Help!!!! I'm baking a chocolate soccer ball in the wilton cake pan. The darned thing has been in there well over an hour and the middle is barely warm. But the top edges are burning! What did i do wrong? I followed the directions with the pan... and it's now been in the over 1 hr and 10 mins... I think it's a flop... any suggestions?

i think putting a flowernail in the bottom of the pan would help, or a heat core, so that theres something putting heat into the middle. and maybe bake even strips (or wet terry cloth) round the outside. and a slightly lower oven temp too.
xx

Make sure all your ingredients are room temp too. That way you don't start with cold batter.

Yeah...because the ball pan is deep in the center, it does not really bake evenly. I made one into a golf ball for my DH's 40th and it was a nightmare!

Luckily I thought to practice first before making it for his surprise b-day party and it took 4 attempts to get it right.

Definitely use a flower nail as a heating core. I also had to bake it MUCH longer than the instructions say. Part of this was because I used a scratch cake recipe that was denser but also because I ended up baking at a lower temp with a pan of water underneath the cake pan to help bake it evenly and keep the outside from getting too dry.

HTH.

How did this come out for you? Those special shaped pans really are a problem Have you checked you oven temp lately? Do you use a thermometer inside the oven - not just rely on the dial? Those cakes do take over an hour to bake through.

How do you put a heating core in the ball pan? I normally use a flower nail, so I am guessing that does not work. Do you need a real heating core for this?

I used a flower nail in my last attempt and it did help to at least get some of the heat to the center of the cake. I've not done it with an actual heating core although anything would help but I think it may be messy to get out as the batter would cover it completely - not sure though...

I had the same problem with this pan the first couple of times that I used it. I tried the flower nail and it came out ok, but still took forever and the edges looked burnt. So I thought that if I used the heating core out of my Wonder Mold pan that it would work better. So I took out my DH drill and drilled a small hole in the bottom of the pan (same size as the screw thingy from the wonder mold) and now I use the heating core from my Wonder mold pan on the soccer ball pan. I also use a bake even strip just to help w/the edges and it works beautifully. I haven't had any problems and the cakes are done in the middle and almost level. I do bake @ 325* for about 50 minutes. HTH

Well, now I'm worried...I have to make a large helmet soon using this pan.

Would 2 flower nails work better? How about covering the pan with foil while it bakes?

I looked around to see if you can buy the Wonder Mold heating core alone, but no luck.

(The helmet in my avatar was made w/ the smaller Sports Ball pan)

Bump...

Thanks...it looks like that's what I'll have to do to get it right.

This is so weird, I JUST now finished baking a sport ball pan cake. It was a nightmare for sure. It did take FOREVER to bake, didn't think of using the flower nail, didn't think it would stay in the pan, but should have tried! It seems a little gummy ( the cake) hopefully it will be ok. Next time I will know better!

Dumb question but how do you use the flower nail? How and where do you insert it, and then how do you get it out after cake is done?

sudie, here's a how-to with photos: http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-612603.html

Thank you! I have to make pregnant belly cake next weekend using this pan, so now y'all have me nrevous, too!

I did a football helmet and I used that pan I didn't have problems I use two flower nails and bake it at 325 and it was perfect.

This pan sucks .

I baked my first attempt this morning...I used two flower nails which didn't move despite the pan's shape, that was good...

I baked for 30 minutes uncovered, then 30 more covered completely with foil, then 20 more still covered because it wasn't done enough...then 15 uncovered. 1 hour & 35 minutes total. The cake sunk in the center probably because of removing it from the oven a few times. Parts of it seemed overdone while the middle was underdone....

It was a bust, I wouldn't serve it...

What I plan to try next is covering with foil right from the beginning and leaving it on till the last 15 minutes...it did help to keep the top from getting too dark or crispy.
Also, I plan to use less batter, maybe that'll make a difference.

Here's the recipe: http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1953-super-enhanced-cake-formula.html

I used Pillsbury's white w/ pudding in the mix...I used 2 tsp. of vanilla & 1 tsp. of Magic Line's Creme Bouquet.
I had batter leftover and made 5 cupcakes. They were divine...the texture is perfection. They were a little sweet, as was the cake, so I'll cut the 1 cup of sugar to 2/3 cups, and add 1/2 tsp. more of CB because I couldn't really taste it much.

yea i had my first cake disaster with this pan too i had the same crispy edges collapsed doughy middle it was horible i made one much shallower and just used 2 8 inch pans so it was tall with the dome i would never again use the damn pan it was such a disappointment

Flour Pots...if you do attempt again, try it with the pan of water directly beneath it...I really found it helped to keep the outsides from getting too overcooked because it circulates moisture in the oven during the baking process. All I used was the baking pan (that came with the oven), placed it on the rack underneath the one I would be placing the ball pan on, and then poured water directly into it until it was filled at least half way up.

This with the flower nail and a lighter batter really worked. It still took a long time to bake but at the least the outside was not too overcooked.

I should've listened to you the first time vlin, LOL.

So yours cooks correctly with just the flower nail and water below?
How long does it take?
I don't really know what a lighter recipe would be...do you mean scratch?

I keep thinking covering with foil will do the trick...I do that with other foods in the oven, and it works great...it seals in the steam and cooks thoroughly.

I baked mine on 300 and also put a small pan of water in the bottom. It came out right the second time around. The heating core didn't work out so well for me. Thanks for all the tips! I think it came out wondefully.

Ok, so I made a second practice cake last night. I used the recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa can. I hadn't really planned to bake a chocolate cake or a scratch cake for that matter, but I had all the necessary ingredients on hand so I went for it.

I used 2 flower nails, boiling water underneath, and only filled the ball pan half-way with batter...it baked for 1 hr. & 10 minutes.

The cake still sunk in the center, but it definitely cooked much more evenly this time. My results were so much better.

Thanks vlin .

I didnt use a nail, but I did put my baking strips around the pans edges..and I put my own on 325 to bake....mine came out fine after like 1hr 20mins.