Hi all!!
I've been trying my hand at cake decorating these past several months but recently I got this huge mix of pans...many of them are the 3d pans! I've no idea what the correct method for using them is, though.
How do I use them???
Also, two of them are egg shaped 3d pans (like giant easter eggs) that came with little egg shaped rings...what are the rings for?
Thanks much for any info you can give me! 
~Faith
I'm not sure what you have, but the rings are probably to keep the pans from tipping over in the oven. Usually, you bake the two halves separately, then join them together with frosting. If you could post pictures or links to pictures, it would help people see exactly what you are referring to.
Well that sounds reasonable
Here are some links I found of pans like the ones I got:
http://www.wineandcake.com/prodimg/WIL21052010.JPG
http://www.cakesnkitchens.com/catalog/IMG_0541_thumb.JPG
http://www.cakesupplies.nl/images/3d_egg_panset.jpg
http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.124853271.jpg
Those are some of the ones I got. My initial thought was to bake them separately and frost them together but someone told me something about clipping them together or tying them together and baking them that way? As you can see...this is a first for me.
I've never used the animal shaped pans, but I would bake them in halves. If you try to bake something that is too dense and thick and large, it will not bake evenly. I would be concerned about batter leaking all over the oven if they were clipped together and filled, then baked. How would you even do that?
As I said above, the oval ring is to keep the egg-shaped pan from tipping over while baking.
yes, as cutthecake said...you use the rings to help the cake stand up in the oven. you keep them halved while baking, put them on a baking sheet with the ring underneath it, then bake. if you don't have the ring they will tip over.
when I baking in my 3d pans I fill them halfway with batter. sometimes it takes a little longer than the standard baking time in a regular pan.
Awesome!! Thank you both for your help!!!
When I read about clipping/tying them together it said to put them on a cookie sheet for "spillage". Baking them separately seems much for feasible to me!
That makes total sense for the rings!! Here I was thinking they went inside for some reason!! DUH! Thanks for helping me to see the obvious!
One other question.....the little lamb cake pan. It has a small hole on the back side of him...kinda looks like it's for venting or something but it definitely is there for some reason (it's not a rusted out spot or anything....it's perfectly cut into the pan). Any reason for that? If I bake them separately, how do I keep cake mix from just oozing out of this hole. It's a tiny little thing....about the size of a small pea.
If you go to Wilton.com there are pan instructions for all of those. There are even baking instructions toward the bottom of the pdf file.
I'm guessing here.....Maybe the hole in the little lamb is a vent, as you suggested, or an overflow outlet. If the pans were clipped together and baked, this would prevent an explosion in the oven, MAYBE? Cover with aluminum foil from the inside to prevent leaking when baking in halves.
I've used the wilton bear pan and it has a heating core and clips. Basically you grease the inside of the pan, clip it together and place it on a cookie sheet to fill about 1/2 with cake batter. Then you insert the greased (inside and out) heating core into the bear cavity and fill it about 1/2 way with batter. Bake. After cooled, remove the heating core and fill the gap in the bear with the contents of the heating core. Easy and adorable!!
Some you bake in halves, others, like the bear, are meant to be clipped together - though watch closely, because it can tip midbaking and make a mess of your oven! Def. use a cookie sheet under that one! It's best to read Wilton's instructions as they will show their recommended baking AND cooling techniques - like with the Bear, you don't want to just pop it out of the pan right out of the oven or it will collapse. Have fun!
I stand corrected! Thanks. And I just visited the Wilton website and learned all about baking in 3-D pans. To me, it still looks like an oven explosion waiting to happen.
I think I was correct in assuming the hole in the lamb is for overflow--batter and/or steam.
Cute rubber ducky pan.
The pans do overflow slightly when you use the right amount of batter. If you don't use enough though, the pan may not fill all the way. Using a cookie sheet under and you should be fine. I like the bear pan, although baking it (upsdie down) seemed odd the first time. Be sure to follow times for baking and cooling. I think it took about 3 hrs from the time it was in the over until it was cooled to where it could be decorated.
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