Despite thorough greasing, pizza fused to the pans without nonstick coating. Crown 6 inch Cake Pan, 2" Deep, Professional Quality, Heavy Duty, Even Heat Distribution, Pure Alumi… Learn real cooking skills from your favorite food experts, The iconic magazine that investigates how and why recipes work, American classics, everyday favorites, and the stories behind them, Experts teach 200+ online courses for home cooks at every skill level, Kid tested, kid approved: Welcome to America’s Test Kitchen for the next generation. 6 Inch Cake Pan Set of 2, E-far Stainless Steel Round Smash Cake Baking Pans, Non-Toxic & Healthy, Mirror Finish & Dishwasher Safe 4.8 out of 5 stars 393 $14.99 - $16.99

Light-finish pans baked more evenly, producing taller, more level layers. Updated hourly. Well-placed medium-strength magnets made it easy to attach all our knives, and a rotating base gave us quick access to them. This roomy block completely sheathed our entire winning knife set using just one of its two sides—and quite securely, thanks to long, medium-strength magnet bars. The Best Cake Pan for Small Kitchens. Then we baked yellow cakes in pairs of each pan in the same oven, so we could observe how well each pan browned the cake and how it affected the shape of the layers. Today’s cake pans offer tons of variety and options.

Cake is a complex thing. This magnetic block sheathed all our knives completely, though with a bit of crowding. Heavy, with a grippy base, this block was very stable. An acrylic guard afforded extra protection against contact with blades but made it a little harder to insert knives and to clean; the wood itself got a little scratched during use.

Though extremely budget-friendly, the quality is there. Worse, we couldn’t take it apart, so splatters that hit the interior were there to stay. But it failed to adequately color the cinnamon buns; ultimately, we had to alter the recipe to make the light pan work here. As cake pans heat up, they often bake (and set) the batter that’s in contact with the sides first, giving the batter in the center of the pan time to rise higher. To investigate all these alternatives, we bought seven different pans priced from $9.85 to $16.99 apiece (remember, you need two pans to make a layer cake).

Additionally, the outside stained easily, and when we wiped it down, the unit smelled like wet dog. Admittedly expensive, this handsome block certainly seemed to live up to its billing as “the last knife block you ever have to buy.” The heaviest model in our testing, this block was ultrastable, and its durable bamboo exterior was a breeze to clean. When you start shopping, you will want to consider a few things that will ensure that you get the best quality cake pans you can. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages that interest you.

Handles on our former Best Buy cake pan (also discontinued) helped us move the pan from counter to oven without mishaps, but we couldn’t find any suitable new pans with handles.

And once again the darkest pan made the brownest pizza crust, a decided plus. The pans, which are made of aluminum, heat and cool quickly, allowing for a faster, more even rise.

Finally, though the bristles could be removed and cleaned in the dishwasher, their nooks and crannies made this block hard to wash by hand. The result is a ranking of the best Cake Pans. Consider this bestselling set of three round cake pans (a 3 x 2-inch, a 5 x 2-inch, and a 7 x 2-inch) the ideal starter set. The lightest model in our lineup, this block was dangerously top-heavy when loaded with knives. All rights reserved. Its acrylic guard made it safer to use but harder to insert knives and to clean. So far, light-colored pans were in the lead. As the layers cooled, one result was clear: The darker the pan the darker the cake. We vetoed angled sides because straight sides make better layer cakes. This plastic block required us to aim each knife into the folds of an accordion-pleated insert that was removable for easy cleaning but got nicked easily with repeated use.

With a base lined with grippy material, this block was very stable. But cake pans aren’t just for cakes. Prime members enjoy Free Two-Day Shipping, Free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery to select areas, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and more. 25 years of Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, and America's Test Kitchen foolproof recipes, In-depth videos of recipes and cooking techniques, Up-to-Date reviews and product buying guides. Reasoning that we use these pans primarily for cakes, we ultimately gave our light-colored winner the nod. I used to work full time at a wedding-cake boutique in Greenwich, Connecticut, and I continued making wedding and special-occasion cakes for the restaurants where I worked long after I transitioned into that world. © 2008-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Our winner made tall layers with its 2½-inch straight sides (the others topped out at 2 inches). Get FREE ACCESS to every recipe and rating from theis season of our TV show. A bad cake pan—flimsy, warped, worn out—makes lumpy, irregularly browned layers that stick, cling, and crack, no matter how much you grease it. Why don’t your homemade layer cakes ever look as good as those from a bakery? Get America's Test Kitchen All Access — become the Smartest Cook you know, guaranteed.

But inch-long gaps between its small magnets made coverage uneven and forced us to find the magnetic hot spots in order to secure the knives. The best baking pans and bakeware sets for cookies, cakes, and bread, including, baking sheets and cake pans from top brands like Calphalon and Chicago Metallic. Your cake pans could be at fault. Aluminized steel enhances the cake pan’s capacity to conduct heat evenly, thus baking the cake efficiently.

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