Why Trust Simply Recipes
Abigail Abesamis Demarest is a freelance journalist who specializes in food and drink content. Shes interviewed professional chefs to learn about baking pans and baking basics so she can share this knowledge with readers. Baking and watching The Great British Baking Show are some of her favorite ways to unwind.
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Radulovic L, Wojcinski Z. PTFE . Encyclopedia of Toxicology . 2014 1133-1136. doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-386454-3.00970-2
Does It Matter Which Cake Pan I Use
When in doubt, follow the recipe, but if you dont have the exact pan the recipe specifies, you dont necessarily need to go out and buy a brand new pan .
Its not a big deal if you swap an 8-inch cake pan for a 9-inch,” notes Stankiewicz. “In general, if a change in pan is going to be made, other adjustments will have to be made as well, so keep that in mind when considering baking times and temperatures,” she says.
How Do I Line A Cake Pan
Grease your pan with butter or baking spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease it again to ensure your cake releases cleanly and reliably. You can either eyeball it to cut the parchment to size or trace your cake pan with a pencil for a more accurate approach.
Can you imagine a worse scenario than picking out a recipe, gathering ingredients, spending time whipping up a delicious batter, and then taking your cake out of the oven only to find out you cant get the thing out of its pan?” says Greg Rales, owner, founder, and chef of Red Gate Bakery in New York, who says he’s had nightmares about it. “Starting from scratch once you think the work is done is one of my least favorite feelings, and parchment paper never lets me down in that respect,” he adds.
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Q: How Do I Line A Cake Pan
For round cake pans: The most efficient way is to tear off a piece of parchment just slightly larger than your cake pan. Fold it in quarters to form a square and then in half diagonally to form a triangle. Place the tip of that triangle on the center of your cake pan, then trim off the excess parchment hanging over the edge. Unfold the paper to reveal a parchment circle, then lightly grease the bottom of the pan, place the parchment circle on the bottom of your pan, grease the parchment and the sides of the pan, dust with flour then knock out the excess. Square and loaf pans can be lined with parchment by simply tracing the pan on top of the parchment, cutting it out, lightly greasing the bottom of the pan and placing the parchment in the pan. Grease the parchment, as well as the sides of the pan, dust with flour, then knock out the excess. For certain square cakes and loaf cakes, you may want to line the sides of the pan with parchment strips as well.
Why You Should Trust Us
Before turning to writing, I worked for several years as a professional baker in Brooklyn, at Pies N Thighs and the Greene Grape Annex , so Im familiar with all the ins and outs of making everything from bundt cakes to cupcakes. Now that I dont bake for a living, I still love doing it in my spare time, and will use any excuse to bake a fancy layer cake.
When starting research on this review, I read through guides and recommendations from Cooks Illustrated, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Fine Cooking, and The Kitchn . I also looked at threads on forums like Chowhound, Food52, and Cake Central.
I also interviewed three well-respected experts in the realm of cake baking, all of whom have extensive experience with home baking. Award-winning cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum wrote The Cake Bible, which is considered one of the essential resources for cake bakers. Nick Malgieri is a former pastry chef and the current director of the baking program at New Yorks Institute of Culinary Education, as well as a James Beard Award-winning author of 12 cookbooks, including Perfect Cakes. Tish Boyle is the editor of Dessert Professional magazine and the author of multiple cookbooks, including The Cake Book.
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Rectangular And Square Pans
Based on their performance in the round cake pan test, we skipped a few pans we would have otherwise tested: Williams-Sonomas Goldtouch Nonstick Square and Rectangular are made by USA, and they were the top choice of Cooks Illustrated, but were too expensive at almost twice the price of the USA pans.
Williams-Sonomas Traditionaltouch uncoated pans are less expensive, but they bake a paler cake and dont come with the ease of nonstick.
Fat Daddios makes pans with perfectly straight sides in many, many sizes, but a big chunk of cake got stuck to the round pan we tested.
And the Cuisinart Easy Grip 9-Inch Square Baking Pan, recommended by Tish Boyle, has the same dark sides that over-browned a round cake, and also doesnt come in an 8-inch size.
