Tin cake pans: Cake Pans & Molds | Wilton

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Cake Pans – Which pan should I buy? — Orson Gygi Blog

If you adhere to the old saying, “Cooking is an art and baking is a science. ” then you understand that baking a cake is not the time for artistic improvisation! Baking a cake requires careful observations of ingredients, adhering to the outlined method, and implementing the recommended tools, all while following a precise recipe. And guess what, the cake pans you use are an important part of that cake baking equation!

The cake pan has the potential to make or break your cake. A good cake pan will distribute heat evenly, helping the cake to rise uniformly. A cake pan that does not conduct heat well, will leave you with an uneven bake, cooking the edges before the middle. When the edges are set, the middle of the cake will continue to rise, resulting in a domed cake. Boo.

So, we have some suggestions to help you get started with the right pan. If you’re looking to step up your cake baking, getting the right pan will make all the difference.

Types of Cake Pans

Aluminum – This is the most commonly used metal for cake pans. It has superior abilities in conducting heat, producing a cake that is evenly risen. It is also an inexpensive metal, making it a cost-effective option for bakers needing a large amount of cake pans. Lightweight aluminum cake pans make beautiful cakes.

The only concern for using aluminum pans is their tendency to corrode after exposure to acidic foods. This is most common with citrus fruits, tomatoes, and cocoa powders. There is a risk of the acid breaking down the aluminum leading to bits of aluminum leaching from the pan, ending up in your food. You can prevent this breakdown by baking acidic foods in other pans.

We do not recommend this type of pan. While they bake nicely, there are better non-reactive options available.

Anodized Aluminum – This is the pan for serious bakers. The magic of this metal is that it has the ideal baking abilities of aluminum, but with an anodized finish to prevent the corrosion that occurs with natural aluminum.

Anodization is a process in which the metal is electrochemically treated, increasing the thickness of the oxidized layer of aluminum. This layer is not painted or poured on the pan, so it can’t chip off. It is fully integrated with the aluminum underneath. This strengthened layer is nonreactive, scratch resistant, and not affected by acidic ingredients.

Pans made from anodized aluminum solve the problems presented by natural aluminum pans. They bake beautiful cakes while being nonreactive!

Buy anodized aluminum pans if you are baking a lot of cakes. We fully recommend Fat Daddio’s anodized aluminum pans. We bake hundreds of cakes for our hands-on cake classes every month. These are the pans we use and we couldn’t love them more!

Aluminized Steel – These pans capitalize on the strength of steel, making pans that are sturdy, resisting dents and scratches. But, steel alone is a terrible conductor of heat, so it is dipped in an aluminum alloy, combining the desired attributes of both metals. The resulting cake pan conducts heat evenly, while being sturdy and strong.

The trade off is the price. These pans tend to be more expensive, but they are worth buying if you hope to keep them for many years to come.

We love the aluminized steel pans from Chicago Metallic. They are sturdy enough to last a lifetime!

Carbon Steel – Cake pans made from carbon steel are very inexpensive. They are usually thin sheets of metal, coated with a non-stick coating. Often found at grocery stores, they are often stackable pans. This is great for storage! But, not so great for a beautifully baked cake. The resulting edge is slanted like the edge of the pan. This presents difficulty for stacking and decorating a straight edge.

These pans are usually coated in a standard nonstick coating. They are dark in color, which affects the cake. The dark color absorbs heat instead of reflecting it, causing the edges of the cake to bake quickly too quickly. The center of the cake will still be liquid and will continue to rise, resulting in a domed cake. This is makes stacking cakes very tricky!

We do not recommend carbon steel pans.

Nonstick Coatings – Cakes pans are available in a wide variety of finishes. The advantage of nonstick pans is the easy release and clean up of the pan. The most common nonstick coatings are applied by dipping the pan into a dark-colored coating. This finish is susceptible to scraping and flaking from the pan, revealing the metal underneath. The exposed metal pan is then likely to rust and corrode.

You can prevent this flaking of the coating by hand-washing your nonstick cake pans, while also avoiding metal utensils.

