I am using the Wilton 3d cake pan for the first time today thanks to ebay lol
I have just read the instructions and I am a getting a bit confused so any help would be greatly appreciated.

1. If you bake it with the core how do you check that the cake is baked, I have read some people do it without so not sure what to do

2. If I use the core it says serve with core for support this does not seem very nice

3. as I am doing 2 cakes for this birthday and time is a factor, how long to pipe it

I would really appreciate any comments or strawberry recipes for this, as this is for an additional cake for a 1 year old to smash, still modeling for the main cake

Thanks in advance

The cake usually takes about an hour and 15 minutes to bake..You need the core or it may collapse..Stick a skewer along side the core to check doneness.I wouldn't serve with the core but rather freeze after cooling which allows the cake to get hard and sturdy.I alway decorate mine right out of the freezer..It takes me about 1 hour...I stuff the inside with candy like jelly beans etc and then plug up the hole!!