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When settling on what cookware and bakeware to have at home you might not think it necessary to go out of your way to find the best cake pans, but trust me, it is. If I hadn’t personally baked thousands (yes, thousands) of cakes in my life, I would have assumed that a cake pan is a cake pan is a cake pan, and any one of them would do just fine. After all, so many cake pans look exactly the same, so how much difference could there possibly be?The best cake pans
Turns out, the differences are considerable. Some cake pans have perfectly perpendicular sides while others have a slight slope, which can affect how the batter bakes up, the extent of browning at the edges, and the overall shape. There are cake pans that are truly non-stick, and others that just claim to be. There are 8″ round cake pans and 9″ round cake pans, because the industry likes to keep all you home bakers on your toes. The size, shape, volume, coating, and construction materials all contribute to the final product, so if you’re looking to bake the best cake, you’ll want the best cake pans in your cabinet.
A note: In this test we only considered square and round cake pans. I’ll cover items like loaf pans and springform pans with removable bottoms elsewhere.
Aluminum– Most used for baking. It conducts heat evenly. It is best to hand washed to keep the color. However, the discoloration does not affect baking in the pans.
What I looked for
After the cakes and brownies were cooled and unmolded, I compared and contrasted them in several ways.
Though there are many single-tier cakes that can come from a round cake pan, but for the purposes of testing I looked for cake pans that could produce perfectly stackable layers. Though it’s nice to have a pile of cake scraps you can nosh on all by yourself, significantly domed tops and slanted sides result in a lot of “lost” cake, and trimming layers to be perfectly level can be difficult for beginners or novices.
I first looked at how much height the cake had gained in the oven, whether the top had baked up relatively flat or had developed a dome, and if it was the latter, exactly how significant was it. A domed top can be the death of a layer cake and must be trimmed away before stacking, which can end up leaving you with half the amount of cake you were counting on. I’m also not much of a fan of pans with sloped edges, which produce layer cakes that are uneven on the sides, which makes frosting difficult. (You could trim the edges off to even things out, but that’s more work for you, and less cake for everyone else.)
After assessing pan shapes (which instantly disqualified ⅔ of the lot from best cake pan contention), I checked each cake for color, looking for spots of excessive or uneven browning. Next I cut each cake into pieces and compared sections from the edge and middle on flavor and texture. Our top two pans produced cake layers that were as moist and delicious in the center as they were at the edges.
When judging the brownies, I baked in the square pans. My first concern was that they were level throughout; in this instance, issues of doming and sloping lead to burnt edges and unpleasantly dried out corners. Unlike round cake pans, the geometry of a square pan almost ensures uneven baking, with corners always cooking faster than middles. But this isn’t always a bad thing, particularly in brownie baking! Instead of seeking out textures that were even, I sought ones that were pleasant—lightly crispy corners, chewy edges, and fudgy center slices. If a square pan could nail all three textures, it was a best cake pan contender.
The best round cake pan: Great Jones Patty Cake
Great Jones Patty Cake
Off the bat, the Great Jones Patty Cake is beautiful to look at. This has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on its performance, but it’s a very nice touch! I would never buy a cake pan based on looks, but when a stellar pan just so happens to be gorgeous, it’s a very nice bonus.
As for the cakes that pop out of the Great Jones cake pan, they, too, are beautiful. There’s no parchment paper or greasing-and-flouring needed—over the course of my testing, I didn’t even need to run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen things up even once. Great Jones coats its aluminized steel baking pans with a nontoxic, nonstick ceramic coating that’s far more durable than Teflon-based coatings that can be easily chipped or scratched by metal utensils. The base of the Patty Cake is covered with a series of raised, corrugated ridges that helps prevent cake batter from baking onto the bottom of the pan. Simply flip the Patty Cake over and your perfectly baked cake will easily slide out.
Our top pick has perfectly perpendicular sides, making it ideal for layer cakes that demand straight edges. The aluminized steel construction conducts heat evenly, reducing the dreaded “doming” effect that can happen with subpar pans. In fact, not a single one of the cake layers I’ve made in this pan has required a significant amount of trimming on the top to make it level—if it even needed trimming at all.
Aside from heat conduction, aluminized steel also makes for a sturdy pan that’s oven-safe up to 500℉ and won’t warp at high temperatures. And in the event it does, Great Jones offers a lifetime warranty that guarantees a full replacement.What I didn’t love about the Great Jones Patty Cake Cake Pan
The only quibble I have with the Great Jones Patty Cake is the price, even though I believe it is worth every penny. At $30 it’s twice the price of our number two pick, and since lots of home cooks like to purchase pans in pairs for the sake of making layer cakes, it’s easy to balk at the priced differential. However, if you’re someone who bakes frequently, these pans will churn out consistently good results and are built to last a lifetime.Specs
Dimensions: 9″ diameter; 2″ high; 9 cups liquid volumeColor options: Raspberry, Broccoli, BlueberryDishwasher-safe: Dishwasher-friendly, though hand-washing is recommended
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FAQ
What bakeware do professional bakers use?
What kind of cake pans do bakers use?
What cake tins do professionals use?
Which is better for baking stainless steel or aluminum?
What kind of Pan do you use for baking cakes?
We prefer light-colored aluminum, anodized aluminum, or aluminized steel pans over other materials, especially those that are dark-colored or non-stick. Dark pans conduct too much heat, baking cakes too fast on the outside.
Are aluminum pans a good choice for baking cakes?
Aluminum pans, particularly anodized aluminum, are the preferred choice for many professional bakers due to their excellent heat conductivity and non-reactive properties. Whether you’re baking layer cakes, cheesecakes, angel food cakes, Bundt cakes, or any other delicious creations, there is a perfect pan out there for you.
How do I choose the right cake pan?
Selecting the right cake pan is crucial for achieving professional baking results. Aluminum pans, particularly anodized aluminum, are the preferred choice for many professional bakers due to their excellent heat conductivity and non-reactive properties.
What size cake pan should I buy?
As a baker and recipe developer, I like to have three cake pan sizes on hand: 6-, 8- and 9-inch. But if I had to pick one, it would be eight inches, and it’s a good thing because that’s the size we tested here. For this lineup, we’re limiting ourselves to light-colored, straight-sided pans made from aluminum, anodized aluminum, or aluminized steel.