We suggest the nonstick cake pans from Chicago Metallic.

Another option is a silicone coating. This nonstick coating is free from toxic chemicals associated with other nonstick coatings (PTFE, PFOA, & BPA free). Our favorite silicone coated cake pans are made by USA Pans.

Glass & Silicone Pans – We do not recommend using glass or silicone cake pans. They present many difficulties for beautifully baked cakes. Silicone is a terrible conductor of heat, requiring a long amount of time to heat the cake. The result is a cake with an underdeveloped crust. The cakes are also hard to remove from the pan.

Glass pans also take a long time to heat. But when they do reach the desired temp, they hold their heat for a long time. So, when your cake is removed from the oven, it’s still going to keep baking. Not so awesome. The resulting crust is undesirable. Glass pans are also susceptible to cracking and breaking, as they struggle to adjust to changes in temperature. They are not practical in any commercial kitchen, but are also poor performers in home kitchens.

Size of Cake Pan

The size of cake pan you use will depend on the style of cake you are wanting to make.

The classic, most traditionally used cake pan is a 9″x2″ round cake pan. This is the cake your mother used to bake for your birthday. Haha. Most recipes will adequately fill two 9″ cake pans. If the recipe does not specify a size, you’re probably safe to assume it will fit beautifully in two 9″ cake pans.

But, the current trend is to bake 8″ round cakes. With this style, 3 layers of 8″ round cakes are stacked together to make a taller and more slender cake. This style is achieved with 8″x2″ round cake pans.

Another popular option is a 6″x2″ cake pan for a more slender stack of cakes. This is the size we use in our hands-on cake classes with Cake by Courtney. The resulting cake is very easy to handle and decorate, making this a great option for beginning decorators.

We love to bake in the 2″ deep pans, as we feel they bake very nicely and evenly. But, another option is to bake in 3″ deep or 4″ deep pans, making a taller cake. Then, the baker will slice the cake layer in half, allowing for more layers of frosting and filling in between. The depth you choose totally depends on your preference.

If you are just starting with baking, we suggest buying 3 – 8″x2″ cake pans. You will be happy with their performance and versatility. Get the Fat Daddio’s pans if you are looking for a great pan to reliably bake all your cakes. Invest in the Chicago Metallic pans if you need something more sturdy. You will have great success with those pans.

The Best Cake Pans for 2021

Our pick

After several hours of research and two rounds of baking in eight different cake pans, we think the USA Pan Aluminized Steel 9×2 Inch Round Layer Cake Pan is the best choice for any baker. It releases cakes effortlessly, and it turns out layers of yellow cake that are evenly browned to just the right golden hue. It’s sturdy, and though its nonstick coating isn’t impenetrable (none are), it holds up well even under a paring knife. And at around $15, it won’t break the bank, even if you buy two or three.

The cake made in the USA Pan Bakeware Aluminized Steel 9×2 Inch Round Cake Pan baked up almost flat on top, popped out effortlessly, and was a beautiful golden brown. Though the four other nonstick pans we tested also released their cakes effortlessly, not all baked such a beautiful cake. Worst was Cuisinart’s Easy Grip Bakeware pan, which produced a dark crust thanks to an exterior coating that is almost black. That pan was also only 1½ inch deep, which could be a problem with recipes slightly larger than the one we tested. On the other end of the height spectrum was Nordic Ware’s Natural Aluminum Nonstick Commercial pan. It baked an evenly golden cake, but it was half an inch taller than any other pan, tall enough to bake the top of the cake darker than any other.

Of the three uncoated pans we tested, some performed better than others, though none as well as the USA pan, or even some of the other nonstick pans. Both the Parrish Magic Line pan and Williams-Sonoma’s Traditional touch pan released the cake in one piece (though a thin layer of cake got left behind in both), but both cakes came out very pale and with a nearly underdone, slightly sunken center. It seems that the uncoated aluminum of both reflects much more heat away from the cake, baking it more slowly. The anodized aluminum Fat Daddio’s pan did a better job of browning the cake, but the cake stuck terribly, leaving a big chunk behind.

