I had a question on which cake pans are best for baking and I decided to write a blog about it. Why? Well, the pan you use can make a huge difference in the outcome of your baked goods and when it comes to cake, a cake pan it’s super important. Nobody wants an epic fail after they’ve worked so hard baking a cake.
I remember when I started baking cakes. I got myself a pan that looked like this one. The cake turned out dark and the shape was not what I wanted. My cake had the shape of a pie and not a nice tall straight cake.
There are many materials for bakeware out there. You will find metals, glass and silicones are the most commonly used. Metals are my top choice but not all metals are the same. You will find anodized aluminum, silver anodized bakeware, hard-anodized bakeware, aluminum, aluminized steel, and stainless steel. Some of these metals are light-colored and other dark-colored. I will say that the first thing you should look in a cake pan is a light-colored pan. The darker the pan the more browning effect you will get on your cake. I prefer a golden brown color on my cakes but if you prefer a darker color then you can easily go with a darker pan.
I am not gonna go into how metals are made as it will make this blog extremely long. These metals do go through different processes to strengthen them or even for making them rust-proof or even scratch-resistant. If you want to read more about each metal you can go to Tigger Chef Blog (click here), and read more in-depth about the differences between them.
So, which are my favorite cake pans? I have 3 companies I can vouch for. After my first attempt to make a cake on a dark pan that became a failure, I decided to try the Wilton Pans. I bought a 2 x 8 pan, still not knowing much about cake. I found out real fast that one pan of that size is not enough for a cake so I went to get another one. When I was at the store I saw they sold a 3-inch tall pan and I decided to get that one.
Back then I still used a cake box mix. I was really happy to find out that the box mix fit perfectly in the 8 x 3 pan. Back then a standard cake was 4 inches in height and you can achieve that with 2 pans that are 8 x 2, but I like the fact that I can add less cake batter if I want a 4-inch cake or I can go higher if I need a taller cake when I am using the 3-inch pan. Do keep in mind that when choosing taller pans your oven time will have to be increased to bake the cake properly. In a 2-inch cake pan, you will find that most cakes will be done in around 35 minutes (cooked at 350), but if you use a 3-inch pan that time can be increased to around 45 minutes depending on the cake. I bake my cakes at a lower temperature (325) and it takes over 50 minutes to cook them in the 3-inch pan.
I also love the Pans from Fat Daddios. They are made of anodized aluminum and you will even find a 4-inch tall cake pan in their cake pan selection. Once again, keep in mind that with taller pans you will need to make sure that the batter cooks properly so it doesn’t sink in the center. Sometimes a heating core or the addition of baking strips will help bake these cakes properly.
Another company I love is Parrish Magic Line. I must say they have the best shape square pans. Their pans are made of heavy gauge aluminum and have super sharp corners.
These 3 companies use aluminum in their pans. Aluminum heats fast and cools down fast also and that can be important when baking cakes. I don’t use glass for baking because glass takes longer to get hot and takes forever to cool down. Using glass works great for baking things that you want to keep hot for a longer period. The other option you will find out there is silicone. Silicone works well for baking. It’s flexible and can be folded for storage but since they are soft they can be more difficult to work with and they might not last as long as metal pans. You have to be careful with them cracking or puncturing.
I am not getting paid by these companies to mention them. This information is strictly based on my many years of experience with cake pans. I can’t say I have used all companies that are out there selling cake pans but these are the ones I used and fully trust. I am sure that you guys have your own opinions and you are free to share them with me so the cake newbies can choose what to buy.
Hope you enjoy this Blog. Until next time… ta ta!!
Edna 🙂
Design Me a Cake 