Baking Basics: How to Choose a Cake Pan

Whether you are baking a cake for your 5-year-old’s birthday or simply because it’s a regular Wednesday, the right pan can make all the difference. Once you get it, you’ll wonder how you went so long with ones that burned the edges of your vanilla sponge and left the middle a sad, saggy soup. The following guidelines might help you make an informed decision.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Cake Pan

Whether you’re a regular or occasional home baker, level up your baking game with a durable and easy-to-clean cake pan. A nice set of cake pans in various shapes and sizes can help you consistently produce healthier, moister, and more beautiful baked products. Even if you don’t bake from scratch, a high-quality pan can help keep your brownies fudgy and your yellow cake layers together. If you already have a couple of cake pans but are irritated with burnt edges or uneven cakes, it may be time to switch to a better pan.

Shapes and Size

We will start with the basic shapes (round, square/rectangular, and loaf) because they’re the most versatile and can work with both sweet and savoury recipes. For example, square or round is also the way to go if you want to bake a pan of closely packed cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, or even a pan pizza.

Loaf Pans

To prepare a yeasted sandwich loaf, use an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ x 2 5/8″ pan and a recipe that calls for 3 to 3 1/2 cups (360g to 420g) of flour. For a recipe that calls for 4 cups (480g) of flour, use a 9″ x 5″ x 2 1/2″ pan. Using the appropriate size pan will result in a neatly domed loaf; using an overly large pan will result in a loaf that is flat across the top.

When baking sweet bread, use a light-coloured pan to prevent the crust from burning. When preparing bread with a low sugar content (e.g., 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar or less per cup of flour), use a dark-coloured pan to maximise browning.

Most quick bread recipes (including banana bread) call for 9″ x 5″ x 2 3/4″ pans, which are slightly larger than yeast bread loaf pans. These pans, while similar in size and shape, are not interchangeable.

Pullman Pan

A pain de mie, also known as a Pullman pan, is a loaf pan with straight sides and a lid that glides onto it. It’s normally available in two sizes: 9″ x 4″ x 4″ and 13″ x 4″ x 4″. Use it to make flat-topped, perfectly square loaves of bread, like pain de mie.

Sheet Pans

Sheet pans are available in a variety of sizes and finishes; arguably, the most common is the half-sheet pan, which measures 13″ x 18″ x 3/4″. Purchase a sheet pan that fits the size of your oven. When placed on the oven rack, leave a 2″ room on all sides for optimal heat circulation. Make sure the sheet is strong enough not to distort or buckle under intense heat or produce hot spots. These pans are extremely flexible and suitable for everything from baking cookies and cakes to roasting fruits and vegetables.

Sticky vs. Non-stick

A cake pan made of non-stick metal is ideal for the apparent reason: cakes don’t stick to them. This means that when you take that beauty out of its mould, it stays intact. Different types and grades of metal conduct heat at varying rates. Baking a cake in a robust, dull metal pan non-stick can take up to 20% less time than using one made of frail, thin, shining metal.

The Material Can Make a Difference

Baking tins are typically composed of aluminium (which is an excellent heat conductor) or an aluminium-steel alloy. Stainless steel pans are less prevalent; they are easier to clean and non-reactive, but they do not conduct heat as efficiently as aluminium. Silicone pans, on the other hand, work best for sweet baked products because the sugar helps them brown; baked goods with little sugar or fat (e.g., heart breads) do not brown well in silicone pans.

Other frequent baking pan materials include glass, ceramic, and stoneware. On the plus side, these pans are visually appealing, and a clear glass pan allows you to see the colour of the crust as it bakes. However, metal pans conduct heat more quickly than ceramic or stoneware. They’re an excellent alternative for baking something that doesn’t require exact temperature control, such as bread pudding or pie.

Colour and Finish Do Matter

When on the hunt for the best cake pans Australia-wide, not all pan choices are created equal. Dark colours absorb heat faster than light colours, leading the tops of items to brown long before the centres are cooked. This is why we avoid darker-coloured baking pans (non-stick or otherwise) and instead use light-grey pans. The cakes are fully baked, the tops are nicely browned, and everyone is happy.