The cinnamon roll test was where the USA pan really proved its nonstick power. The rolls left a swirl of sugar residue in all but the USA pan, and though that sugar cleaned off easily from the other nonstick competitors, that still put USA a notch above. The difference, according to the manufacturers, is the pan’s slightly corrugated bottom. Tish Boyle, who uses USA pans regularly, agreed, “The ribbed surface makes a difference.” USA also claims the texture makes the pan more sturdy, but we’ll only know that after long-term testing.

In the scratch test, USA, Williams-Sonoma’s Goldtouch, and Chicago Metallic were the most difficult to damage, though not impenetrable. The Goldtouch, which is ceramic-based and claims to be “more resistant to abrasion than normal nonstick surfaces,” actually felt a little harder than the other two. But scratches were still not deep on the USA pan (which uses a silicone-based coating), and its ridges kept the knife off of half the surface. The uncoated pans weren’t scratch-resistant either, but it shouldn’t affect the lifespan of the pan or cause cakes to stick more.

Overall, USA, Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch, and Chicago Metallic were close in performance, but USA won out for a few reasons. First, we think the corrugation does give it a slight edge in the nonstick department, as demonstrated by the cinnamon roll test. Second, it also comes in an 8-inch or a 10-inch size, whereas the others have only an 8-inch alternative. It’s good to have options, and if you’re a frequent baker you may want more than one size. Finally, it’s affordable. So is the Chicago Metallic pan, but the Williams-Sonoma is not: At nearly $20, it’s a good $5 more expensive (plus shipping) than either of the others. And as it turns out, Williams-Sonoma’s pans are actually made by USA Pan (as Cook’s Illustrated notes), so why splurge when you can get nearly the same thing for significantly less?

One unfortunate inevitability of pans with perfectly straight sides is that they don’t nest inside each other. This can make them a pain to store, because they take up a lot of room, but it’s worth clearing space if you really want to make beautiful layer cakes. If you have a shelf big enough, try storing them on their sides, like books.

And, as with all nonstick pans, you do have to be careful. USA recommends you use only non-metal utensils on it, and never clean it with an abrasive sponge. It’s also not recommended for the dishwasher, but few of these pans are. Still, it’s sturdy enough that it should, with proper treatment, last a long time.

The USA pan is made in America, and comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Rose Levy Beranbaum says it’s her “favorite pan,” and Tish Boyle is also a fan. It’s highly rated on Amazon, with 4.8 out of 5 stars over 4,000 reviews, and it was recommended by Cook’s Illustrated (subscription required).

Runner-up

If the USA Pan sells out, the sturdy Chicago Metallic Commercial II Nonstick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan is a good alternative. It baked yellow cake just a hair darker, but not enough to be a dealbreaker. Cakes came out cleanly and the nonstick coating felt durable, but unlike our main pick, it did retain rings of sugar from the cinnamon rolls. It was also recommended to me by Beranbaum. It also comes in an 8-inch size as well as an uncoated version.

Also great

Parrish Magic Line Cake Pans

Parrish Magic Line makes pans in every size (the diameter increases by 1-inch increments) between 3 inches and 16 inches, all at low prices.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $12.

If you’re an ambitious baker, you may want to tackle tiered cakes, and you’ll need a wider variety of sizes than just 8, 9, and 10 inches (the 1-inch difference won’t make for very pronounced tiers). Or maybe you dream of making enormous cakes, or tiny, 4-inch cakes for two. For that kind of variety, I’d recommend Parrish Magic Line, which makes pans in every size (the diameter increases by 1-inch increments) between 3 inches and 16 inches, at prices low enough that you can afford to expand your options. We saw Magic Line pans recommended many times in forums like Cake Central, and the 9-inch pan is well-reviewed on Amazon with 4.8 stars out of more than 250 reviews. Though we found they baked cakes paler than other pans, this can be remedied by an extra few minutes in the oven. Magic Line pans aren’t completely nonstick, but they do release cakes better than Fat Daddio’s, the only other brand to come in so many sizes. It’s safest to line the pan with parchment, but it’s good to know that im a pinch it should work just fine without.

