The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you’ll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
The Insider Pick:
-
A high-quality cake pan cooks both sweet and savory foods evenly without burning, releases baked goods with little fuss, and cleans up effortlessly. The USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan is our top pick because of its fluted, nonstick-coated bottom that allows for airflow to facilitate even baking. Plus, it has a lifetime warranty.
A good cake pan can make or break your baking experience. If you decide to skimp on bakeware, you might end up with a pan that rusts, warps, or burns the batter you carefully prepared. On the other hand, when you buy one of the many excellent cake pans in our guide, you can look like a pro with minimal effort. For me, the right pans have made baking with my preschooler that much more enjoyable for both of us.
In this guide, we help you find the best cake pan, whether it’s round, square, or rectangular. There are a wide variety of cake pans, but for the purposes of this guide, we are going to focus on traditional, flat-bottomed, high-sided metal pans. So here, we will not cover Bundt pans, springform pans, baking sheets, baking dishes, or muffin tins — You’ll have to check out our other guides for those pieces of bakeware.
What to Look for in Cake Pans
The best cake pans are made of metal, specifically aluminum or aluminized steel. Aluminum is the best material for baking the perfect cake because it distributes heat quickly and evenly. When it is paired with steel, you get pans that are durable and resistant to warping or denting. This is particularly important if you want to avoid leaning layer cakes or misshapen sheet cakes.
You can bake cakes in glass or ceramic dishes, but they do not conduct heat as well, and most recipes assume you are going to use metal so your baking times may be off. Silicone bakeware has grown in popularity in recent years, and there are instances where it is helpful. However, silicone tends not to brown cake on the outside. Plus, it is difficult to maneuver when full of batter.
Therefore, metal is your best option. Depending on who you talk to, either a lighter colored or darker colored cake pan is better. In general, the darker a pan is the darker the browning of the cake will be. I prefer a lighter, golden brown cake so I mostly have lighter-color pans in my kitchen, but you may prefer to go darker.
Lastly, if you are an experienced baker or just strive for perfection, choose a cake pan with straight sides, as opposed to a pan that flares out as it gets closer to the rim. Straight sides produce more precisely-shaped cakes, which will make your frosting and decorating work go more smoothly.
While researching the best cake pans, we examined the reviews and ratings of hundreds of buyers and experts. The cake pans featured in the slides below produce superbly-browned foods, are built to last a lifetime, and they make it easier to create perfectly-shaped cakes.
Here are our top picks for the best cake pans:
- Best overall: USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan
- Best square pan: Calphalon Classic Bakeware 8-Inch Square Nonstick Cake Pan
- Best round pan: Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick Round Cake Pan
- Best affordable set: Wilton Aluminum Performance Pans
- Best high-end pan: OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Cake Pan
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
The best cake pan overall
USA Pan Bakeware
Why you’ll love it: If you are looking for a round pan that is low maintenance and releases your cake with minimal fuss, the USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan is your best alternative.
The USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan is unique because the bottom has a fluted or corrugated design. This has a few of benefits. First, it adds extra strength to the pan to keep it from warping. Secondly, it enhances the nonstick properties. Plus, it allows for increased airflow and heat distribution.
This pan is also made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel, which is incredibly durable. The aluminized steel is covered with Americoat Plus, a silicone nonstick coating. Americoat tends to be easy to clean, easy to use, and it releases cakes effortlessly. You can get the pan in three sizes: 8 inches in diameter by 2.25 inches high, 9 inches in diameter by 2.25 inches high, or 10 inches in diameter by 2.25 inches high. USA Pan backs the quality of this pan with a limited lifetime warranty.
The Wirecutter also chose the USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan as the best cake pan available. The reviewer recommended this model because of its durability, even heat distribution, and its truly nonstick corrugated bottom. In her tests, she found that even sticky sugar came off the pan easily. Several other expert sites recommend the USA Pan, including Cream of the West, Bake from Scratch, and Kitchen Folks.
About 89% of the people who reviewed the USA Pan Round Cake Pan on Amazon gave it five stars. The two most helpful reviews have nothing but positive things to say about this pan. Both point out that there is no need to grease the pan. It releases baked goods without leaving a single crumb behind.
