How did Mary Ann pan get it’s name? The name came from the Mary Ann Company that first made the pan in 1920 and the idea probably came from Germany. The pan was designed to make a light sponge cake with an indented top to hold custard, fruit, jelly and whipped cream for a desert. In Germany the flan pan was called obsttortenform which mean fruit cake pan because most flans were served with fruit on top. They were also called tortenboden which means cake bottom. The Mary Ann pan was marketed during the 1920’s and was also made in individual size. You could buy the large pan with the smaller ones as a set or separate. The large pan sold for $1.50 and the smaller set $.75. Today you can still buy them for around $25. King Arthur Flour on line store has the large one and the small ones can be found in most kitchen ware shops. Also you can find them on Ebay. Nordic Ware also makes a large pan. A search on the internet will locate retailers.

Back in the 1980’s the Duncan Hines Co marketed cake mixes for a flan pan called Tiara Deserts. You could buy the pan separate or it came with the cake mix in a kit. Ekco Bakeware Co made the pan and it was coated with a non stick surface that Ekco Bakeware Series was known for in bake ware. They only made the mixes for a few years leaving many cooks with pans to experiment with. One of the most popular mix was the black forest mix that came with cherry pie filling and chocolate moose for the top cavity. There are lots of these pans out there in thrift stores for just a dollar or two so you don’t have to spend a lot for a Mary Ann pan. I have 3 of these pans. The first one I bought with the cake mix. I was given one and later found one at a thrift store because I had packed my pans away in storage and wanted to make a short cake.

This recipe came with the original Duncan Hines tiara dessert pan.

Basic Flan

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon flavoring

Mix sugar, butter and eggs in a large mixing bowel. Add milk. Then add the remaining ingredients. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Pour into prepared pan with vegetable spray and bake at 350° for 25 min. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before inverting on serving plate. Cool and then fill.

My dessert was made using the Duncan Hines Tiara pan and a cake mix. It take about 2/3 of the batter to fill the pan so it doesn’t over flow when baking. The rest I just make cup cakes with. I have other recipes for the pan but I was feeling lazy today. The pineapple cream cheese filling is easy.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Filling

1 can 15 oz. crushed pineapple (remove ½ cup not drained set aside for cream cheese)

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

½ cup water

Combine in small sauce pan crushed pineapple with juice, sugar, corn starch and water. Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until thickened. Cool

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese( room temperature)

½ cup powdered sugar

½ cup crushed pineapple with juice

Combine in mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Spread in the center of the baked Mary Ann cake shell first.

Add cooled pineapple filling around the edge on top of cream cheese. Add more fruit to the center on top of cream cheese. Chill for an hour. Garnish with whipped cream and serve.

This is so easy to make and so good. You can’t just eat one piece and walk away. You have to have another of this light cream cheese dessert.

Note** If you want more recipes for this pan. You can Google Obsttortenform and Tortenboden.

The first quarter of the twentieth century brought many new inventions to the kitchen. In the major metropolitan areas there was now electricity and natural gas available to home. Cooking was making its way from wood stoves to modern stoves and oven with thermostats for heat control. Homemakers could now bake delicate cakes and other baked goods. Small appliances like fans, sweepers and mixers for the kitchen. Ironing became easier and quicker with less burning of cloths with the new electric iron. Most home in the first quarter had ice boxes but refrigeration was not far off in the future. High Schools began to offer domestic science for young girls to teach them scientific home management and safe food preparation. From that point on cooking and baking in the home became a wonderful art of delicious foods.

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