I also thought it would be a good idea to test it out a few times before the shower, just in case. We hosted Mother’s Day lunch and I thought that was a perfect excuse for my first attempt. The directions on the pan weren’t very specific so I searched online to find out more about using the cake pan. I ran across this site that had the most amazing tutorial to make this cupcake cake even better. What could possibly make a giant cupcake better you ask? How about a chocolate shell “cupcake liner”!!! SQUEAL!!

How cute is that?! I used the leftover red melting chips I had from a dish I made for Kim’s Twilight Party. I wasn’t sure I had enough, but it worked out fabulously! What do you think?

I did, however, learn in this experience that the bottom cake needs to bake quite a bit longer than the top. I only had one cake mix on hand so I just used it and baked it all at the same time, deciding I would try something different next time. It was good, but the top was a little over-baked. So, my advice would be to either bake the pieces separately or put the bottom in the oven for awhile first, then add the mix to the top after the bottom has baked awhile.

The cake was a hit at lunch so when my company sent out an e-mail asking for contributions for a bake sale we were having to raise money for the City of Hope of course I thought I had to try this again, with two cake mixes! I had already bought pink melting chips for the baby shower so I used them. I got strawberry cake for the top and devil’s food for the bottom. YUM! I also baked the pieces separately, first the bottom and then the top. I should mention that I also learned you need to level the pieces by cutting off the bulging top that cakes usually get. Not a big deal. Although, as I mentioned when I made a barrel cake I never let the cake cool long enough. Same deal here, a chunk of the top got stuck to the pan. What do you do? Simply fix it with frosting and nobody will ever know. This baby scored a $20 donation for our bake sale:

I can’t wait to make another for the baby shower. I love making cakes. (Especially when I don’t have to eat it all myself!) And just think of the other things you can do with this pan – you can make the candy shell to fill with candy or other goodies. I decided I love using the melting chips because the colors are so vibrant, and there’s no mess like when trying to use food coloring. (People thought the chocolate shell was a plastic container!)

Have you used this Giant Cupcake Pan? Do you have any fun tips or tricks to share?

Handy Andy has been a great instructor teaching me how to use a bunch of his fun power tools. (I was a little scared I might saw a finger off but so far so good!) I don’t have near the patience he has so I had a couple bad hours as I got over the learning curve and was about to yank this item entirely. Since he did most of the construction on the last couple stands I had NO IDEA how much work actually went into these babies.  But, Andy got me through it and once I saw the finished product I realized it’s totally worth it.

We’re continuing to find new ways to improve the quality and process and we enjoy working on them so for now we’ll keep on making ‘em. How do you like our latest creation:

This is our newly designed small stand. It has three tiers – 20″, 15″, 10″ and should hold approximately 75 cupcakes. Or, about 65 cupcakes and a small cake on top. I am loving the zebra print!

The first one is a simple, sophisticated heart design personalized with the names of the bride and groom, or could accomodate a short verse too. I think I’ll add a nice border to accent the heart shape (like in the next example).

Acrylic Heart Wedding Cake Topper

The second is a more custom piece that features a photo and a 3D cutout of the couple’s last name.

Acrylic Photo Wedding Cake Topper w/3D Cutout

**My apologies as clear acrylic is quite difficult to photograph well. I promise they are much more stunning in person!

Not sure if we’ll be using any at the wedding, but I wanted to see if I could make them. They’re  available in my Etsy Shop: http://ellezdesigns.etsy.com

I found a super fun photo online of a black & white cupcake stand so after much consideration we decided we would go with cupcakes in lieu of the traditional wedding cake. (What? Moi going untraditional…NO!!!) Of course, we agreed it had to be classy and fun, certainly not like a fourth grade bake sale type cupcake display. No way. So after some discussion with Aunt Pam, who will be doing our cake/cupcakes, the three of us came up with a design and just a few trips to the store and several hours later the above photo is what we came up with!!!

Don’t be frightened by the crazy hook like sculpture on top, it’s an ornament stand and we’re considering using it, but we’ll see. We do plan to have a small cake on the very top. I was really hoping to use black cupcake liners, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere. Seems odd…especially around Halloween. Grrr.

The cupcake stand isn’t actually finished yet but I couldn’t wait to share it with the world! We plan to add black trim and maybe some pink ribbon and bows around the boxes. But quite honestly, I think it could easily be used as is. At just over three and a half feet tall this thing is sturdy, and heavy. Made with plywood, foam board and fabric.

Do you want to know the best part…we designed it so the panels are completely interchangeable!!! How awesome is that?! We can swap them out and reuse this baby for special events or holidays. Or maybe resell or rent it! Or, knowing me, if I change my mind I can reupholster the whole thing! Does it surprise anyone that I have polka-dot and stripe fabric too, just in case?! LOL

Thank you Aunt Pam for your ideas and inspiration and thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Andy for being so awesome and handy. Just goes to show that we are SO good together!!