{VIDEO} DIY Disposable Baking Pans (heart shaped foil pans, parchment paper cheesecake pans, tuna can mini pans & more!)

I am so excited to introduce my original “DIY disposable pan” idea! They are such a simple and inexpensive way to make pans in different shapes and sizes for just about any dessert, using things like foil, parchment paper and things you might already have in your kitchen, like ramekins and tuna cans!

VENTSAR | Manufacture of confectionery forms

Confectionery molds
made of food steel – such
as you need

Is baking cakes, cookies, desserts your passion? Are you a professional or are you just mastering the basics of confectionery magic? This means that bakeware and cake assemblies are the essentials in your kitchen! Krasnodar workshop “Ventsar” is glad to offer you confectionery molds made of food steel – of any diameter, height and design

Why is it convenient and profitable to buy pastry molds from us? Here are 4 reasons.

This is high quality and reliable.

It’s fast.

We have forms that are hard to find in stores.

We will make exactly the forms you need.

At a festive tea party there is often a favorite delicacy of children and adults – cake.A huge variety of shapes and tastes will allow every sweet tooth to choose the sweetness to their liking. The same richness of choice amazes the dishes for baking.

Types and their features

In order for the delicacy to be tasty and beautiful, you need a cake mold that meets certain requirements, because different materials have different properties. For example, some forms are suitable for a biscuit cake, others for a mousse cake, and some options will be universal.

• Disposable molds will help housewives who do not like to wash the dishes after baking. These products are made of aluminum foil, cardboard or parchment, they hold their shape perfectly and do not require oiling. It is very easy to remove the finished baked goods from the molds, because you can not be afraid to damage them.

Basically, such disposable dishes are intended for cooking muffins and muffins, cookies, Easter cakes, pies, pizza, biscuits, it can also be used for baking fish or meat.

• A relatively recent silicone mold has appeared, which is gradually gaining great popularity due to the huge list of its advantages. It does not require oiling except for the first cooking in it. The baked goods do not burn and are baked evenly. This material is environmentally friendly, there is no smell when heated, it is durable, if you do not cut the finished delicacy directly in the mold, since it will not be difficult to remove it.This is the best dish for mousse cakes, pies and desserts.

The main thing is not to use it on an open fire or on an electric hob. Thanks to the fancy bottom patterns, the baked goods turned upside down on the platter are a masterpiece of beauty without the need for additional decoration.

• Silikomart Eclipse made in Italy is rightfully called the ideal cake mold. This is a round 3D shape with a diameter of 18 cm. It comes with a 45 mm high collar. This is the optimal configuration and size for making mousse cakes and desserts, jellied meat, jelly and biscuit, since any dish looks non-trivial – in the form of an ellipse.

This variant of the delicacy will adequately decorate any feast.

• Ceramic molds have deservedly proven themselves as hypoallergenic cookware, safe for health. By baking in it, the hostess can be sure that the minimum amount of nutrients of the starting products will be lost. Among other advantages, we must not forget about the ease of washing without fear of scratching the surface of the product, as well as uniform baking of the contents, coupled with long-term preservation of heat after turning off the oven. The aesthetic component is also important: it is not a shame to put such a dish on a festive table.

There are also disadvantages – ceramics requires careful handling and does not tolerate shocks and sudden changes in temperature, so you should put the dishes in a cold oven and do not pour cold water into the uncooled form.

If chips appear on the dishes, they must not be used, as they may damage health.

• Glassware will become essential helpers for any housewife, as they are resistant to freezing and baking in a hot oven. Such dishes do not absorb odors, which allows you to use them for preparing a variety of dishes.However, glass can be capricious – food will easily stick to the surface, making it difficult to remove the finished dish and clean the dishes. To facilitate washing, you should soak the container with water, but first you need to wait until it cools completely, since the glass does not like temperature changes.

Cover the glass with parchment or wax paper to avoid burning the food. The dough in such a dish loses its splendor, so making cakes and pies in it is not the best idea.

