Posted on 10/17/2023 2:14:59 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
I need some advice from anybody in the silicone mold business or knows somebody in that business. I need some simple molds made to order. Rather simple shapes. Basically molds in the shape of spheres but since the diameters would be 12 inches and larger I would need the spherical shapes to be divided. That way they could be layered like layer cake and then covered with icing and designs.
I've contacted several silicone mold companies that specialize in mold for baking but, surprisingly, they are unable to provide such molds. As I stated the shapes of the molds are obviously rather simple. I have seen spherical molds for baking but the dimensions are smaller. Sections are needed to provide for more even baking.
If anybody out there knows of such a silicone mold company that can make such baking molds, please FreepMail me. Thanx in advance.
Size could be an issue. Silicon tend to be flimsy and the weight of a 12” cake could cause the batter to over flow the sides.
Why not a simple lightly eased metal mixing bowL? (Perhaps I’ve basically misunderstood the problem...) They’re cheap, and can be bought in stacked sets for varous diameters.)
Again, maybe I’ve missed the key point...
“eased” shouldda been “greased”
That is why I want it to be several molds that can be baked separately and then layered together later to form a smooth sphere when covered with icing. For a 12 inch diameter I would need the bottom to be 2.51 inches in depth. The middle and upper sections of the sphere would need to be an additional 3.49 inches total (2 sections) to make it a radius total of 6.00 inches. The bottom 2.51 inches would be used again to make the base of the sphere. If anybody needs further explanation I can provide a drawing and verbal explanation on video.
I know a guy that does custom silicone molds but almost all of his stuff is more round and, well, I’m not so sure how they hold up at 400°F.
Since this would have to be baked in sections, I would need silicone. The molds would make up with three sections of the upper sphere to it's widest diameter (12") with the bottom 2.51" used again to make the lower section of the sphere as the base. So it wouldn't be a hemisphere (or half sphere) but a hemisphere PLUS a portion of 2.51" additional sphere.
Silicon is really expensive. Would be a lot easier to just bake different sizes of round cakes, assemble them and simply bevel / trim them into a sphere.
Well a sphere is round and silicone molds for baking are quite common. Although I just need a few experimental molds at first, if things go as I hope I would probably need at least hundreds of such silicone molds in various diameters.
The weight of the top half of the sphere is going to turn the whole thing into an oblate spheroid without support.
That might be what I need at first with 12" diameter sphere cakes. However with larger sizes I would definitely need sphere sections of silicone molds. I mean I am actually envisioning up to 5 feet diameter spherical cakes and no way can that be baked whole. In fact that could take up to 20 different sections baked separately and assembled later.
I've seen cakes baked in the form of basketballs and soccer balls with no problem and the spherical cake would have a wider base since it would be cut off higher for the bottom.
An ellipsoid. As long as the squashing effect is minor that is ok and as I stated above I have seen cakes baked in the shape of complete balls.
Above is a basketball cake. 8" in diameter. The base of the spherical cakes I am envisioning would be higher up than the bottom of the cake above and would serve as a much wider support. Approximately 40% of the way down from the diameter at its widest.
Even though this is a simple shape, you’re not likely going to be able to create it as 2 half spheres...
It’s simply going to take so much time for the core of the half sphere to get up to temp and baked, that the outer part that consist of the surface is going to be over baked.
You may have to create it as 4 different cuts of the sphere and then assemble the layers, which would allow for more even baking.
I take it you have already secured the oven?
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