I received this pan as a gift. It was purchased at Williams Sonoma, but I believe that Nordic Ware manufactures the baking pans from that store. The pan is very solid and heavy. It definitely will not dent if it is banged around inside the cabinet a bit!

Even though it has a non-stick coating, I used a pastry brush to spread Wilton's Cake Release on all the nooks and crannies in this pan. In the store, I know they use shortening and flour, but I find Cake Release to be easier and more reliable for getting cakes out of the pan without any breakage.

I used Duncan Hines' Red Velvet cake mix so that the rose would be red. I was not disappointed. I followed the directions for a bundt cake. I initally set the oven to 325 degrees as directed for a dark/coated pan, but after 45 minutes (the minimum recommended time) it was still soggy in the middle, so I turned up the heat to 350 degrees for another 7 minutes or so and it came out fine.

Since you will want to turn this cake "face down" on a serving dish, make sure to level the top of the cake before taking it out of the pan. I used the Wilton Cake Leveler for this, but you could run a good knife along the top rim of the pan instead. The cake came out of the pan without a problem. After it cooled, I sprinkled confectioner's sugar on it, but I guess the cake was so moist that it soaked it right in. Therefore, I would suggest having sugar on hand to sprinkle just before serving.

The Williams Sonoma site also suggests using a glaze on this cake, which would liven up the flavor a bit. (Red velvet cake tastes like a less sweet version of chocolate.)

If you do not use a glaze, make sure to store the cake tightly covered, as the cake could go stale being there is no icing to seal in the moisture.

I brought the cake to work, and several people commented on how nice it looked and how hard it must have been to make. In reality, it is much easier than a typical layer cake since no frosting is needed. It would be great to take to a dinner party or summer barbeque. Williams Sonoma also sells a sunflower version of the pan, so you could create a whole garden of cakes!

To clean the pan, I let it soak for a few minutes in soapy water to remove the residue from the Cake Release. Because of the design, it takes a little longer to clean than a smooth pan, but it still cleaned up easily.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 28?