I've been looking around for an hour and haven't found what I'm looking for....

I'm going to attempt to make this cake this weekend - and I know a lot of you have already made this cake perfectly through trial and error.

Can you please share your best tips with me that AREN'T included in the Wilton instructions? Baking temps and times? How to cover with BC or fondant, and which you preferred? Did you torte it?

All comments are appreciated.

Thank you!!

What cake are you trying to make?

I used the Wilton ball pan as a golf ball and just to let you know, at least for stability sake, I did not torte it. I covered it in BC and it worked well. I think it would be difficult to cover a sphere in fondant but then I do not have very much experience using fondant.

I don't know exactly what kind of cake I'll be making yet - it might just be the ball itself laying in some "dirt" or "grass".

I've made cakes using the Ball pan set several times. If you look at my pics, the M&M cake is made using the ball pan, the witch cauldron and the broom is the two halvs of the ball pan also.
I found it useful to omit a tablespoon of the oil (I think that's on the instructions that come with the pan) it makes the cakes a little more dense. I used Cake Release, and flower nails in each half. I didn't "torte" but I did put a layer of buttercream between them to help them stick together (stiff buttercream!!!) I've only ever used buttercream on them.
I also used half of the ball pan to put a "bowling ball" on a "lane" cake for my husband. I also freeze all my cakes before doing anything with them. That makes the ball halves a little more stable to work with. . . . . I hope this helps!!
Oh, and shave a little bit off of the bottom part so it sits flatter. If you use buttercream, you can put a little more down where the ball rests on the cake board and it will help it not to roll!

Thank you! How about the baking times and temps...did they vary at all from what the pan recommended?

I found it to be just fine! The flower nails help it cook all the way through, I was worried about that at first. The oven I was using was not very good, but the temp and lengh of baking time was just fine!!

Have used the ball pan and the mini ball pan for many baseball theamed caked (see my photos). I never worry about the time they tell me and only cook at 325 degrees and watch it like a hawk. For the mini ball pan (to make real looking baseballs) I have done pound cake and brownie mix to get a denser cake and to make it easier to work with. I always freeze cakes then use them.

I only do fondant over a crumb coat of butter cream. The mini balls are Hard to get perfect all the way around but it gets easier each time. Cut a little divit out of the center of the flat part of the ball half so it sits on itself easier.

I use the large ball pan for a baseball cap, the mini ball pan for baseballs and the 12 inch square cut into a homeplate shape or do the 12 inch square and over fill so it has a crown or dome to make a base.

Also use raw sugar and crushed cinnamon sticks to make "real" looking infield dirt. Attach with piping gel on the cake base.

Ok, thanks for the tips!! I'll do my best!

I recently used the sports ball pan to make a baseball and covered it in buttercream icing. I found it very helpful to place the cake on a turning board while decorating it. I have also made an apple cake out of the sports ball pan too.

I find that if I fill the pans a bit more than suggested they balloon up like a muffin - BUT, that is good because then I can level the cake off while it is in the pan very easily and the halves fit together perfectly. If the cake doesn't overflow then I have to level it by trimming some and don't end up with a ball shape because it's too squatty.

How do you all ice it? I'm having a heck of a time getting the frosting to stick to the lower half, gravity takes over and it falls off. Or, I have too hard of a time getting the piping tip up in there. Advice?

Hula1974, as for icing the bottom, I have found it easier to cover with a thin layer of b/c in the same color that you will be piping, then pipe a few rounds of stars on top of that while it is still "bottom up". Then I just flip it over onto the board and fill in from the bottom up, put a layer of b/c on top, then pop the "top" of the ball on. I think with the thin layer of the same color, if you miss any spots, it's not as obvious, at least on the ones I have done.
I have also covered in MMF with wonderful results.
HTH

I baked WASC for 55 min. on 325 and it was perfect. I ended up making one half into a baseball and the other half into an eyeball. I used fondant over BC on both and they came out great!