• The palm tree in popularity is still held by metal molds, which are detachable. If the hostess likes this option more, then it is better to choose an aluminum or steel form. The bottom of a high-quality shape must be tightly connected to the sides. But it also happens that over time, too liquid dough begins to leak. This problem is easily eliminated by confectionery paper if you line the bottom of the mold with it.

The indisputable advantage of the split side is that when removing the finished cake, the latter does not get damaged. Solid forms cannot guarantee this. Among the downsides is the fact that food sticks to the metal, but the way out of the situation will be molds with a special non-stick (Teflon) coating. Among the models, there are also products with a hole in the center, which are considered more preferable for baking products from heavy dough.

The rest of the models do not limit the imagination of the culinary specialist and allow you to prepare the richest set of cakes and pies.

The baking configuration can be any: classic round, square, heart-shaped, star-shaped, flower-shaped, with corrugated edges. It is important to remember that a metal container requires delicate handling and washing with a soft sponge, abrasive products are prohibited. It is also better to use plastic or wooden spatulas. All metal products are great for making any kind of cakes and pies.

Taking into account the reviews of experienced chefs, the best for a biscuit is a split form with a detachable bottom and always high sides – in it it turns out to be the most airy, fluffy and lightweight. And housewives consider silicone molds to be the most convenient for making mousse cakes, so it is better to have a variety of kitchen utensils in your arsenal and not limit yourself in the possibilities of making your favorite sweets.

Mixed meals

The list of prefabricated dishes includes not only biscuit and mousse cakes, but also puff salads, desserts, jellies, snacks and aspic.For prefabricated dishes, a high split form in the form of a metal ring is used, which does not have a bottom. It is successfully replaced by a special stand, with the help of which the ready meal is transferred to the dish. The ring is an adjustable long steel band with a clip-fastener. This means that you can create dishes of different diameters, for example, multi-tiered cakes with 16, 20 and 24 cm diameter cakes.

As a pair to it, professionals recommend taking an acetate tape, which is laid between the walls of the mold and the filling and serves to form ideal side surfaces that do not need leveling.It also makes it easier to extract ready-made food.

The secret of assembling a mousse cake from perfectly even layers is simple – they must be in the correct order, and it is important to keep each layer in the refrigerator for the prescribed amount of time, otherwise they may deform, and the appearance of the treat will be impossible to correct.

Related inventory

The scales will help to measure the exact amount of ingredients.It is better to take an electronic version, and not a mechanical one, since the first device is more accurate. A special baking thermometer will allow even a novice pastry chef to cope with a whimsical biscuit. A sieve is useful for sifting flour, without a mixer and blender it is impossible to prepare an excellent mousse, fluffy biscuit, soufflé, glaze, puree berries and fruits and perform many more tasks.

The turntable is an essential kitchen aid for leveling cakes. It is worth taking a closer look at sustainable options with the largest radius.Scrapers, spatulas and spatulas are actively used for applying and leveling cream on cakes, for decorating the sides. A small spatula is useful for drawing patterns, and a large and wide spatula is useful for transferring the finished product to the serving dish.

Before cutting the biscuit into cakes, it must be cooled, preferably holding it in the freezer for 1-2 hours, wrapped in cling film.An ordinary knife is not suitable for cutting biscuit, as it will crumple and crumble it – it is better to take a bread knife-file, dental floss, string or thin fishing line. In order for the cakes to come out the same, you can use a knife with clamps, on which the required cake height should be set.

When creating a mousse cake, a silicone hemisphere or an air cloud is an excellent choice to showcase the beauty of the dessert.

The split form is also used for slicing. In this case, the convex top is cut off, the cake in the ring is placed on a plinth of plates, the part that has risen above the edge is cut off, and, thus, the entire biscuit is divided. For housewives who often delight the family with baked goods, it is advisable to purchase a convenient slicer form.

A pastry bag with various shaped attachments, a pastry cutter with replaceable rollers, stacks and texture mats, as well as a grid for glazing will serve excellently when decorating delicacies.

For tips on choosing a cake mold, see the following video.

