Repurposing a Jello Mold as a Cake Pan

I love vintage jello molds. I do not know why, but the intricate details and shiny, molded metal just grabs my attention and begs me to buy the mold. What do you do with jello molds when you do not make jello salads? Bake small cakes to use as gifts or as a cake topper for a larger cake! The Mirro jello mold below is about 10 inches by 5.5 inches and about 3 inches deep.

A vintage, fruit basket gelatin mold by Mirro. The mold's capacity is three and a half cups.

The mold sits completely flat and level on a hard surface.

Grease with shortening and flour generously with about 1 rounded Tbsp. of flour

Place in a glass baking dish and fill about 2/3 full with batter

Because a jello mold pan is very thin, make sure you place the batter-filled mold into a cake pan, or casserole dish to bake. Also, bake in at about 325 degrees to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The cake will bake slower, but your final product will be more tender and moist. This cake took 55 minutes to bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, or follow the cooling directions for your cake recipe.

Unmolded cake cooling and waiting to be decorated.

Next time you see a vintage jello mold, buy it and make a cute, one layer cake to give as a gift, or to surprise your family.  Or, use your mold to make a cake topper for a larger cake. 

This spring flower basket cake topper was quite a hit with my coworkers.