A Unique & Fun Birthday Cake - the Big Top Cupcake!

     Most birthdays around here we order the cake of choice for the birthday girl from the local grocery store.  But this year, Carrie Beth informed me a day or two before her birthday that she wanted a giant cupcake cake.  So, for $19.99 + tax, I ran out and bought a giant cupcake pan set and set about to make her not one, but two, cupcake cakes.  It's cheaper on Amazon but I didn't have time to order.  Even so, it's still cheaper than ordering a cake like we usually do, so why not!  Plus I'll be able to use that set again and again for birthday celebrations in the future. 

     I was concerned about how this set was going to work out because of reviews I had read on Amazon about some different cupcake pan sets.  While the sets I read reviews on had positive and negative reviews and in between as well, you'll see below why I chose the bake set I did.  This is my own personal mini review of the set I bought.  I am no expert, just a mom who wanted to share about the set that made her daughter's birthday special.  Here's the one we got.  

     Until now, I have never bought or used silicone for baking but I have to say that I am already crazy about it.  Some of the reviews stated that they had a hard time getting the cake out without it falling apart.  I didn't experience that at all.  Here's what I did to make things easy for me.  First, I made sure the pans were sprayed well with cooking spray.  We used cake mixes which I normally don't do but I was short on time.  You mix the cake mix just like you normally would according to directions on the box.  Then I followed the directions that came with the Big Top Cupcake Bake set pretty much exactly to make sure I didn't encounter any problems.  After baking the cakes for the allotted amount of time, I checked them every five minutes or so until they were done.  As instructed, I let them cool 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove them.   And voila - they turned out picture perfect!  On a side note, not only does this set come with instructions on how to use it, there's also a mini recipe booklet  with fun ideas for different types of cakes to make.

     Why did I choose this particular set?  I considered purchasing other similar sets but the main reason I decided on the Big Top Cupcake Bake set is because it had separate pans for the top and bottom of the cake.  That would allow me to take out each one as they were finished baking instead of worrying that one might get done before the other.  Since the cupcake top is smaller than the bottom, I assume it would get finished baking sooner.  Common sense told me I should opt for the set I bought because it had separate pans.  I couldn't be happier with this set which is why I'm sharing. 

     The "proof is in the pudding," so here's a couple of photos of the finished products (with the girls, of course).  

   

This was a lot of fun for the kiddos and the decorating ideas are endless.  I'm grateful Carrie Beth got the cake she wanted for her birthday and I now have a fun new cake idea for celebrations ahead.

Hope you all are experiencing God's blessings today and everyday!