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All aboard, we’re eating cake
Author: Kat Powers | March 29, 2008One of my coworkers, knowing I have a habit of going overboard when it comes to baking children’s birthday cakes, found this lovely item for me.
The Railway Cake Pan from Williams-Sonoma sounds pricey at $34, if you think it’s just a cake pan. I’m calling it an heirloom that’s going to be sturdy enough for my sons to use to make train cakes for their children.
The pan is one unit, made of cast aluminum by NordicWare, but sold only at Williams-Sonoma. It comes with a recipe for a sour cream vanilla cake, which actually seems the best recipe to make the best-shaped cakes. Dust the cakes with cocoa and tell your kids the trains spit coal dust. Dust them with sugar and say it’s snowing where the trains are from. Add wheels made of peppermints, and you’ve got yourself a low-fuss, homemade cake 
your mother-in-law will coo over. (I filled the gondola cars with raspberry jam, but that’s me. You get as fussy as you want.)
Drawback? To clean it you can’t just throw it in the dishwasher, or even get a plastic-bristled brush to clean it. You need to soak it a bit, and then use a soft sponge and elbow grease to get the job done. Most likely there isn’t going to be too much work involved, but after you’ve had 10 toddlers in the house, you might want to let it soak overnight and deal with it once you’ve had a rest. Or a Mom-tini.
Topics: Deal of the Day, Our Favorite Things, The Fresh Life |