Which do you prefer, Wilton, Big Top pr Nordic(sp)?

I would probably go with one that was professional. The silicone mold pans are a pain. They tend to bend when you have the batter in them and even though I dont have this particular one, the one's that I do own I dont use.

I have two of the 9" round silicone and absolutely hate them! The cake comes out warped looking and you have to put them on a baking sheet so that you can take them in and out of the over without collapsing.

I also wonder how well they cook being that high and thick. Like I would think you would need a heating core in the center of them if you dont use the thing that comes with it for the filling. To me it would take forever to cook!!

Im one for trying to save money if I can. You can get the same effect using regular pans. For the top you just fill one of the pans a little higher than the rest and then dont cut off the dome on the top. If you want the creases like an acordian you can carve those by hand also.

I also thing it would cook better doing it with regular pans. So the plus is you also save your money and can get the same effect. Probably come out better too! But like I said, I dont own one.

I really like the creasing that is why I am interested in buying a pan.

My daughter got me the giant cupcake pan for christmas. It isn't made buy Wilton, but it is just as sturdy made. I really like it. She made the cupcake in my photos. I placed a golf ball next to the cupcake, so everyone can get a general idea of the size. I still think it is actually bigger then it looks in the photo.

cabecakes, did you have any problems with it cooking in the middle?

I have the ORIGINAL Wilton cupcake pan and it works perfectly.

I have the Wilton pan and really don't like it. There's a significant difference in the amount of batter each side holds. The top portion overcooks by the time the bottom is done. It's a nice sturdy pan but it would have been better if the pieces were separate so that you can control the cook time for each side.

I have the wilton giant cupcake pan and have used it several time..I like it!!

I purchased the Nordic ware and it works well. I acutally like their cake pans too.

I have the Wilton pan, and guess what? It sucks majorly. I just saw the Nordic Ware pan in a store, and it looked much more proportional and overall a bit smaller than the W crappy one.

The problem with the W pan is that there is such a tremendous size difference between the top swirl and the cupcake base part that just looking at them you know they're not going to bake in the same amount of time. Therefore, I have to bake the base, turn it out, then bake the top.

Wilton "engineering" at its finest.

[quote="mburkett"]I have the Wilton pan and really don't like it. There's a significant difference in the amount of batter each side holds. The top portion overcooks by the time the bottom is done. It's a nice sturdy pan but it would have been better if the pieces were separate so that you can control the cook time for each side.[/quote]

mburkett...If you wrap a bake even strip around the top side and bake on a cookie sheet...it helps!

I have the Nordic Ware one from Williams Sonoma and it works just fine. I didn't want to buy the pan at first but my brother (32 years old, go figure) insisted on a giant cupcake for his birthday.

Hello leah_s ! I'm fairly new to this site and I've seen alot of posts by you referring to your website, but, I don't see it listed in your profile...????

I just read a fantastic tutorial on carving my own and it has totally talked me ouw of buying the pan

Yeah CC visits were skewing my site stats. Anyway, www.LouisvilleWeddingCake.com. However, I rarely if ever mention my own website, so I'm not quite sure what you're referencing.

Beautiful cakes....the posts were older ones I came across while researching technique instructions. Thank you

Regarding the difference in the sizes of the top and bottom chambers on the Wilton, I read on this giant cupcake pan site that you can fill the bottom chamber first (because it's the biggest one), then pop it in the oven for a few minutes, and then add the batter for the top layer. The Wilton has really good reviews on Amazon - a lot better than the Big Top Cupcake.

I have a Wilton pan and like it well enough...got it with a half-off coupon, so I really can't complain!! I use a heating core in the bottom section, which solves the uneven cooking times of the top vs. bottom.

This cake is so much fun to decorate... I think I've tried every method including smooth buttercream, swirled buttercream, rolled fondant, poured fondant, candy melts. My preference it the look of swirled buttercream, but people love it no matter how it's adorned!

However, it can be tricky for others to figure out how to serve, so if you won't be serving it yourself, be sure to point out that the top can be sliced separately from the bottom.

earler this week i read a thread about making a candy shell using the pan. It gives nice crisp edges. here is an example i found here at CC

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1852250