I have several nordicware and silicone  pans that are heavily detailed (like this bite-sized tea cake pan) and cannot come up with a cake formula that bakes up in a way that shows those nice details.  WASC, Kentucky Butter Cake, cream cheese pound cake, various tea cake recipes I've tried-- all result in cakes that either stick to the pan's details, or the details are blurred beyond recognition as a function of the batter rising.  Does anyone have an "HD" cake batter recipe, or hack with a cake mix that will work for heavily detailed pans? 

i had a whole reply typed out that at&t lost for me/us -- le sigh -- but anyway --

so i think it's how you grease the pans -- for the cake in my photos, i think it's still in there -- i painted the melted grease in there very very carefully then sifted in the flour and banged out the excess flour upside down in the sink -- makes a mess ha!

because i love to do these cakes like the train cake with just a glaze not even icing because then you do lose the definition that way too -- i think these cakes are little works of metal art -- and need very little else -- just a tad of well controlled nicely edited decor --

and i bake at 350 degrees in the u.s. -- and these cakes need to be well baked off -- nothing namby pamby so they crisp up good right -- i would never use wasc for this because i use self rising flour and it's the wrong thing for these imo -- i use a cold oven pound cake -- the one with a cup of cream -- i'll post the link 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/cold-oven-poundcake-recipe-2065356

this is a very old recipe and trisha has it nicely documented and easy to find -- you can use cake flour too for a different finer crumb --or half & half for the best of both worlds -- make sure you aerate the all purpose flour -- is aerate the right word -- y'know -- whisk the flour before you measure it so it's all fluffed up not packed down --

http://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/3357271/naked-wedding-cake

here's me little cakelette -- well defined

@-K8memphis ‍, your cake is beautiful!  Like you, I apply shortening with a pastry brush to be sure I get into all crevices, then dust with flower.  I do not have mini pans, but my detailed bundt pans always come out crisp and nice using any number of different pound cake recipes.   

thank you sandra  it's what the hands and the nervous system will allow at this point -- for my neighbor

@-K8memphis ‍, my hands are terribly twisted and knotted with arthritis, which is my excuse for not being able to pipe.  It's not the reason, of course, it's really because I CANNOT PIPE!  Oddly enough, though, I have no trouble at all doing models or sugar flowers.  I really admire anyone who can pipe because it is such a skill!

i love to pipe -- love love love love love lovelovelovelovelovelovelove love -- i really don't have much of any of my work online -- 

my hands are twisting as i type but their crowning glory is to blow up like hot air balloons if i overdo it -- humph

yeah that little cake was too easy-- smeared some doodoo in a mold for lace, baked a cake -- done -- humph again

ha!