Bigger is always better, especially with desserts! Wilton offers a Giant Cupcake Pan that makes a cake you can use for any celebration…Valentine’s Day, Birthdays, Easter, Christmas and many more. This oversized dessert is not only easy to create, but makes a lasting impression among family, friends and guests.
Begin by preparing the pan with Wilton’s Bake Easy™ Non-Stick Pan Spray, Wilton Cake Release, or shortening and flour. Make sure both cavities of the pan are completely greased to prevent the cake from sticking.
Now for the cake, a denser cake works best. You can use your favorite homemade pound cake recipe or the pound cake recipe found on the side of a box mix. Six cups of batter are needed to fill the two cavities. If using a box mix you will need two boxes. For a little sweetness and fun, mix in nonpareils or sprinkles to the batter. Or, to make a dramatic effect, add some icing color to the batter. What a surprise your loved ones will have when you cut the cake and it is red to celebrate Christmas or Valentine’s Day!
Once your batter is ready, fill the cone shaped cavity (which will be the top part of your cake) with 2 ½ cups of batter and 3 ½ cups into the other cavity (which will be the bottom part of cake).
Place your cake in a preheated 325?F oven. To insure an evenly baked cake, make sure the appropriate amount of batter is used (no more or no less) and turn the pan around halfway through baking. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes and then remove from pan and cool completely on a cooling grid. If the pan has been greased appropriately, the cake will come out with no trouble.
Once the cake is completely cooled, you will need to level the two sides of the cake (top part of the bottom cake and bottom part of the top cake) so the pieces fit together properly. This can be done two ways: free hand or by using the pan as a guide where you put the cake back into the pan, place your knife as close to the pan as you can get and slice across the cake.
I’m all about being economical so don’t throw away the leftover cake! It can be used in parfaits or topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
After the layers are leveled, add a thin layer of icing on the top part of the bottom half of the cake. This acts as an adhesive that holds the two pieces in place. Stack the top cake on top of the bottom piece. Feel free to trim any excess cake off.
As an alternative, you could flip the bottom half of the cake over so it is upside down (prior to attaching the top layer) to make a fantasy fairy house or dog house.
Decorate with icing, sprinkles, icing decorations or fondant according to the theme of your party, event or celebration. Not only is this 3-D giant cupcake perfect for the whole party to share, it can be a great centerpiece!
For more on using the Giant Cupcake Pan, please watch my video below, and if you need additional inspiration, you can browse our collection of Giant Cupcake treat ideas.
Angie is a registered dietitian and has been the Food and Regulatory Specialist for Wilton Brands for the past 4 years. She wears many hats in this role – regulatory, PR, customer service and inventory to name a few. While wearing her PR hat, you may have seen her on local Chicago news stations where she is the guest chef. In Angie’s words, “I never have the same day twice and I wouldn’t change a thing. I love the people and the atmosphere at Wilton – who couldn’t when it’s always about celebrating.” In her spare time, Angie enjoys traveling to Europe, Mexico and around the US with her husband. 
hello, im 13 and have been obssesd so far with baking, i am thinking to make this cake in the wilton giant cupcake pan but over in the uk we have betty crocker cake mixes, would it be okay to use 2 cake mix boxes eg. 2 x betty crocker cake mixes , would it fall apart when i take it out of the cake mix? pleasee help!
cake tin**
You would follow the same recipe as I did with the Duncan Hines Cake Mixes. You will need to use 2 boxes of cake mix for this pan. For every box of cake mix you will need to add 1 – 3.4 oz box of instant pudding, 4 eggs (versus the traditional 3), 1 cup of water (versus the traditional 1 1/3 cups) and 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Good luck!
I wonder why she hasn’t answered your question.
Angie Thayer. I mean. :I
Hi Angie! I live in Denver, Colorado which means I’m in a high elevation area, & difficult to bake!
I use Duncan Hines…usually I need to add between 1/2 – 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup oil & e eggs & have my oven at 350 as opposed to 375 (I find my baked goods bake to quickly & sometimes comes out dry).
What do you recommend I do for the giant cupcake? I need to bake one for my granddaughter’s 1st birthday!
Thank you,
Angie
How exciting for your granddaughter! I made one for my daughter when she turned one too! Since we are not in a high altitude location we have not been able to test this product under those conditions, therefore, the information below is only recommendations. For more precise information, you may want to contact Colorado State University.
If you are using a boxed mix, directions for high altitude are included on many manufacturer’s mixes.
If a from-scratch recipe is being used, the general guidelines are:
•Reduce baking powder 1/8 – ¼ teaspoon for each teaspoon called for in the recipe
•Reduce sugar 1-3 tablespoons for each cup called for in the recipe
•Increase the liquid 1-4 tablespoons for each cup called for in the recipe
Oven temperature should be increased by 25 degrees (per guidelines)
Hi Angie.
I just have one question. How many servings does the giant cupcake provide for children and for adults?