As mentioned, we liked the Calphalon Nonstick Bakeware rectangular and square pans, but the nonstick coating is darker than on the USA pans and yields a darker cake.
Wiltons Perfect Results square and oblong cake pans could have been a nice option because they were the only pans with handles, plus theyre super affordable. But unfortunately that low price translates to a pan made of much thinner metal than the USA or any of the other pans. It was thin enough to overbake the outside of the cake, and to be at risk of denting.
Q: How Do I Prevent A Cake From Sticking To A Pan
Preparation is key. For nonstick pans, always dab some butter or shortening on the bottom of the pan, follow with a parchment paper circle/square, grease that, then lightly flour, knocking out the excess. Even though parchment paper is treated with silicone, to ensure a smooth release, it pays to take the extra few minutes to lightly grease and flour the parchment paper. Not only does it encourage a smooth bottom surface, it makes cleanup easier. Note: Certain nonstick pans specifically advise consumers not to use baking spray with their products and to grease and flour pans instead.
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Q: How Do I Get A Cake Out Of A Pan
A freshly baked cake needs a little time to set, which will prevent it from cracking and sticking depending upon the size of the cake, approximately between 15-30 minutes. A slightly warm cake is easier to turn out than a room temperature or chilled cake. Carefully run a thin bladed offset spatula around the edges of the cake, holding it vertically to avoid tearing. To protect nonstick pans, its preferable to use a non-abrasive silicone tool to loosen the cake. Place a cooling rack over the cake, place it firmly on top of the cake and gently flip it so the cake is right side up on the cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper and let the cake cool completely.
Stock Your Kitchen With These 8 Baking Pans
As a published baking cookbook author, Ive tested out MANY baking pans. And Im happy to recommend my absolute must-haves to fellow home bakers. This list is a great place to start if youre a beginner baker, are creating a registry, or are shopping for a gift for someone who likes to bake .
Today Im sharing a list of my very favorite baking pans, which I personally use and love. I originally published this post in 2016 and many of my preferred brands have remained the same because theyre such great quality. These are the baking pans that my team and I find the most useful, most versatile, and best quality for their price. Theyve also held up well over the years, which is saying something considering I most likely give them more of a workout than the average home baker!
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Extra Baking Pans That Are Useful
If youd like to extend your bakeware collection beyond these 8 basics, I recommend these:
How To Select The Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pans
Making your final decision can pose to be a challenge. But worry not. We have a few suggestions to make your selection process easier.
Before that, we would recommend you opt for sites like Amazon, Walmart, Newegg, and Best Buy for your purchase.
So the factors you should consider while selecting your williams sonoma goldtouch pans would be:
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Factors You Should Consider Before Buying The Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pans
As you already know, research is essential before making any purchase. So, there are some factors you should consider before starting your research. This is important so that you can make your entire buying process as hassle-free as possible.
Remember, your time has as much value as your money. So, there are a few things you should determine which will affect your research as well.
There are a few questions you should ask yourself to determine your course of research on the williams sonoma goldtouch pans:
- Is this williams sonoma goldtouch pans serving the purpose of purchase? What are your expectations from the product?
- What functions must the williams sonoma goldtouch pans have? Are there any specific functions that you are seeking in the product?
- Is there a specific budget, or is the budget flexible?
- Will the williams sonoma goldtouch pans require maintenance and upkeep costs?
- Are you looking to buy the williams sonoma goldtouch pans online or offline? What will be the best places to purchase the product?
- Where will you seek reliable information on the williams sonoma goldtouch pans?
Having multiple options from various brands can get confusing, so ask yourself these questions to narrow down your research.
These Are My Favorite Brands
All of the baking pans in todays list are items I own. None of this post is sponsoredtruly just items I love and am happy to recommend to fellow home bakers. A lot of these links are affiliate links.
Overall, my favorite lines are Nordic Ware, Calphalon, Wilton, Fat Daddio, and USA Pan. You cant go wrong with any baking pans from these brands.
You can find some more of my baking tool recommendations here:
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How We Chose These Products
All of the pans were tested using made-from-scratch classic yellow cake batter. Traditional pans were lightly greased, lined on the bottom with parchment paper, greased again and dusted with flour. Nonstick pans were lightly greased and dusted with flour. In addition to hands-on testing, we asked a number of professionals and serious home bakers to weigh in.
