I just purchased my first 3D cake pan (the bunny) and was wondering if anyone had any advice or things I should know before I attempt it.

Thanks!

I haven't made a 3-D cake but I know a lot of people have said the key is to use a dense cake.. like a pound cake.

read the directions, and make sure you cool it in the pan, flipping it to the other side after a while and also let it rest a day and decorate the next. as for baking, not sure how this one will bake up especially in the ears,perhaps someone else can advise.

If you are going to use a cake mix or a cake recipe that is light in texture, add one envelope of Dream Whip mix to the batter. This will make the cake dense enough to hold together without ruining the flavor. This is especially important for the molds that make the stand-up characters. When you unmold the cake to cool, it is very fragile and jiggly - if the cake isn't dense, it'll fall apart before your eyes. Also, make sure to use Wilton Cake Release to grease the inside of the pans, and make sure to get EVERY nook and cranny! Butter, shortnening, Pam - nothing works as good as Cake Release. Hope that helps!

I don't have that exact bunny, but one that is like it. Besides all of the wonderful advice you have gotten so far, I have a couple of things to add. I have made regular cakes with the 3D and simply added a box of pudding and an extra egg to make it more dense...it still won't be as dense as a pound cake, but has extra stability. Definetly follow how much batter needs to go into the cake exactly, too much and it will spill over and not rise to the top, and not enough and it wont rise to the top. Your best friend for a 3D cake is the homemade cake release:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1963-Cake-Release.html
use a brush and get it into all of the nooks and crannies of the cake, it will make it pop right out of their without leaving crusties like Pam with flour will.
Also make sure that you let it cool, and follow the directions on letting the steam out and letting it cool, defiently don't leave it thier longer than the directions or it will stick. Hope this helps, and if you have a chance to have a practice run go for it.

Thanks everyone! Do I need to use some type of heating core for the cake to bake through?

On the Wilton site there are a couple of people that say to NEVER use the core. Of course, many people say to use the core. If you don't have a core, I would just try it without. I'm a novice, but have read, and read, and read about this. I know that this doesn't help much, but I'm trying. LOL

I'm pretty sure that cake doesn't come with a core, correct? So I wouldn't use one with it, all of the 3d cake pans I have, the only one that has a core, is the wondermold and 3D teddy, and I only use the core that comes with them. My rabbit, duck, etc. turned out fine without the core. Just my opinon of course.