Thanks!
It will feed 10-12 people with a decent size piece of cake.
hello-
just got this pan from someone … no instructions…read the above to use pound cake, i found a from-scratch pound cake recipe that says to flour bundt pan… shall i flour the giant cupcake pan? thanks!
Yes, you can grease your pan with solid vegetable shortening and then flour it. Just make sure you get every crevice with both the shortening and the flour. If you need a guide on how to do this please see Step 1 and 2 in the attached link: http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-cakes.cfm.
How many people does the giant cupcake pan serve?
It will feed 10-12 people a decent size piece of cake.
Hiya
Just found this page and need a little advise. I live in the UK and would also be using a Betty Crocker cake mix – I was toying with the idea of 2 mixes; top half white cake and bottom chocolate or vice versa or maybe just all white cake or all chocolate, I’m not sure yet as I’ve never made this cake before! But anyway are the cake mixes the same here as sold in the USA? They should be right? So do I have to add anything to them to firm it up? Is it more or less a box per half of the cake? I see you mention instant pudding mix above. What’s that? I’m not sure I’ve seen anything called pudding mix in Tescos, but then I haven’t really looked either! Also what icing would you recommend using? Just any advise would be very helpful! Thanks!
You could definitely make half the cake one flavor and the other half another flavor. I personally would make the entire mix of both flavors and then bake cupcakes with the leftover batter (there are so many ideas to use with leftover cake). The Giant Cupcake turns out better when you adjust the ingredient amounts (e.g., egg, water and oil and add pudding mix) of the cake mix to make a firmer cake like pound cake. I’m not sure if the cake mixes sold in the US and UK are the same so I would highly recommend contacting Betty Crocker. At the same time, I would ask them the best way to make a pound cake with their box mix (in case it isn’t the same as that sold in the US).
As for pudding mix, it is a box of powdered pudding that turns into thick pudding once milk is added and then refrigerated for a short period of time. Here is a link that provides you an example of the packaging sold in the US: http://www.kraftbrands.com/jello/products/pudding/pudding-desserts/. I’m not sure if the UK carries this type of mix but another resource is to call Kraft who is a very large brand that sells products internationally.
Thanks for the help. I think instant pudding over here maybe called “Angel Delight” as it looks similar. BUT I’ve found Jello instant pudding mix on Amazon and I can have it shipped so I will do that! Probably a silly question, but does it have to be the same flavour as the cake? So chocolate cake uses choc pudding or could I use vanilla pudding and it work just as well? Or do they do a plain pudding flavour I should look for? Thanks!
I’m so glad you were able to find the pudding mix online! You can use the vanilla pudding mix for either the chocolate or yellow cake but I wouldn’t recommend using chocolate pudding for a yellow cake as it would turn it a “muddy” color.
Me again! Got the pudding mix
yay! Forgot to ask though… Do you just add the pudding packet straight in to the cake mix (so powder straight in to the cake batter) or make up the pudding mix as normal, leave to set for a bit and then fold it in?
Thanks for all your help!
You would add just the powder mix. Do not make the pudding and then add it to the cake. Good luck!
Hello, I’m looking for some decorating ideas for my sons 1st birthday for this giant cupcake. What products are available? Thank you!
Help. I’m wanting to make a giant gingerbread cupcake for my bf birthday. Should I just double the recipe I have? And how long do they take to bake? I have a silicone 2 part mould
hi i am going to attempt my first giant cupcake for my daughters birthday, to grease the tin is it ok to use margarine plenty of it so cake doesnt stick, also any ideas to cover the base of the cake so its not just sponge showing
thankyou
mandy
Don’t use margarine, use shortening or Crisco to coat and then cover in flour. For the base, you can frost it and cover it in fondant or candy clay or sometimes I pipe lines using the basket weave tip. I’ve seen someone online make a candy shell using the pan as a mold for the base.
Hi there, I will be using the Betty Crocker super moist white cake mix to make the giant cupcake. I was reading above the adjust the batter and you mentioned to use 4 eggs instead of 3. Is that the whole egg or just egg whites as used in mix?
Hi Jodi,
This is Beth Somers in the Wilton test kitchen. Unfortunately, we haven’t done any testing to adjust a white cake mix, which usually calls for egg whites only. This adjustment does work well with yellow and chocolate cakes, especially if they do not already had pudding in the mix.
Ok thanks for the reply. I will run out and get the yellow mix. Thanks for the help.
Anyone bake carrot cake in the giant cupcake pan?
I wouldn’t recommend using a carrot cake as there are many different recipes available for this type of cake and some are more moist than others. This pan requires a firm batter and if your carrot cake recipe is on the moister side it may not hold up when you try to take the cake out of the pan.
