5 Fun Novelty Cake Pans to Help Ring in Spring

Spring is a wonderfully busy time of year. From spring cleaning to yard work, we know you've got plenty to do. But baking is always a fun diversion, especially before the weather gets too warm to turn on the oven.

Check out five of our favorite spring and summer novelty cake pans from Nordic Ware. We bet they'll give you spring fever, if you haven't already caught the bug.

Novelty Cake Pans: Backyard Bugs Pan

Speaking of bugs, our favorites are the ones you can bake with the Nordic Ware Backyard Bugs pan. Use it to create eight individual miniature cakes in butterfly, bee, ladybug, and dragonfly shapes. The pan handles five cups of cake batter, which works out to about 2/3-cup of batter per bug. If you're using cake mix (we won't tell!), you may need to whip up two batches of batter, or only bake seven bug cakes.

You don't even need to decorate these cakes -- just turn the kids loose with some glaze and sprinkles. Voilà! You've given them an activity and made a homemade snack, all at the same time. Our only caveat? Bake on a warm day when they can decorate and eat outside.

Novelty Cake Pans: Shortcake Baskets Pan

We love the Nordic Ware Shortcake Baskets pan because it's so versatile. While you can bake up a batch of baskets for kids to fill with fruit, pudding, whipped cream, or candy, you can also turn them into an elegant dessert for adults.

In fact, you don't need to bake shortcake in this pan. Fill it with any sort of cake or muffin recipe you like. The pan holds 3 cups of batter total, or about a half-cup of batter per basket. Just be sure to prepare the pan carefully so your baskets turn out well. Refer to the helpful instructional video from Nordic Ware in our post celebrating National Bundt Day last fall.

Novelty Cake Pans: Pineapple Upside Down Mini Cake Pan

Did you know pineapple is a seasonal spring fruit? That means there's no better time to try the Nordic Ware Pineapple Upside Down Mini Cake pan, even if you don't bake pineapple upside down cake in it. Go on, be daring.

The details in this pan will make the finished cakes recognizable as pineapples whether you glaze or frost them or not. (Though we can't help being tempted to top each cake with a pineapple ring.) Again, be sure to prepare the pan carefully before spooning batter into it. Each pineapple will hold between 3/4 and 1 cup of batter.

Novelty Cake Pans: Castle Bundt Pan

Finally, you know it's officially summer when the kids are building sand castles, whether on the beach or in the backyard sandbox. The Nordic Ware Castle Bundt pan is perfect for creating castles you can eat. Display your castle on a plot of crushed graham cracker crumbs to complete the beach effect.

But first, you'll need a full 10 cups of cake batter to construct your castle. Be sure to grease and flour every crevice of the pan too, so your castle doesn't come out of the oven looking like it's already been through battle.