3D Teddy Bear Results - With Heating Core Vs Without!
Decorating By Darra Updated 9 Jul 2014 , 4:26am by cupcake9000
i started my little experiment yesterday!
the vanilla cake was made with a heating core (NOT advisable - it was hard to take out the tabs from the pan itself without ruining the rest of the cake)
not too bad, nothing a little frosting can't fix... but it does come out much nicer if you leave out the heating core 
the chocolate cake was made WITHOUT the heating core and a whole lot more cake release! also, lower heat and longer bake time (by about 10-15 minutes) this one's the winner! 
yay!
the cake was nicely cooked through, i used a long wooden skewer and poked right through from top to bottom and it came out with a few fudgy crumbs still attached - which is exactly what i was going for
so, my advice is to ditch that silly heating core!
Yeah...I would use the core too.With the core it still took an hour or so to bake so I would also be worried it wouldn't be baked inside.It is a pain in the butt to remove though....
.It is a pain in the butt to remove though....
So far, I've only made these for parties I was attending. I just left the darn thing inside and covered the tabs with frosting. Retrived the core from the pile of crumbs at the end and took it home. I guess that's the coward's way around the problem. 
I actually bought my 3d bear tin on ebay and it came minus the core and minus the clips. I still used it with some home clips and never used a core. I've made it 5+ times and it's *always* cooked through. Never had a problem, and it's always very stable too.
Nati
), it came out with a few fudgy crumbs still attached, which is exactly what i was going for! I made the winnie the pooh 3-d bear cake and I left the core in place and just frosted over the tabs. then once hte cake was eaten I took the core home! no problems there at all!
i guess you could just leave the core in, but i really wouldn't want to risk it getting lost (even if i won't use it anymore!)... i may want to sell the pan one day (who knows, right? ) and i wanted to make sure all parts are accounted for that plus i don't have to bother waiting for anything to be returned before i can start on another cake
thank you for proving it can be done without the darn core 
That always scared me off from the full sized bear ( I've only done the mini). Post a pic when you get him decorated? 
Kiddiecakes - was it you that I read once had the most FAB idea? When you take the heating core out, you put jelly beans or other candy inside, frost up the bottom of the bear with frosting, and it's a fun surprise for the kids when they dig in? I haven't tried it yet, but I think that's a great idea! I'm so afraid that if I take the heating core out after it's baked that the whole thing will collapse!
I've made the full size bear three times with the core. The first time I put some batter into the core, like the directions said. What a nutjob that was! My "core cake" crumbled when I took it out so the next two times I just baked cupcakes and shoved those up the bear's butt after the cake cooled (my husband called home when I was doing this... "whatcha doin' hon?"... "shoving cupcakes up a bear's butt!"). The main cake was really thin around the shoulder area - I guess my core wasn't evenly centered.
I'd love to try it without the core.
Sharon
I have baked a sponge cake in the wilton pooh bear 3d pan and it came out fine. I agree about leaving out the baking core, it is more hassle than it's worth to me as I am not patient in taking things out slowly, I wrench them and half the cake comes too!
I reeeealllllly want to bake a different sort of cake other than sponge in this pan and the 3d duck too. Has anyone successfully baked a mud cake in these pans?
Calling NATI and FRAN... I know you often bake muds have you done any in 3d pans????????????????????
I've baked the 3D bear for several years now - I always use Betty Crocker choc and fill him a little past the top of his feet. Yes soemtimes it runs over so I alsway put a cookie sheet in the bottom of the oven.
After he is baked let him set for a few minutes and then gently lay him on his back remove the front and let him lay there for a few minutes to cool. Then put the face back on him turn him over and remove the back. Let him lay on his face until cool. If I bake him late in the evening - I will let him cool overnight on his face. Then I trim the bottom level & don't have any problems.
Hope this helps.
I use a strawberry cake mix for the teddy bear once and I also used the heating core with no problem.
My question is about the outside of the cake...since it bakes so much longer without the core, doesn't the outside get awfully hard?
I always use a core...I fill the core with a little cake batter and I use that to replace the core after I take it out. To remove the core, I actually remove one side of the pan first and THEN remove the core, because its too hard to undo the tabs otherwise. It is always a teeny bit stressful removing the core, but if the cake is fully baked it always seems to work out fine.
The 3D bear seems to take a bit of practice when you first try it out, but once I figured it out, its fine.
Hi everyone,
It is to good to hear how everyone else does things. I have done the 3D bear with and without. I thought that I would share my pan smear recipie for those that don't know it.
You mix eqaul parts Crisco(shortening of your choice). vegetable oil and flour. Mix it in your mixer, I find that the whip is a better choice. the whipped mix is really easy to apply. YOu can just put this in a container with a lid and store in the pantry. When baking, just get out your pastry brush and brush a fairly generous coat. your cakes always slide out like butter.
As for the bear. As I said I have done it both ways. To make is bake a little quicker, just pan release both the outside and inside of the heating core. Fill you bear pan, place the core inside and then fill th core with cake. When it cools, you flip opend the bear, take out the core and turn upside down, the cake inside the core comes out and you then fill the whole with the cake.
Or you can simply bake without the core at all.
Have fun.
My question is about the outside of the cake...since it bakes so much longer without the core, doesn't the outside get awfully hard?
Kitagrl - i used a choclate mudcake recipe for the final teddy! he baked up fine the outside wasn't hard at all, only the exposed part got a little toasted, but i had to cut that off anyway to make a flat bottom so the cake could stand upright
Darra that looks fantastic! He has such a sweet little face!
Is there any way you could pm me the mud cake recipe you used? I tried one once and it all dribbled out of the sides while baking as the batter seemed too thin.
AHey I am trying to make a pooh bear 3D cake but I don't have the core or the clips what eals can I use
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