My friends thought that Martha Stewart had made my daughter's birthday cakes!
Written: Aug 13 '02
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Pros: Fun style that can be used not only for a birthday cake!
Cons: None that I could find.
The Bottom Line: Not only did this make two fun birthday cakes for my daughter, but it also has some other uses. What? You have to read on for that info!
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| sblaydes's Full Review: Wilton Flower Cake Pan 2105-3055 |
Have you ever thought of making your child’s birthday cake? Sure you have, but … admit it, you probably thought that it was an incredibly time consuming task, messy, and lets face it, complicated to do. It’s okay, I thought the very same things myself until one day, while shopping at Michael’s Craft Store with my son who was turning two years old in a week, and I came across the Wilton decorating section of the store. There in front of us on the shelf was a cake pan of a football. Well, my son was obsessed with footballs, basketballs, or just any plain ball and when he saw it, he was so excited. Hey, who am I to take away an almost two year olds excitement? Yes, I threw the cake pan and the other Wilton items needed to make this cake into the cart. The rest … is history!
So, what does this have to do with the Wilton Flower Cake Pan 2105-3055? Well, you don’t think that my daughter would have it any other way, right? She too wanted her birthday cake baked and decorated by her Mommy! Actually, for the past couple of years I have taken the easy road and ordered a cake from our local Publix grocery store. They did a nice job, but … there was always something that bothered me about ordering a cake rather than baking and decorating it myself. So, about a month prior to my daughter’s birthday this Spring I, once again, found myself strolling through Michael’s Craft Store. When I spotted the Wilton Flower Cake Pan I knew that I had found a winner! You see my daughter’s birthday party this year was being held at Field of Flowers. Can you imagine a more perfect cake to make?
When I brought out this Wilton Flower Cake Pan to show my daughter, she was delighted! She quickly informed me that the cake was going to be bright pink with a bright yellow center. Then, when I told her that I didn’t think one cake was enough and that I would have to bake two, well … let’s just say that she smiled from ear to ear. Oh, and this cake was to be the same colors but the opposite color pattern as the other one. Yes, my daughter knows her cakes!
~ Why yes, I did really make these cakes! ~
Before I get into the details of this cake pan, I have to share a story. I happen to be very good friends with a number of my daughter’s girlfriends, and apparently I had never mentioned before that I could bake/decorate cakes. So, when I brought out my daughter’s birthday cakes, you should have seen their faces and heard their questions! What bakery did you go to? No … you didn’t really make these Suzanne. Come on, where did you get these? They are so cute! Yes honey, I will find out where Suzanne bought these cakes from, don’t worry? What? You really made them. No way! Wow! You are like … Martha Stewart!
Seriously, my husband and son were thoroughly enjoying listening to them and having them make comments to them. You could say that these cakes were a big hit with both the girls and Mom’s alike!
~ Okay, I’ll stop rambling and give you details on how to bake this cake! ~
The Wilton Flower Cake Pan 2105-3055 is a flower shaped pan that is just a bit shy of 12 inches from one side to the other. As you can see in the photo, it is of the flower top only. If you prefer a flower cake pan with stems as well, visit the Wilton shop on-line at www.wilton.com. I happen to know that they do have a version like this (flower w/stems as well.
The beauty of the Wilton Flower Cake Pan compared to some of the other cake pans that I own is that this pan requires just one 2-layer cake mix. While this may not sound like a big deal to you, it does become bothersome sometimes to have to make two cake mixes and then measure out the certain amount of cups of batter to go into the pan. This pan simply requires one 2-layer cake mix. I have found that most any brand of cake mix works well. I personally try a cake mix that states that it is moist. This makes for a nice soft cake.
Directions for baking your cake are quite simple.
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. ~ Double check your cake box and make sure that this is the required baking temperature for that particular cake mix. If it is not, then bake according to the cake mix directions.
~ Prepare the pan! ~ I can not tell you how important it is that you do this thoroughly so that when it comes time to remove your cake from the pan, it will fall out easily. You don’t want to have to mess with broken pieces of cake when it comes time to frost.
Simply grease every crevice of this cake pan (inside and sides only) with vegetable shortening. Make sure to have it completely covered so that no parts of this pan are exposed. On the bottom of this cake pan are indentations so that when your cake has completed baking and out of the pan it will have the indentations of flower pedals on it. This is so that it will be easier for you to decorate.
After you have thoroughly greased the cake pan you will need to take approximately 2 tablespoons of flour and dust the entire inside of the cake pan. I take the flour in my hands and sprinkle it all the way around this cake pan. Then, I turn the pan from side to side to distribute the flour from one side to the other. Shake out any access you may have, but … make sure that the entire pan is coated with flour.
