Review on 🎂 Wilton Checkerboard Cake Decorating Set, 7-Piece - Including Round Cake Pans, Cake Decorating Tool, Icing Smoother, 3 Icing Combs, and Spatula by Rebecca Jones

The main purpose of this set is to make a chess board cake. So I'll focus first on the bet, which you can use to create a chess board. I was hoping to create an accurate masterpiece for Christmas Eve. And I took my time and managed to show the necessary patience and focus to do justice to the project. I was determined to have some fun (and I did!). But I was doomed before I even started. The center ring is not inside the outer ring. And the inner ring is set lower than the other ring: the middle ring holds the batter because it's at the bottom of the pan, but the batter flows out from under the next ring because it can't touch the bottom of the pan. The problem seems to be the misalignment of the four arms connecting the two rings. The four arms aren't long enough to even touch the sides of the pan, so the insert never stays in the center of the pan. And since this insert is so cheap and easy, why not three inserts for three pans? Thorough washing and drying after filling each pot is a bit ridiculous. Here you pour batter from three bowls and remove drips of batter, one pan at a time. How much easier would it be to line up all three pans and pour the batter into them color by color. After all, this is a set for baking a cake in a checkerboard pattern. Why not add three liners and remove one of the glazing tools e.g. B. an oversized offset knife? Preparing the batter for this three-layer cake couldn't be simpler: Wilton's instructions recommend three white cake mixes, one for each color. And it was fun toning. The process, as simple as it was, took several hours. With care, it takes some time to gently pour the batter into the sections. And of course there are plenty of bowls and utensils to clean - and clean again. I read in the instructions to fill the pots 2/3 full and next time I won't fill them all the way. And a tip: remember that three 9-inch pots won't fit in most ovens on one shelf. The instructions that come with the box show which colored dough goes where. Be sure to bring your best reading glasses or a magnifying glass to read the words. Basically, do not pay attention to the photos that show how the batter is poured to the brim. The instructions are terribly lacking: they don't say how many batches of frosting you need to make and decorate such a large cake. stabilize such a high cake. Also no troubleshooting tips: What to do if the layers are warped? What to do if the colored sections diverge and there are gaps? And no tips or suggestions for white cake mix. no frosting recipes either. Tip: If you use the three baking mixes from the box, there will be dough left over. I used it in a small square shape and slightly twisted the three colored doughs. Very pretty! I then cut it into quarters and made a tiny, square, four-layer cake out of it. My three-star rating is solely due to the inaccuracy of the plastic insert. After all, that's what makes this cake a checkerboard, nothing else. Any other components in the kit? I give all five stars! But I didn't expect a plastic insert from Wilton: a piece of garbage! I am disappointed in Wilton, whose products I have trusted and chosen (no further searching) since the 70's. What happened?!?The pans that come with the kit are high quality Wilton pans. I appreciate that there are metal wings on opposite sides of each pan that can be used as handles. Very convenient! Although for use with an insert that forms the color blocks approximately 1 3/4" wide, the shells must be 1 3/4" high to allow the color blocks to rise 1 3/4" high before they tilt to an almost unavoidable angle Dome effect The set also includes some high quality and very useful decorating tools: The icing smoother is a very useful tool It's well balanced and light weight It's strong and easy to grip and has a nice long blade It... has two edges that help if crumbs get on one edge you can flip it over and use the other edge I'm glad I have this tool and if it wasn't included in this set I would never have thought of the idea Came to buy it separately.Same goes for the three icing combs - I'm glad they are too!They make it easier to work with if you have a turntable to stand the cake on while decorating the turntable allows you to hold the comb steady and flip the cake. Without the ability to flip the cake, it's difficult to maintain straight textured lines. The knife was a welcome addition to my other offset glazing knives as they are very small and I always buy the big ones. This small size is of course suitable for small amounts of paint and small areas. It also helps on the bottoms of the cake. But for everything else I find them too small. As for the pipe tool: I prefer piping bags. But I see that smaller hands would be better off using this tube and trigger setup. I think this is a good product for beginners and especially good for youngsters who want to help with decorating.