Those who want to prepare a cake appropriate for a sports-themed event might wish to consider using a ball cake pan. As its name suggests, a ball cake pan is a specialty baking pan which allows cooks to produce ball-shaped cakes. There are two main types of ball cake pan, the first of which produces a half ball shape and the second which produces a full ball shape. Once a cake has been baked in a ball cake pan, it is removed and decorated to resemble the round sports ball of the baker’s choice. Those who do not wish to invest in this type of pan may be able to produce a ball cake using oven-proof glass bowls.
Baking pan manufacturers produce two main types of ball cake pan. The first of these consists of a metal half-sphere set upon a base that allows it to remain upright during filling and baking. This type of pan produces a cake which is shaped like the top half of a ball. Often, bakers position this half-ball on top of a larger rectangular cake that has been decorated to look like a playing field or court.
The other type of ball cake pan essentially comprises a set of two of these half-sphere pans. Each pan has a base which provides it with stability. After baking one ball half in each of these pans, the baker removes the cakes from the pans and uses icing or fruit filling to stick their flat sides together, creating a full sphere shape. In order to keep the sphere from rolling once its two halves have been connected, it can be useful to slice away a small section of the cake’s bottom, creating a flat area on which it can rest.
Whether using a half-sphere or full-sphere ball cake pan, cakes produced in these pans can be decorated according to the occasion or the preferences of the baker. With the appropriate tools, basic cake decorating skills, and some creativity, a cake baked in one of these pans can be iced to resemble just about any round sports ball. For instance, a baker can frost his cake so that it looks like a basketball, a baseball, or a pool ball.
Bakers who do not wish to purchase a specialty ball cake pan may be able to create a ball cake using one or two heat-proof glass bowls. To make a ball cake using a bowl, the baker simply pours his cake batter into a greased bowl, bakes it, and then overturns the bowl onto a board to release the cake once it has cooled. If necessary, he can use a serrated knife to carefully round out the cake’s shape before icing it to resemble his ball of choice.