How to replace a split baking dish: 4 ways

A split baking dish is needed for making cheesecakes, soft top tarts, perfect cakes and wet biscuits.Due to its special design, this shape makes it easy to remove delicate cakes without damaging them. But having such a baking dish is not at all necessary, even if it is a split baking dish that is indicated in the recipe. Your kitchen is likely to have something to replace a split baking dish.

In this Article:

What is a split baking dish?

The springform pan is a baking dish that consists of two parts. It has a base and a removable ring that serves as the sides of the mold.When you attach the ring to the base, you have a complete cake pan that works like any other baking pan.

But when you disassemble such a form, it turns into a real miracle. For example, you are preparing a cheesecake, then after cooling down, you simply remove the removable ring and that’s it. The cake is still on the base of the pan, but the sides are completely open. This makes slicing and serving your baked goods much easier. And you also don’t need to transfer the cake from the mold to the plate and worry about breaking it in the process.

Where to buy a split baking dish?

The split baking dish can be bought at AliExpress at low price with free shipping to any corner of the world.

• Non-stick coating
• Reliable latch mechanism
• Different diameters (from 11 to 23 cm)
• Accelerates and facilitates the baking process
• Great for pies, cakes, cheesecakes

Even more useful little things for the kitchen specially collected for you on this page.

If your bakeware doesn’t include a split pan, don’t worry. There are several options for how to replace it.

How to replace the split baking dish: 4 ways

Serve the cake directly in the baking pan

Before abandoning a recipe or buying a special split baking dish, consider whether you need to take the cake out of the baking pan at all. If you don’t want to post a photo of your pastries on social networks or treat guests with a birthday cake, serve the cake right in the form.Taste is often more important than serving.

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Line a regular baking dish with parchment paper

Any baking dish of the same diameter is perfect for replacing a split baking dish. You just need to cover the one-piece form with parchment paper in advance, additionally laying strips of parchment paper crosswise along the bottom. Then it will be easy and neat to remove the finished cake from the mold. So, for example, curd cheesecake with boiled condensed milk was baked in this way.

Bake the cake in a silicone mold

If your cake can be turned over to remove it from the mold, then instead of a split cake, you can use a silicone mold. Silicone molds are a real salvation, because thanks to them it is very easy to carefully remove the finished baked goods. And also their variety is simply amazing.

These tins are poorly suited for cheesecakes, but are a good substitute for a split trough for baking stronger pies. Be sure to grease the pan well with butter and flour to make it even easier to take out your baked goods.

Prepare a disposable cake tin with foil

Disposable aluminum foil tins are ideal for more than just taking your cake for a visit. It is the fact that they are disposable that makes them a great replacement for the split form. Once the cake has cooled down, you can simply cut off the sides of the aluminum pan to make the baked goods appear in all its glory. And to make it even easier, first chill the pie in the refrigerator. Then run a sharp knife around the edges of the mold before cutting off the foil.

So, a disposable foil mold acts as a split mold, but you don’t need to buy (and store) another kitchen utensil. It is also the aluminum mold that wins if you plan to donate your cake or take it to an event. In this case, you do not need to worry about how to take your form back.

How to make a foil baking dish with your own hands?

It is possible to make a form of foil with your own hands, but not always such a product will withstand the test of strength.

A homemade form of large diameter from one layer of foil will be unstable, which means it can fail at the most important moment. You can give it stability if you use several layers of foil. But such a design will turn out to be cumbersome, and it will be quite difficult to achieve a round shape.

Small diameter DIY foil molds are suitable for baking small pies or muffins.

How to make a baking dish from a plastic bottle?

Sometimes you can find advice that it is easy to make a baking dish yourself from an ordinary plastic bottle.But you cannot put a cake in this form in the oven: the plastic will immediately begin to melt, and the baked goods will have to be thrown away.

This homemade form can be useful when preparing mousse cakes or pies without baking. However, it is worth remembering that such forms are recommended to be fastened with metal staples, which can oxidize when interacting with some products.

What to cook with and without a split baking dish?

The most delicious recipes that every housewife will have.