I have some of the old molds, but I have never baked in them. Not sure, but they might be difficult to release baked goods when done. If it were me, I would save myself the headache and get some silicon individual molds to bake in and keep the jello molds for jello. What about some miniature loaf pans, heart shaped muffin tins and the like to bake your cakes and breads in?

There may be good reasons why these molds aren't generally used for baking?

JMO ~ Teresa

I bake in my jello molds all the time. Just make sure you grease and flour them well. Never have had any problem with them sticking. I use a mixture of equal parts vegetable oil/flour mixed together and keep it in the refigerator.

This isn't exactly a recipe, but something I've always wanted to do. Making a punch, freeze some 7-up in one of the molds, and use it as a giant ice cube! Keeps your punch cold and looks pretty :) Christy

Well, I've learned something new! Thanks, Marigene, I may try a pound cake in my jello molds!

Teresa

My Mom had the same sort of molds as Marigene. She used hers to make bell skirts for dolls for birthday cakes. (Each girl got to keep her doll after eating the highly decorated "dress"; there was also a cloth dressy outfit for each doll for later.)

I've used these same molds to make individual jello-based salads too.

They are usually a thin metal and so will bake different than today's baking pans, so you'll need to watch the baking carefully in not too hot an oven.

Thanks for the recipe, Marigene. I also have about a hundred of those little molds in various shapes and haven't always known what to do with them.

I've done the reverse of this and made jelled things in novelty cake pans. The most memorable was a salmon mousse in a large cake pan shaped like a pair of lips that I brought to a party. I think I might still have a photo of it somewhere. A bit of red food coloring to give them more of a flesh-colored tinge, and it was like a big creepy kiss on a plate!

About the jello molds-I am an artist who is at the time constructing "assemblage" sculptures, often using those aluminum jello molds. Do you have any interest in getting rid of any of them? I usually pick them up at garage sales, but saw your message here. Please let me know if you would like to sell them-it's the ultimate in recycling! Thanks!

mollytanner - sorry, they are my treasures and already have two 10 yr-old grand kids who want to cook and bake everything I do and want them when "I am finished with them". Like - when I die. Should write that in my will :-) My MIL would have liked that and I should write out the history for them too.

Christy2828 - great idea for family parties! We love punch at them. So 1950's - so appropriate.

I did find another good use - making personal ice cream molds. Partially melt nice vanilla ice cream, stir in anything you might like - I swing to freshly chopped mint and mini chocolate chips, or a little Hershey's Dolce le leche syrup with a bit of chopped fresh figs, or raisins and cinnamon, or fresh peaches in tiny bits with a hint of freshly grated ginger, or mandarin orange segments chopped tiny with ground toasted almonds. Spoon into the un-greased molds and refreeze. Dip mold in warm water about 3-5 seconds to release and invert on a pretty plate. Elegant, easy, and totally unexpected in this day and age of pre-processed food.

I tried a gingerbread cake in the larger deep molds like marigene's photo, and loved the result. True, a lot of hand greasing with shortening and flouring was needed but so worth it (the spray on non-stick with flour - Pam - did not work at all and made a huge mess because it blows back up into your face when you spray and globs on unevenly). I used a star tip in a pastry bag for the whipped cream dollop on top and it was easy, pretty, classy, and also very 1950's. As a famous chef once said, "First you eat with your eyes." How much time did it take? 47 seconds for 20 cakelets, plus 5 minutes to whip the heavy cream.

Thanks for the ideas, y'all.

Nancy

And they work for individual baked Alaskas...
Ues one mold to cut a piece of cake from a sheet cake....freeze ice cream in the other molds....make a merangue....put the ice cream on top o0f the cake, frost with meranguek, place on a piece of parchment over a wooden board and pop into a 425 oven until the merangue browns.
You can get fancy by pouring a chocolate glaze over the unmolded ice cream and refreezing before coating with merangue.
Great dessert fot 10 year olds....they are always impressed with the presentation.
Linda C

Wow! Not only 10-yr-olds would be impressed. Thanks! Baked Alaska's intrigued me as a youngster and up into to my "adult-hood" which has not happened yet at 63.

Nancy

Oh--what an old thread, but I'll ask my question anyway. I was thinking about making individual flans in these, but I'm wondering if the caramelized sugar would stick forever. Anyone?

Oh--what an old thread, but I'll ask my question anyway. I was thinking about making individual flans in these, but I'm wondering if the caramelized sugar would stick forever. Anyone?

They would be fine for flan. Any sugar that sticks to the bowl will come up easily when soaked in water. I have used some of mine for making panna cotta and they work well.

Awesome, thanks--I'm going to try it!

What about savoury dishes like eggs and veggies in aspic?

What about savoury dishes like eggs and veggies in aspic?

Hmmm - my 1st thought was Christmas ornaments. But then I'm a crafty type & have collected a number of vintage Jello molds & canape molds for that as well. I've seen some very cute trees decorated w/ vintage bakeware/kitchenware. & you don't have to poke holes in them or otherwise destroy them if you use hot glue...

I have a couple of rose coloured jello molds - has anyone has any experience baking in these?

I don't know about the jello mold, but, if it's metal then they should work the same. Only thing: if it's deep and bigger, the cake might burn before it's done.

I'm so glad this thread came back! I was happy to be reminded of nancyofnc's suggestions for molded ice cream desserts.

If you're making pound cakes and such in them, here's the recipe for "pan goop" that I use--also called Pan Release--from the allrecipes website:

(You can make half a recipe and it works well, too.)

1/2 cup corn oil or canola
oil or vegetable oil

1/2 cup vegetable shortening,
room temperature (Crisco)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Place all ingredients in a
mixing bowl.

Using an electric mixer beat
until mixture has increased in volume slightly and resembles marshmallow cream. This is why it's important for the vegetable shortening to be at room temperature--it mixes easier!

Place in a container with a
lid. I store mine in the fridge.

The mixture tends to separate
slightly upon sitting so mix before using, and apply with your fingers or whatever you would normally use to grease a pan.

I've used that pan release for years now, sooz, and it's never failed. (I use a soft brush to apply it instead of my fingers.) If anyone's interested, you can make a chocolate version, too--so you don't have white residue showing on your chocolate cakes. Just substitute cocoa for all or half the flour--I do half, since cocoa is a lot more expensive than flour. I keep two containers of pan release in the fridge all the time, one white and one brown. I love this stuff.

Oh boy! Thanks mondrianyone for how to make the chocolate one! I've never used a brush to apply the pan release goop--usually just my fingers and they do the job! :O)

Sooz, I've been making and using Better Than Pam goop for years, and like you, I use my fingers.

:O)

Sooz Is this a half cup oil and a half cup shortening?

I just made a batch of sage brown butter and going to pour it in molds and freeze... fancy mold for compound butters...giving as Xmas gifts.

JoAnn, there are 3 ingredients in Better than Pam--equal parts of solid Crisco, cooking oil, and flour. Beat with mixer, and save for baking. It really is the best I have ever used for baking.

I recently used an old Bundt cake mold for a super banana cake recipe that called for it to be baked in round cake pans for about 30 min. Since the bundt cake is deeper, I reduced the heat from 350 to 325 and baked for about 45-50 minutes. Frosted with 7 minute frosting, divine. I always grease and flour unless instructed not to, and the flour helps me see any spots I might have missed greasing. And I shake out the excess pretty vigorously to avoid grease and flour paste from forming on surface of baked cake.