Lodge made a cast iron bundt pan which they offered until about 2002. It comes up occasionally on ebay. I know there are fakes/reproductions of the Griswold Santa pan, Rabbit pan and Lamb pan. I have no idea how to identify the reproductions but since there's no way I'd be paying mega-bucks for a cake mold, for me it's not an issue. You might consider a homemade Baker's Pan Coating, which won't leave the residue Pam does. It works extremely well with cast iron. 1 part shortening, 1 part flour, 1 part oil. Whip the shortening till fluffy. Add the flour and beat well then the oil. Finished texture should be like soft buttercream. Store in the fridge and apply with a basting brush. It works better with bundt pans and molds than any commercial product I've tried. Carol

Actually a pound cake type recipe works best for anything that's in a more intricate mold. There are good chocolate pound cakes too. I'll look around for recipes I have later if you don't get anything that you want. As far as the icing goes, sure a basic cream cheese icing can work, but it needs to stay pretty stiff. The main thing to remember when wanting to decorate with icing is to keep it fairly stiff so it's easy to work with. Just keep checking when you add the liquid to see the consistency. The recipe below is from Cooks Country and went with a red velvet cake... which might work actually. It has so much cream cheese that it doesn't use milk. I make it with about half the cream cheese and then add milk to get the consistency I want. Frosting 16 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened 4 cups confectioners' sugar 16 ounces cream cheese , cut into 8 pieces, softened 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract Pinch salt With electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Beat in vanilla and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use. My basic butter cream is a stick of butter per pound of confectioners sugar, flavoring, pinch of salt and then enough milk to get whatever stiffness I need for the application.

There are may versions of the Better Than Sex Cake.This recipe was given to me by an aunt. I made it once many years ago to take to work. It was a hit. 1 (18.5 oz) yellow cake mix 1 (1 lb 4 oz) can crushed pineapple 1 C sugar 1 ( oz) pkg vanilla pudding mix (not instant) 1 C whipping cream, whipped & sweetened flake coconut, lightly toasted Prepare cake mix according to directions on pkg. Pour into 13 x 9 pan and bake as directed. Cool. Combine pineapple & sugar & bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Poke holes into cooled cake with a fork. Pour pineapple mixture over the cake. Prepare pudding mix according to directions. Cool. Spread over pineapple & chill. Just before serving, cover with whipped cream & sprinkle with coconut.

This is one my family likes. Believe it came out of a BHG magazine. Best Coffee Cake Prep: 35 minutes Bake: 65 minutes Cool: 2 hours 1 recipe Pecan Streusel (see recipe below) 4 eggs 6 tablespoons butter, softened 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla Directions 1. Prepare Pecan Streusel. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch tube pan or 10-inch fluted tube pan using as much of the 6 tablespoons butter as possible. Coat the inside of the pan with the pecans, pressing the nuts into the butter as necessary; set aside. 2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 3. In a large mixing bowl beat the 3/4 cup butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat 4 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy. 4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 10 to 20 seconds after each addition and scraping bowl down well. Beat in flour mixture, one-third at a time, until just combined. 5. Spoon one-third to one-half of the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with half of the Pecan Streusel, spreading evenly. Spoon the remaining batter over the Pecan Streusel, spreading evenly. Sprinkle evenly with remaining Streusel. 6. Bake in preheated oven for 65 to 70 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and top springs back when lightly touched and/or a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 7. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from pan. Turn upright and cool completely on rack. Makes 12 servings. Pecan Streusel: In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.