My First Wilton Cake Sans Training

I've made my nephew's birthday cakes each year, he turned 5 last week, and his party was on Saturday. The theme was pirates, so when I saw the Wilton mold of a pirate ship, I knew that would have to be it. I've used Wilton molds in the past, but I've never actually used the tips. This year, I decided to up the ante and go all out. Granted, I've never taken a Wilton course (although...I might now). I used a cake mix, but I made my own frosting, so I'll include that below along with my own tips.

Wilton Buttercream Frosting:
1 tsp vanilla
1/4c evaporated milk
1/2 shortening
1/2 butter (unsalted)
1 lb powdered sugar (4 cups)

Mix in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.

My own tips:

• Regardless of what your cake says, just double the frosting. It's easier to just double it and have extra rather than have to stop mid-frosting and make a new batch if you run out. I know this by experience...
• Buy extra couplers- the white plastic part that attaches the tip to the frosting bag. This way you don't have to wash them between colors. Again....experience only here. :(
• Give yourself plenty of time! Luckily I didn't have anything else planned that day, so I could just work on it until I felt it was done.
• Make your cake the day before if possible. This way you don't have to wait for it to cool and get burnt out by spending that much more time working on it!
• Practice with the tips a little on the back of a cookie sheet to get the hang of it.
  

Really, I think the classes would be nice, but for simple enough designs, you can totally do it without them!


So, I won't make you wait any longer! Here it is, I'm pretty happy with it. Although, I'm looking forward to perfecting my skills in the future!