I’m just wondering if there is a pound cake recipe online. Or is a box mix just s good? I received this with out any instructions. Also should I get the cake release? Thank you for help
Wilton has a few great pound cake recipes on the website. Here is a link to one of them, the Double Chocolate Pound Cake: http://www.wilton.com/idea/Double-Chocolate-Pound-Cake-1. However, if you are not comfortable or do not have the time to make a pound cake from scratch you can always use the box mix method. As for the cake release, it isn’t necessary but I have a personal preference for using it over the grease and flour method or other vegetable pan sprays.
I followed the directions to make the Giant Cupcake in YOUR Giant Cupcake pan. The amounts didn’t look correct. I thought you should put more batter on the bottom instead of the top. THEN I look at your Wilton instructions on the internet here and find different amounts to place in the pans! Which one is correct. I’m waiting to see how this mess will turn out.
You are correct. There should be more batter in the bottom pan than the top. The information in this blog post is accurate. 2 ½ cups of batter should be poured into the cone shape part of the pan and 3 ½ cups into the other cavity (which will be the bottom part of cake). It may still look like a little more batter should be added but these amounts are accurate and tested. I am sorry for the confusion with the label.
Wondering what people do for a wrapper for this cake??? Are there giant paper liners available? I’ve also read something about using candy melts… Any ideas? Thanks! Can’t wait to make a smash cake for my soon-to-be one year old son.
I used the Giant Cupcake for my daughter’s first birthday smash cake as well…it was almost as big as her but lots of fun! Whenever I make this cupcake I do not use baking liners, in fact, I feel that it takes away from the cake. You can easily bake it directly in the pan. If you have a specific theme for the party you can base your cupcake around it. For example, in the blog posting I displayed a photo of a barnyard or you could do a dog house or just a cupcake with a candle. The ideas are endless!
I use the candy melts…melt them and coat the sides of the big side of this pan. I do a few layers so the shell is strong. You will need to trim the cake up so it fits in the “wrapper” but its really cute and easy.
I frost and covered the base of one with fondant and it worked well. I saw somewhere (maybe in the Yearbook) that you can use folds of Sugar Sheets so that it looks like paper.
Hi there,
I have tried this twice now and failed both times. It seems the bottom part of the cake never bakes fully yet the other side is over baked. What exact recipe do you use? HELP!!!!!
I would make sure you are using the exact amount of batter that we recommend for the top and bottom (2 ½ cups of batter in the cone shape part of the pan and 3 ½ cups into the other cavity which will be the bottom part of cake). It may look like not enough batter but it is.
Hi there, i am about to make this cake for my daughter this weekend for the first time. Is a white chocolate mud cake considered a dense cake and suitable for this tin (using a boxed variety) or should I get the Betty Crocker pound cake mix. Do i have to add any extra ingredients to either of these? Thank you in advance.
Because I don’t have the recipe you are using nor have we tested it in our test kitchen I am unable to say with 100% confidence that this cake will work. Based on the online search I did for this type of cake it sounds like it is very moist which would be delicious but it concerns me that it may not hold up when released from the pan. If you have the time and want to try the cake out it could be fantastic, otherwise I would recommend opting for the pound cake.
I’m planning on making this as a “Smash Cake” for my 1 year old. Will the pound cake you’re suggesting be too dense for her to get her hands into and eat?! Just wondering how it turned out for others?
I made this cake using the pound cake recipe for a cake box mix for my daughter’s smash cake and she had no trouble diving right in.
Do you need to bake the giant cup cake in the ‘tin’, then use a silicon mold to make a case with the candy melts?
I would recommend “painting” the cake with the Candy Melts. You’ll want to apply a thin layer of candy melts on the base of the cake. Let the Melts harden and then repeat the steps several times so that you have a thick shell. Your first couple of coats may have crumbs in them but after a few layers the crumb coat will not be visible.
I recommend this approach because there is a chance that you can make the candy shell too thick when using the pan as your mold. Then the cake won’t fit into your shell that you spent so much time working on.
I’m making this for my sono’s girlfriend. She likes funfetti cake. Is there a denser funfetti cake recipe?
We’ve never tested the box recipe option that I suggested in the blog with a Funfetti Cake so I can’t say with certainty that it will work. However, if you do give it a try please remember that the pudding and eggs will tint the color of your batter so it won’t have the true white appearance. Another suggestion is to use this Fairy Dust Pound Cake which has been tested: http://bakedecoratecelebrate.com/recipes/fairydustpoundcake.cfm.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about hot to make cupcakes” “how to
make cookies” “minecraft cupcakes. Regards
Hi.
I am 11 and I love to bake and I wanted to bake something for my dad for fathers day. But I don’t know what to bake. Please can you help me. Thank you!!!
Can you please help me decide what I should make him.
Your dad will love a special treat from you. I recommend that you take a look at the following link on the wilton website for Father’s Day ideas: http://www.wilton.com/celebrations/Fathers-Day/. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you can link to projects for cookies, cupcakes, candy or cakes specifically for dads. Enjoy!