SO, I am planning to do a small cake for my nephews 1st birthday! You know, the one's that the kid gets to play in while everyone eats the store bought cake!? I was thinking of doing a "mini" version of the whimsical cake. My idea was to see if it was possible to use cookie tins. I know my grandma used a coffee can to bake ours when we were little. Didn't know if anyone had done this or had any other ideas. Thanks a bunch!

And just to share, I took my first wilton class on Monday. However, I'm wondering why because I think I knew more than her because I've been looking at the cakecentral site for sooo long. You guys are the best!!!!

I would think that if you pancoated any metal shaped pan or can, you could use that... You could use the different sizes needed to tier the cake up .. the main thing would be to make sure it's all metal and that you pan coat really well to make sure your cakes come out without sticking/cracking .. good luck and post pics for us to see!!

I have made a mini (4 inch) cake using a mini springform pan. I just coated the inside very carefully with foil. It turned out perfectly.
I'd guess you could probably use just about anything. Something really deep or thick might have trouble cooking the insides though.

Be careful of baking any cookie tins, etc... that are not meant to be baked in. Some of them give off gases due to the paint that has been used in making any designs on the tins.

I've even baked in terra cotta pots....just make sure they're UNGLAZED...I use the plain orangey-red typical clay pots...I even have one I use to cook roasts and chicken in - two actually - one to put the meat in and another for a lid, they're oval shaped and kind of shallow. You just need to scrub them really well with hot hot water and just a little soap. Then air dry for a couple of days. Coat really really well with shortening and then flour. You can buy them without the hole in the bottom at some stores....or you can just get a piece of tile and glue it onto the bottom of the pot if it has the drain hole. I did this too - just used krazy glue and let it cure for a good 3 days before I used the pot.

As far as metal goes - I've used bowls, coffee cans, even jelly mold pans - like the ones for congealed salads with neat designs. You have to make sure there's no paint on them or they will give off toxic fumes, like osci03 mentioned.