Wilton Princess And Pirate Birthday Cupcakes, Candy Molds, And Cupcake Stand Review + Giveaway

I had a hard time deciding whether to make two separate cakes, or two sets of cupcakes. In the end, cupcakes won because I thought they'd be a little easier than decorating cakes. With supplies from Wilton, I was able to make them look amazing with minimal effort.



Wilton has a huge selection of cake decorating products that allow me to make my own delicious treats that actually look great. Wilton has been the industry leader in cake decorating, quality bake-ware and food crafting for 80 years. They are the name brand that I turn to for all of my decorating needs.

When I told them about the joint birthday party, they sent a cupcake stand and an assortment of princess and pirate party items. My sister stayed with us the night before the party to help bake cupcakes and make candy molds. This was my first time using the candy molds and I couldn't wait to try them out. They sent us the Pirate Candypick Mold, the Pirate Lollipop Mold, and the Fairy Tale Lollipop Mold.


We used these bottles that they sent to apply the chocolate to the mold. Even though we had no previous skills, I think these bottles were the ticket. You put the chocolate melts in the bottles and put them in bowls of warm water to melt it. You then squeeze the chocolate into the molds.


You could put as much or as little detail on the molds as you'd like. Wilton sent a huge assortment of colored candy melts, so we used them all. We could have just made each piece its own color, but we had fun by adding different colors to each mold. For example, we made the eyes of the skulls black and the rest white. For the treasure chests, we made the coins yellow and the chest brown.


We put the sticks in the lollipop molds and used different colors to make the pirates and princesses look amazing.


Here are a few of our creations(these are actually either the "mistakes" or the ones left over from the party). They were a crowd pleaser and I was extremely happy with them!


I'll be honest, We were rushing around like crazy trying to get everything done and I wish that I would have done the candy molds days ahead of time. I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked because we had to make 48 cupcakes, all of the chocolates, and 2 big smash cupcakes(that I purchased the pan for).

While my husband and sister were busy on the candy molds, I started making the cupcakes. My mom works with a guy who makes these amazing desserts. I hit him up for a recipe to make pink princess cupcakes. It is a strawberry cake and strawberry icing-it was a *huge* hit at the party.

Ingredients:
·1 package white cake mix
·1 package (3 ounces) strawberry-flavored gelatin powder
·1 cup vegetable oil
·4 eggs, lightly beaten
·1/4 cup water
·3/4 cup mashed strawberries

Strawberry Icing
·1/2 cup butter
·1 pound confectioners' sugar
·1/4 cup mashed strawberries

Preparation:
Combine cake mix and gelatin powder in a large bowl. Beat in oil, eggs, water, and strawberries. Pour into 2 9-inch round greased and floured cake pans(makes 48 cupcakes). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes(less for cupcakes), until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and frost with strawberry icing.

For icing, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until smooth. Add strawberries. Spread between cake layers, then frost top and sides.

Like I said, I was SLACK about taking pictures during the process, but here they are finished(one had the Princess Cupcake Wraps' n Pix):


We ran so behind on time that I didn't make the pirate cupcakes until the morning of the party. My aunt happened to snag this picture of me decorating the pirate cupcakes. I used a 1m swirl tip for those(that I had already purchased) to decorate the top of the cupcake.


I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting for the pirate theme. I simply used a box cake mix and this Wilton Chocolate Buttercream Icing Recipe. I've made the chocolate icing recipe several times and it always gets rave reviews.

Ingredients(I *always* double this recipe-I am generous with my icing):
-1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
-3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
-1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
-4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
-3-4 tablespoons milk

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

Directions:
Stiff Consistency: In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Chocolate Mocha Icing: Substitute cold brewed strong coffee for milk in Chocolate Buttercream recipe.

Darker Chocolate Icing: Add an additional 1/4 cup cocoa (or one additional 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted) and 1 additional tablespoon milk to Chocolate Buttercream Icing.

For Thin (Spreading) Consistency Icing: Add 3-4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk(I *always* add 3-4 tablespoons of water).

Here are both sets on the Cupcakes 'N More® 23 Count Standard Dessert Stand.


The only thing I wish is that the pirate cupcakes would have had wraps' n pix like the princess ones do. The pix came with the Pirate cupcake combo pack, but Wilton doesn't have wraps in the pirate theme(*HINT*-I think Wilton should start carrying pirate themed cupcake wraps). It was probably just my OCD about wanting everything to match perfectly, but they still looked and tasted fantastic. All of the guests enjoyed both sets of cupcakes tremendously.

I will continue to turn to Wilton for all of my cake decorating needs(and more). Seriously-check out their recipes and ideas!

Win It!!
Wilton is giving one of my readers a Princess/Pirate Cupcake Decorating Prize Pack. The winner will receive a Cupcake Stand and everything they need to make Princess And Pirate Cupcakes and Candy Molds.

To enter, visit Wilton and tell me something that you learned, a product that you found, OR a recipe that you fell in love with. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!

EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- For TWO extra entries, subscribe to my blog via email.

2- Follow my blog via google friend.

3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and
Wilton.

4- Follow twoofakind AND Wilton on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: WIN a @WiltonCakes Princess/Pirate Cupcake/Candy Mold Prize Pack including a cupcake stand @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/28bgce7

5- Place my Princess/Pirate Birthday Event button on your blog(you can snag it from my sidebar).

6- Become a fan of Wilton on Facebook.

7- Sign up for the Wilton newsletter for decorating ideas and more.

8- Add my blog to your text blog roll.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on September 6th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!

Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to Wilton who supplied the products for the review and giveaway.