I need to bake a cake in a bowl. I have a pyrex one that would be the perfect size, but I don't want to ruin it. They are oven safe, right?? Also, how will baking in glass differ from baking in metal pans?

Thanks!

Melissa

Yes, they are oven safe, Pyrex is a specially made glass to withstand heat.
Glass bakes faster so they say to turn the oven temp down from 350'F to 325'F.

excuse my newby question but what's a heating core? :/

Hi newbie Tabs, I'm kinda new too, but I know that the heating cores job is to conduct heat to the center of a large or deep cake pan. You if you use the one like the photo Ladycake posted you prepare it just like you do your baking pan, including the inside, then put it in the center of the cake with batter inside the core. When the cake is done you remove the core, use the cake baked inside it to "plug" the hole in your cake, use some icing, etc., to "glue" it in the hole, and then ice your cake as you normall would.

It has been posted here in the forum that you can use icing nails as a substitute, so I guess if you had baking potato "nails" you could use those too.

I used one just this week, and without it, I more than likely would have had a cake disaster with a seriously underbaked cake, but I think the core saved it!

Hope this helps. Janice

Thanks Janice, that helps a lot. Thanks for eggsplaining

I love using metal flower nails in my bigger cakes. Makes them bake nice and even and you don't have a big hole to fill in or a cake plug to try and stuff back into the cake.

Well, I'd bought the core, had to use it at least once! LOL, now I will try the flower nails, no hole in the cake sounds better and less trouble, come to think of it!

One more "toy" that isn't necessary! Janice

I don't have a heating core, so if I used my flower nail, where do I put it? Flat side down in the bottom/middle of the bowl? Do you think that will work out ok?

Melissa

Yes it should.

I actually used the flower nail in the Go Crazy Quilt cake I posted last week. It was a 15X11 cake and the nail baked it perfectly!! I own 2 of the heating cores-bought to use with a half round pan(that I have yet to use!!). But I truly prefer using the nail. No hole and still a perfect baking experience!!
~Tanya

I never would have thought that something so small would make such a difference. I'm glad you ladies told me about this. I'm baking my roasted pig cake tomorrow evening, I really hope it turns out good!

Melissa

For cakes larger then 10" I use 2 flower nails. You grease them, sit them in your pan the flat part down. I usually put one on one side of the cake pan & one in the middle. Then add your batter. It comes out great! I don't use the heating core because of the hole.

It's nice to be able to use the cakes supplies for things other then what they say there for!