The Best Round Cake Pan
*At the time of publishing, the price was $12.
If youre an ambitious baker, you may want to tackle tiered cakes, and youll need a wider variety of sizes than just 8, 9, and 10 inches . Or maybe you dream of making enormous cakes, or tiny, 4-inch cakes for two. For that kind of variety, Id recommend Parrish Magic Line, which makes pans in every size 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 arent completely nonstick, but they do release cakes better than Fat Daddios, the only other brand to come in so many sizes. Its safest to line the pan with parchment, but its good to know that im a pinch it should work just fine without.
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A Great Nonstick Cake/brownie Pan
I really like nonstick products, and I especially like nonstick products that actually do what they claim to do. This whole entire line of Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch bakeware is a great addition to the kitchen of any baker, professional to novice. None of my cakes, brownies, cookie bars, etc. have ever stuck to this pan. I like not having to use cooking spray, because over time, it can destroy your bakeware. Also, I like that these pans do not scratch easily. I use my rectangular cake pan frequently, and most of the time, I serve out of it. This means that even though I use a fairly sharp knife to cut through cookie bars and caramel bars, I only have one small scratch on the surface of the pan.These pans are also very easy to clean . Only once have I ever had to really scrub this pan…and that was when I accidentally burnt caramel bars beyond recognition.I highly recommend this cake pan to anyone who enjoys baking, but doesn’t enjoy the clean-up.
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What Happens If You Put Too Much Batter In A Cake Pan
If you pour too much batter into a cake pan, you run the risk of the cake overflowing out of the pan as it bakes, leading to a mess in your oven thats no fun to clean up.
But theres really no formula or ratio when it comes to how much batter goes into a single cake pan, says Rales. This is because there are a lot of factors that affect the rise of your cake in the oven. These include chemical leavening like baking soda or baking powder, how much air is in your batter, and specific ingredients like eggs .
“The best thing to help avoid mismanaging this is to evenly distribute your batter between pans. That way youll be able to see how much batter is in each vessel before baking, and of course, your layers will bake uniformly,” Rales says.
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Who Should Get This
Whether youre an avid home baker or just an occasional one, a good set of cake pansin a few shapes and sizeswill help you turn out better, moister, and more beautiful baked goods every time. Even if youre a from-the-box type of baker, a high-quality pan can help keep your brownies fudgy and your yellow cake layers intact. If you already own a few cake pans but find yourself frustrated by overcooked edges or uneven cakes, it might be time to upgrade to a better pan. We started this guide with the basic shapes because they’re the most versatile and can work with both sweet and savory recipes. For example, square or round is also the way to go if you want to bake a pan of closely packed cinnamon rolls or dinner rolls, or even a pan pizza.
To Our Valued Customers
We regret that due to technical challenges caused by new regulations in Europe, we can for the time being no longer accept orders from the European Union. If you reside in the UK you can continue to order from our UK websites or shop from our locations and partners. Visit West Elm at www.westelm.co.uk and Pottery Barn Kids at www.potterybarnkids.co.uk.
Matters of consumer privacy and rights are paramount to our brands and we will continue to work diligently to make our products available to you. The pace of global regulations is hard to predict, but we have the ultimate goal of being able to offer our products everywhere.
We share your disappointment and greatly appreciate your understanding. Thank you for your patronage.
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The Best Rectangular And Square Cake Pans
*At the time of publishing, the price was $0.
The sides of the USA pan are slightly flared out, and if you want to make a really perfect square layer cake, its better to have a pan with perfectly straight sides. For that, Parrish Magic Line is one of the few brands that makes 8-inch square pans and 9- by 13-inch pans with sides and corners all at sharp right angles. It also makes square and rectangular pans in numerous other sizes, which are great for playing around with tiered cakes. Plus the wide lip jutting out from the rim of these pans makes them easy to pick up and flip over. Just keep in mind that Magic Line pans are uncoated, and its best to line them with parchment. The reflective aluminum sides will deflect heat, meaning your cakes may need a few extra minutes in the oven.