~ Time to make the batter. ~ Make your 2-layer cake mix according to the directions on the back of the cake mix box.
~ Ready to pour! ~ Now that the cake mixer is ready, simply pour this cake batter into the pan. If needed, take a spatula to fill in all areas that are uneven.
~ Time to bake your cake. ~ Place the Wilton Flower Cake Pan on a middle rack in your oven and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until cake is baked thoroughly. To make sure that it is baked completely in the center use your cake tester or toothpick.
~ It’s done! ~ Remove your cake from the oven and let cool for approximately 10 minutes. If the center of your cake seems fuller than the sides, simply take a knife and shave off the excess cake. My children love this part because they get to try a taste of the cake before anyone else does!
I have several large platters that I like to place my cakes on for display purposes. For this occasion, I choose two pink platters that I had in my closet. Once I had let the cakes cool I place this platter on the bottom of the cake (the part that is open exposing the cake) and hold the cake pan and platter together, turn upside down, and hopefully … the cake will just come right out. Sometimes I have to lightly tap the top of the cake pan around the area where the cake seems to be stuck. You don’t won’t to be forceful when doing this because remember, you want your cake to be in one piece for easy decorating!
Brush off any loose crumb that may be on your cake and you are on your way to decorating! See, that wasn’t hard, was it?
~ Time to decorate! ~
Lucky for you, when you purchase a cake pan from Wilton they always come with an insert for baking instructions and tips on decorating your cake. I always make sure to keep these directions in each pan when storing so that I remember where they are when it comes time to bake. One of the neat options Wilton shares with you is that this cake pan could also make a gelatin flower. How cool would that be? I have not done this yet but plan to for some party type event, which include kids. In fact, maybe I’ll make this for our next swimming potluck.
There are a few things that I highly suggest you use, or do when decorating your cake.
First, Wilton includes in this instructional booklet a recipe for buttercream icing. It is wonderful and very easy to work with. In fact, it is the only frosting that I will make to decorate my cakes with. It is also one of the main reasons I always receive compliments on the taste of my cakes.
Secondly, I always decorate my cakes using a Wilton decorating bag and coupler with the decorating tip #16 (stars). Please make sure that you always have a few extra decorating bags and couplers around when decorating. I did not do that with these cakes and about drove myself crazy. Why? Because my bag split and I had icing streaming down my hand. It would not have been such a big deal had Michael’s Craft Store been open when I was decorating these cakes.
You must also remember that it is easier to use one bag for each color than to have to stop what you are doing, empty the bag, clean the bag, dry the bag and then start over again. Stock up, I promise that you won’t be sorry.
If you follow the instructions included, and look at the examples given, you are on your way to creating a great cake for your child. They will explain how to color your icing, make outlines, make stars, make beads and so much more! Just make sure to allow yourself extra time when decorating, and … if it is warm, you may want to place the cake(s) in the refrigerator until time for the party so that your icing does not melt.
Clean up with this pan is simple. I wash with warm soapy water and then dry it off.
~ Just give it a try. You can do it! ~
Trust me, you really can do this! My daughter was absolutely thrilled with her two flower cakes made from the Wilton Flower Cake Pan 2105-3055. Actually, I think that I also impressed my father-in-law who happened to be visiting the evening I was decorating these cakes.
It really is a pretty simple to make cakes on your own. I know that I have convinced many others to give it a try and have been quite pleased with themselves. The Wilton Flower Cake Pan is going to be a fun cake pan to have around. While some of the cake pans I have are very limited with their use (like the bear and bunny cake pans), this flower cake pan is great for not only my seven year old, but for older children as well. As I mentioned above, I’m going to have to use this cake pan as a flower gelatin mold for the next potluck I go too. Or, what if I was to go to a party with a Hawaiian theme? How fun would that be to make a cake, gelatin molds, or … how about even a rice crispy shaped flower!
For the little bit of money I spent on this cake pan, I plan to get quite a bit of use out of it. Just how much did I spend? While the going price for the Wilton Flower Cake Pan 2105-3055 is $10.99, I was able to use a coupon at Michael’s and got this pan for $6.99. Since I already had the decorating supplies, I spent much less than I would had I purchased a cake for my daughter.
Come on now … impress those friends of yours … more importantly, impress that girl in your life … and bake her a flower cake. She will thank you for it…
www.wilton.com
If you are looking for this particular flower cake pan, go to the link under Wilton On-Line Store called Theme/Character Shop and find Flower Power. Click on Flower Power and you have found this fun cake pan!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 6.99
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sblaydes
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