Wilton Classic Wonder Mold Cake Pan, Aluminum Shaped Bakeware for Doll Cakes, Durable, Even Heating, Rust-Resistant, Includes Heating Rod, Packaging May Vary

I bought this cake pan because my three-year-old daughter wanted a princess cake for her birthday. I'm not much of a baker so this pan was a little intimidating. However, after reading the reviews, I decided to give it a try. It was wonderful and very easy. Far easier than I was expecting it to be.My daughter is blonde so I ended up buying an additional doll topper but other than that, everything from the kit was perfect. Before making the party cake, I tested it out. I followed the directions and everything worked well. But, the cake was a bit small so the next time, I added a little bit more batter than the directions say and it was perfect. Another reviewer suggested using two different types of cake batter to get a nice marbled effect. I tried that and it was amazing. I got so many compliments on the cake and had several people who asked if I had a professional make it for me. Given that I'm not much of a baker, that was a huge compliment.I was a bit intimidated by frosting it but I found a website where a lady suggested frosting it with a buttercream (I made a basic one), letting it sit until it just starts to harden and then take a paper towel that has an impressed pattern on it. Gently lay the paper towel on top of the frosting and rub it until the pattern appears on the frosting. Then, put a little bit of decorative frosting around the edges of the skirt. It worked and it made the most beautiful skirt that looked like lace. It was amazing.The only negative I have about this kit is that the doll toppers are pretty much good for one use. The hair is very flimsy and doesn't stay in the head very well. Anything you do that touches the hair causes it to fall out. I put it up in a basic pony tail and by the end of the party, most of the hair was gone. The same thing happened to the other topper (the brunette one that came with the kit) when I washed it after using it for my test cake. I did my best to keep the water out of the hair but given that you have to "dress" the topper with frosting, the hair has to be moved in order to wash it and quite a bit of it fell out. Pretty disappointing but the toppers are easy to find and easy to replace.The other benefit of this cake pan is that it can be used for other things. It's obviously designed for a a princess cake but I have also made an Easter egg and a football cake using it. I simply filled the center with frosting instead of putting the doll topper in it. One of my sons wants a volcano cake and this shape will be perfect for it. I thought I would be spending a lot of money on a cake pan that I would only use one time but given the shape, it can be used to make many different things so I am definitely getting a return on my investment.I highly and emphatically recommend this cake pan and kit. It is very easy to use. Easy enough that a non-baker can make really exceptional cakes with no problems.

I am new at cake making/decorating and I ordered this for my daughter's 4th birthday. I was amazed at how easy the pan was to use. It comes with a heating rod that goes through the centre of the cake to make sure it cooks evenly throughout (because if its odd shape). I just used cooking spray on the inside of the pan and on the rod and the cake came out so easily. The cake came out with a very smooth surface that was very easy to frost and decorate. I colored half of the cake batter pink and layered it in the pan white/pink/white/pink and through the cooking process it came out a beautiful marble white and pink cake. It was wonderful. I really was not expecting the layers to marbalize, but I guess because of the odd shape of the pan the batter really bubbled up through the layers as it cooked. In the instructions it said it would take 50-60 minutes to cook and I found that hard to believe, so after 30 minutes I kept checking the cake, but sure enough it took about 55 minutes until the top was firm and the toothpick came out clean. Very fun cake pan to use. I think I will make my son a volcano cake using this pan or maybe decorate it like an Easter egg for Easter. It is a neat shape and the possibilities are endless.

I should start by saying I am a total novice on making and decorating cakes. I had my heart set on a Elsa doll cake for my daughter’s fourth birthday and when I went to order from our favorite bakery, I found out they were closed that weekend. I decided to try and make it and pretty much all my friends thought it was an insane idea. Well I nailed it due to this cake pan. I used this cake pan, with a ten inch round cake pan for the base (a nine inch would work better, I had to trim the base) to raise it up as if you use Elsa or a Barbie type doll it isn’t quite tall enough. The key to success was this doll dress mold and using the Wilton brand Cake Release pan coating spray (similar to Pam) to grease the mold. It came out with no a crack or crumb left behind. I then made a buttercream frosting and tinted it blue. I first put the round base down, added frosting on top and then put the doll dress on the base. I then carefully opened the top a bit and scooped the cake out using a long spoon, and inserted Elsa with cling wrap around her lower body. I used a star tip piping bag and just piped around the skirt from the bottom up. Turned out so cute. It is easier if you purchase the Elsa with the clothes molded to her upper body and just remove the skirt so you don’t have to create her upper clothing with frosting.

I used this cake mold in conjunction with a Cinderella cake topper found on Amazon. The Cinderella topper is smaller than a Barbie doll torso and head. The cake skirt was so full/large that it dwarfed her. Not sure how it would work with a regular sized doll. I made this for my daughter's 4th birthday and when I brought it out she exclaimed, "Look! It's Cinderella in a volcano!". Um ... yeah ... not what I was going for. The skirt portion was just THAT big. :) Otherwise, the function of the pan itself was fine. I used a recipe from the All Recipes site for "Too much chocolate cake" (excellent by the way) which is a bunt cake recipe. The instructions for this pan AND the first reviewer of this item on Amazon said you could/should use two cake mixes. However, the recipe called for adding things to the cake mix like sour cream, more oil and eggs, pudding and chocolate chips. IT RAN OVER IN GOBS IN THE OVEN. I had enough to fill the cake pan and make a dozen cupcakes too -- in addition to the two cups of batter on the floor of my oven. The cake took a lot longer to make as well in this pan but it came out solidly and no cracks. It released beautifully with crisco and flour in the pan before baking. So to sum up: Bigger doll, less batter if you add anything at all to the box mix. Overall recommend it.

This made a beautiful doll cake. So easy to use and cake came out perfectly.