I was just curious as to how everyone makes their shape cakes. Do you use a pan for them or carve them out? I was taught to do shape cakes by carving but would like to hear what the rest of you do.

I've done both. I really like how easy it is to use the shaped pans but sometimes there isn't one for what you want to do. That's when I carve them out.

Same here. It depends on the cake!

The majority of the time, I also carve the cakes.

I'm with lisa. If there's a pan, I'll use it but I'll also carve.