Buyer Berni warns against washing the pan if rust is a concern. Instead, wipe it down with a paper towel. If you do wash the pan, you might consider putting it in a warm oven afterward to dry it out completely.
Pros: Bakes evenly, incredibly nonstick, made in the USA, lifetime warranty
Cons: Some complaints of rusting
Buy the USA Pan Bakeware Round Cake Pan on Amazon for $ 14.99 and up (price varies by size)
The best square cake pan
Calphalon
Why you’ll love it: The Calphalon Classic Bakeware 8-Inch Square Nonstick Cake Pan is ideal for bakers looking to create cakes with precise edges and straight sides.
The Calphalon Classic Square Cake Pan stands out from the competition because of its folded corner design and straight sides which allow for precise baked goods.
The pan is 8 by 8 by 2 inches and it’s made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel for rust resistance. The surface is nonstick and dishwasher safe for easy cleanup. The Calphalon cake pan is oven safe up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, but you should avoid using it under the broiler or putting it in the freezer. Calphalon backs the quality of the pan with a lifetime warranty.
Cook’s Illustrated recommends the Calphalon Classic Nonstick Bakeware 8-Inch Square Cake Pan because it did an excellent job of baking cornbread and crumb cake. However, the reviewer did not rate it the best cake pan because the dark surface tended to produce darker results.
The Wirecutter recommends this cake pan as well as its rectangular cousin to people who are turned off by the USA Pan’s corrugated design. The reviewer notes that the pan bakes cakes with perfect corners and straight sides. Plus, the cakes are released cleanly. But, the reviewer also mentions that baked goods turn out darker than what you might get with lighter-colored pans.
Of the 47 reviews of the Calphalon Classic Square Cake Pan on Amazon, only two are critical. City Girl, the most helpful critical reviewer, gave the pan three stars because she had a hard time cleaning the baked-on food out of the corners. The most helpful positive reviewer also had difficulties cleaning the corners. However, the buyer found the non-stick surface, hefty metal construction, and nice square corners and sides made up for this deficiency.
Pros: Non-stick, made of durable aluminized steel, straight sides, lifetime warranty
Cons: Bakes cakes darker than lighter-colored pans, hard to clean the corners
Buy the Calphalon Classic Bakeware 8-Inch Square Nonstick Cake Pan on Amazon for $ 21.99
The best cake pan for making pizza
Chicago Metallic
Why you’ll love it: The dark finish of the Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick Round Cake Pan makes it ideal for baked goods that rely on a browned outer crust, such as deep-dish pizza.
Yes, you can use a cake pan to make pizza. And, it’s only fitting that the Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick Round Cake Pan is excellent for making Chicago-style pizza. As with the previous options on our guide, the Professional is made of aluminized steel, which helps with even baking.
The non-stick surface is silicone based, which is unaffected by high temperatures and makes clean up a snap. Though Chicago Metallic recommends handwashing this pan, it is dishwasher safe. The overall dimensions are 9 inches in diameter by 2 inches deep. And, it is backed by a lifetime warranty.
Both Kitchen Folks and Cook’s Illustrated recommend the Chicago Metallic Non-Stick Round Cake Pan. The reviewer at Cook’s Illustrated found that a lot of heat was radiated by the dark finish. This caused cake edges to set too quickly, which resulted in doming in the center. However, it released baked goods perfectly and browned cinnamon buns and pizzas nicely.
About 97% of the reviews of the Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick Round Cake Pan on Amazon are positive, and there are no one- or two-star ratings. The most helpful reviewer notes that the pan is solid, heavy-duty, and it bakes evenly. However, the buyer only gave the pan three stars because the manufacturer’s name is embossed on the bottom of the pan. This made the food more likely to stick, and the pan was a little harder to clean. Marketing photos of the pan do not show the embossing, but buyer photos clearly show it.
Pros: Excellent for pizza, effective non-stick coating, lifetime warranty
Cons: Dark finish causes cake edges to cook too quickly
Buy the Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick Round Cake Pan on Amazon for $ 10.99
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The best car seats for your baby, toddler, or kid
- The best clutches you can buy
- The best workwear brands for men’s clothing
SEE ALSO: The best oven mitts you can buy
