was no cake that over flowed.

both times i baked at 350 for about an hour.

i really really want to make a stand up bear and i was so excited and now im just so upset...two cakes ruined .

please any help is appreciated

don't have an answer cause I've never made the 'big bear' cake but I was just thinking how lucky those birdies were...
I'm sure someone here will be able to help you out.

mommachris

I know the scratch cake folks don't like it when I say this, but if you use a pound cake mix for that cake, you won't have that issue. When you want a cake that you KNOW you can count on, you cannot beat a cake mix. I strongly feel that way. All my teapot cakes are made with the pound cake mix - and I never have any issues at all with it. It always stays together just fine. I am sure it will take more than one mix - I don't have that particular pan....it may even take 3. If you try it, I am sure it would work for you....but it won't be a "scratch" cake.

I am sorry that this is stressing you out so.....the birds and squirrels are going to be loving you though!

anyone else...ideas...tips...anything....

Hey...umm, I've made that and I used a pound cake recipe...came out perfect the first time...

and the way you cool it makes a difference too...u take off one half and leave it about 1/2 hr...then flip it onto the other half and leave it 1/2 hr...keep doing that till it's completely cool...

if u really really really want it to work...i would use a mix, that's like the guarantee...but if u have a good pound cake scratch recipe try that one...

ohhh, and another thing...i don't butter and flour, i just spray with canola oil...WORKS LIKE A CHARM!

The poster did use a cakemix on her second attempt.

I looked at the 3D recipe and it is just a bundt cake recipe. Bundt cakemix cake is not heavy like pound cake. I've made a lot of bundt cakes and they only have problems when I flip them too soon. How long did you let the pan cool?

There is also a "super-enhanced cakemix" recipe. I tried someone's version of this and it still produced a cake that fell apart. Also, if you try the recipe be sure to add extra flavoring. The addition of the sugar and flour weaken the flavor of the cake.

I'm sorry for your failed attempt, but the pic of bear's head in the tree is priceless.

duplicate post

I made the large 3D bear pan cake in June. I used the chocolate chip pound recipe from this website (the variation of this Cherry Pound Cake).

http://robinhood.ca/recipe.details.asp?prcid=11&rid=7

I was afraid of too much of the batter spilling out over the top, so I filled it with the exact amount needed, I think 6 cups for the bear and another 2/3 cup for the heating core. I had tons of extra batter. It was nice and dense but tasted really good.

I used Wilton's Cake Release also. It came out with no problem

HTH!
Mirjana

Ok, on the side of a mix theres a recipe to modify for pound cake....

1 mix
1 instant pudding
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil

try this one...if it's not good interbranch mail it to 335, they'll eat anything!

Using a pound cake mix is quite different that using a cake mix as an ingredient (IMO) The pound cake mix is quite a different texture than any other cake. I suggest that she use the pound cake mix and the recipe on the box only to try it and see if it works. She has tried a scratch cake and a cake mix doctored recipe.....I think I would try just the plain old mix - the reliable old standby.

thanks guys, i had no problem removing the cake from the pan. the 2nd recipe(the 3d cake recipe from cc) was just too moist and the bear pretty much just caved. the first recipe was very very dense and didnt fill out the pan. might have to try a pound cake mix. maybe tommorow after work if i feel up to it. right now im still very disappointed, a whole day of work and nothing to show for it.

oh, on the 2nd attempt the bear didnt really fill out completely. it could of filled out better, there was no overflow. is 6 cups of batter really enough. the first time i measured out the batter. the 2nd time i just filled up the bear with all the batter. i would be very happy if it would have overflowed. if 350 ok for temperature.

I would fill the pan until it was almost completely full, place it on a cookie sheet in the oven and bake it at 325 - but you will have to bake it longer than the mix says.....by 15 -20 minutes I would say at a guess. the mixes are fool proof. You will feel much better about the whole thing once you try it....and they don't taste bad at all.

Another thing I do with a 3-D cake is bake it with a brick on the top of the pan to hold them together! (wash one real good and use it as the weight to hold the pan together while it is baking) I have one that I keep here just for that reason.

It took me several tries to perfect the 3D bear... I mix one Duncan Hines yellow cake mix with one Betty Crocker pound cake mix, and that seems to be just about the perfect amount, and it is stronger so holds up well for the bear. I also fill the core with some cake, not as full as the pan, to replace the core with later. Just make sure you initially cool it the SAME way you baked it, NOT right side up as the instructions suggest. Then, cool it per directions the rest of the way allowing it to sit in one side 15 min, then the other side until completely cool.

Since I followed the above, I have not had any more breakages.

Well, the bear looked really cute up in the tree, like he was waiting for someone to come along and visit.

If that ever happens again and you end up with only half a bear, why don't you try putting him a top something like a wonder mold and making a dress for her. That would be cute (I think)

Has anyone tried the bear with a dream cake recipe (cake mix, dream whip, 4 eggs, 1 cup water)?
Does anyone think this would work?

I'm just about ready to try the bear cake . . .
but now I'm kind of nervous.

The one I did, the legs fell off.

Your bear is cute in the tree.

i went to 4 different stores and they dont have pound cake mix (im in ontario canada) what am i going to try next....this really sucks!!! but thanks for all your advice.

Try a chocolate or yellow betty crocker cake mix. I have several 3d pans including the bear and that's what I use. I use more than one mix and fill it a little fuller than the directions call for with a cookie sheet under to catch overflow. I've never used pound cake in one of them.

I use the Pillsbury with pudding in mix for my Winnie, Barbie and Care Bear cakes.

I use more batter than it calls for and just put the pan on a cookie sheet to catch the overflow.

I tried this cake extender recipe in several different flavors. This recipe measures out to be about 7 cups when cut in half(just enough for your bear)
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-13632.html

The french vanilla would not work in the 3D pan, but I think a yellow cake will.
I cut this recipe in half, except for the pudding mix. I used an 8 serving box of vanilla instant pudding to one box of yellow cake mix, 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 4 eggs etc. This cake felt like pound cake.

I tried this recipe with Devils food, french vanilla, and yellow dough. The yellow felt twice as heavy as all the others. I honestly think the yellow would work in the 3D pan.

Good luck! I know how frustrating it is. I'm new to all this too.

I just used DH mix. I've used choc. and white. The white mix did seem more stable than the choc. I too made it two times. The first time he had no feet.
I used two DHcake mixes and over filled. Worked great. I used the extra mix for CC's Cooling for the exact time inst sheet says is VERY important! I got to antsy the first time. Followed to the minute second time. Had no problems with it second cake!

Princessjellybean

I too have done this 3D bear cake (the big one) and it took me 3 times to get it right! I also live in Canada and what another CC member (Freddy from Calgary, AB) told me was to find cake mixes that say they have pudding in them already. It will say this right on the box. I have done 2 of these bears now and those seem to work for me! I also add a package of pudding just the dry contents. I think if you do a search under gibson you should find the topic with all of the info, because I have just moved and my instructions are packed away still. The cooling technique is also important IMO. Freddy was the one who helped me through this (as well as other cc members!) but I did exactly what she said and it worked like a dream! I will try and search for this topic I just don't know how to link it back to this forum.......
mazaryk: I tried the dream whip recipe and it did not work for me but it tasted great!