I adore baking when my poor health and mobility problems allow, and whenever there is a special family occasion coming up I'm nearly always guaranteed to be on hand with a tin of freshly made muffins or cupcakes.

My nephew's second birthday party recently was no exception, and I set aside plenty of free time in the two days prior to this family gathering to make some yummy treats for us all to enjoy. As I knew there were going to be six youngsters (including my nephew) in attendance at his party, I wanted to make some cakes and treats that would appeal to the kiddies attending.

I came across the perfect accessory whilst shopping in a local branch of Tesco, where I was stocking up on flour and other ingredients. Sitting proudly on a shelf in the well-stocked baking aisle, was a small package of brightly-coloured cake cases that I thought would compliment my home-made 'clown cakes' perfectly.

Packaged in a sort of plastic cylinder, the "Dr Oetker Fun Baking Cases" really stood out to me thanks to the bright primary colours and polka-dot design they have.. They certainly make a pleasant change from using plain old white paper cases to bake my cupcakes and fairy cakes! I believe that there are actually two design options of the 'Fun Baking Cases' to choose from, but the only offering available to me on this particular day was the red and polka dot combination, which is shown on the left hand side in the Dooyoo picture at the top of this page.

There are no measurements or size information given on the packaging, but anyone who uses paper cake cases regularly will know what I mean when I say that the Dr Oetker Fun Baking Cases are a standard size, and are on a par with most of the plain white-coloured paper cases that are widely available in stores and supermarkets. The cases are very much aimed at being suitable for fairy cakes and small cupcakes, rather than being larger cases for muffins and the like.

There are 75 individual cases in the plastic package, and there are three assorted colours to choose from, namely bright red, bright yellow and a multi-coloured polka dot design, which has assorted colours, such as green, red, blue and yellow on a plain white background. I paid around £1 for the pack of Dr Oetker Fun Baking Cases, which is more than I would normally spend on paper cake cases, I have to admit.

When I was using the Dr Oetker Fun Baking Cases, it was almost immediately evident to me that they are a product of premium quality. The paper used for the cases is very thick and robust, and so is absolutely perfect for iced cakes such as the clown-design fairy cakes I was making on this occasion. As the cases are not at all flimsy or thinly designed, they held my fairy cake mixture perfectly and I thought the shape of the cakes was held perfectly, right up until they were put on display the following day. As any regular home-bakers will be aware, some of the more 'budget' paper cases that are available in stores are not particularly good at holding the shape of the cake at times due to the paper being overly flexible. This can cause the sides of your cake to come away from the protective paper case in places. Depending on the topping of your cupcakes or fairy cakes, this can be a fatal mistake...!

There was absolutely no damage to the Dr Oetker Fun Cases after the cakes had cooked in the oven, and the brightness of the colours had not faded or altered at all. I confess that I'd have been extremely disappointed if it had, given the slightly higher-than-average price tag that these particular cases had.

The Dr Oetker cake cases peeled easily from the fairy cakes I had baked, regardless of their thick, robust nature. I encountered no problems with removing the cakes from the cases, and there was no damage to my delicious cakes as a result of the cake mixture sticking TOO well to the paper cases. Even the little ones in attendance at the birthday party managed to remove their cakes from the pretty cases with ease.

Thanks to the bright colours I had used on my hand-made clown cakes, the paper cases complimented the overall design and appearance of my cakes, and many of the guests at the birthday party commented on how pretty and fun they looked. Whilst the attractiveness of the cakes could have been achieved in plain white paper cases also, I did feel that the polka dot design paper cases I opted for really added a little more colour and charm to the appearance of my cakes overall, and I was extremely happy with the end result.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Dr Oetker Fun Baking Cases and think that the slightly higher-than-average price tag is justified in this instance, thanks to the good quality paper used in the cake cases, and the attractive design they add to the cakes themselves. They are sure to brighten up any table of party food and I thought they really complimented the cakes I chose to bake on this occasion. I have already bought some more of the paper cases to make my Christmas cupcakes as I was so impressed with them.

There is a whole range of baking accessories available from the Dr Oetker range which can be found in larger supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda. You can expect to pay around £1 - £1.20 for the pack of 75 Fun Baking Cases from the range.