We tested eight pop cake pans. These iii gave u.s.a. fluffy, even cakes every time.

Hands holding a KitchenAid cake pan with a baked cake inside next to a yellow spatula, two eggs, and a stick of butter - best cake pans in 2022

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As a young home baker, I mostly employ well-loved, paw-me-down cake pans, and take spent a lot of fourth dimension dealing with the problems warped, discolored, and non-standardized pans can cause. Whether the mix came from a box or you lot spent hours on the perfect chiffon, information technology'due south a real bummer when your block sticks to the pan.

Having a quality cake pan is just as important as using a tried and true recipe, assuasive you to focus on flavor and texture without worrying almost turning out a broken sponge. "I rely on quality pans and quality recipes that volition requite me wonderful results regardless of what I'm baking," said Jocelyn Delk Adams, author of the Grandbaby Cakes cookbook.

Nicole Garrett, executive head baker at Susie Cakes, echoed this, telling Insider Reviews the most mutual mishaps in block baking are overbaking or cake non releasing from the pans so vehement. High-quality pans can limit or outright forbid both of those bug.

We chose to test nine-inch round pans because they're a staple in any kitchen and the most common size called for in recipes. For brands without nine-inch rounds available, we chose eight-inch pans. Nosotros consulted three professional bakers to help us place common issues that arise during cake blistering and how cake pans tin solve or worsen them. In improver to Adams and Garrett, nosotros spoke with Aya Fuaki of Aya Pastry in Chicago.

For this testing, I tried eight cake pans and baked the aforementioned yellow cake mix in each; you can read more most how I tested and what criteria I looked for below.

Learn more than virtually how Insider Reviews tests and recommends kitchen products.

The best cake pans of 2022

Best cake pan overall: KitchenAid Nonstick ix" Round, $xvi.99 on Amazon
The KitchenAid Nonstick Cake Pan has a low-cal gray interior for even baking and is dishwasher safe for easier cleanup.

All-time upkeep cake pan: Amazon Nuts two-Pack Nonstick Cake Pan, ix" Rounds, $11.36 on Amazon
If yous're an occasional bakery and looking for a ready of pans that are inexpensive and will go the job washed, you tin can't find a meliorate deal than the Amazon Nuts Nonstick Rounds.

Best uncoated cake pan: Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum ix" Round, $fourteen.63 on Amazon
Despite not having a nonstick coating, the Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum nine" Round pan baked an even, fluffy block and released information technology without trouble.

Best cake pan overall

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The KitchenAid Nonstick Cake Pan has a light gray interior for even baking and is dishwasher safe for easier cleanup.

Pros: Fifty-fifty broil, dimensions imprinted on base, extended handles

Cons: Will scratch if used with metal utensils

This KitchenAid pan features extended handles that made rotating the pan in the oven incredibly like shooting fish in a barrel, and I didn't have to worry about accidentally sticking a mittened finger into the cake batter when moving the pan. If I was baking a fragile sponge, I could run into this characteristic beingness even more useful when transferring the cake out of the oven to the counter.

The KitchenAid pan has a grayness-tinted color that produced an fifty-fifty bake. When we made cake in darker-colored pans, the sponge tended to shrink back from the pan by several centimeters equally information technology cooked; an indication that the outsides were baking faster than the eye of the cake, which can make for an uneven texture. This didn't happen as much with the KitchenAid pan, and the cake was tender and moist throughout.

The cake released easily from the pan, though it left a slight butter residue similar all the nonstick pans I tested. The residue came off easily with soap and water, and none of the cakes were noticeably greasy because of it. The KitchenAid pan cleaned up easily with a nylon sponge and emerged with no discoloration or surface damage when I put information technology through the dishwasher.

Best budget cake pan

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If y'all're an occasional bakery and looking for a set up of pans that are inexpensive and volition go the chore washed, you can't discover a better bargain than the Amazon Basics Nonstick Rounds.

Pros: Comes in a two-pack, high oven-prophylactic temperature

Cons: Darker colored blanket, unclear if PFOA-costless

Fukai told us that nonstick pans are great for cake layers y'all intend to stack considering the coating ensures the sides and the bottoms sally every bit uniform as possible. These Amazon Basics pans are great for layer cakes because they're not merely nonstick, but come up in cheap packs of two, allowing you lot to brand multiple layers in ane batch.

Block baked in these inexpensive pans did not stick and came out evenly browned. The pans are the near lightweight of all we tested, with thinner construction of the base and sides. We did not find whatever negative effects from this construction. In fact, the light weight plus the extended handles make these pans like shooting fish in a barrel to maneuver when filled with concoction.

Metal utensils practice scratch the surface of this pan and it is not dishwasher safe. It's too unclear from the production clarification if the pans are PFOA-free. Nosotros reached out to Amazon to ostend, but the company did non respond.

Best uncoated cake pan

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Despite not having a nonstick coating, the Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum 9" Circular pan baked an even, fluffy cake and released information technology without problem.

Pros: Dishwasher safe, cake releases hands, a good option for those who don't like nonstick coatings

Cons: Hands scratched, parts of cake may stick

For those who prefer an uncoated pan, the Nordic Ware pan was piece of cake to utilize and make clean. Afterwards running a knife along the edge, block released from the pan without any endeavour. Though a thin layer of the outside chaff stuck to the sides and bottom of the pan, the layer was negligible in terms of the overall cake size and appearance.

Like the KitchenAid pan, the Nordic Ware pan is a light color, which means the cake shrunk back from the sides less than it did in darker-colored pans and was perfectly cooked in the center. Additionally, this pan produced the tallest cake out of all the pans nosotros tested, but it was ultimately not our tiptop choice because of the small-scale sticking issues.

Because of the thin layer stuck to the pan, cleaning it required more scrubbing and time. All the same, there was no discoloration after baking and the scouring pad did not damage the surface. It can also go in the dishwasher. Metal utensils exercise scratch this pan, merely surface impairment will not impact blistering performance.

What else we tested

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What else we recommend and why:

Wilton Performance Pan Aluminum 8" Circular: This is some other skilful choice for those who prefer uncoated pans. The cake came out with relative ease, but compared to our current selection for best uncoated pan, a thicker layer of chaff stuck to the Wilton pan. Ultimately, I did not have major issues with this pan and I'thou a large fan of the cost.

Goodcook Nonstick 9" Round: This nonstick pan performed similarly to the Amazon Basics pan; cake released smoothly and baked in the suggested time. The Goodcook Pan produced slightly darker edges, but the texture of the cake was non over baked.

Chicago Metallic Nonstick nine" Circular and Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick 9" Round: These pans performed almost identically. In both, the cakes released immediately without whatever sticking. Neither suffered impairment from the dishwasher or beingness scrubbed with a scouring pad, only both were scratched by steel wool. Additionally, the broiled cakes in both pans shrunk back most a full centimeter, indicating overcooking probable due to the pans' nighttime color. This can be remedied past adjusting the baking time, so these pans are nevertheless worth purchasing, but did non make our tiptop picks.


What we don't recommend and why:

Fat Daddios Anodized Aluminum ix-inch Round: This pan does not have a nonstick coating. Though I thoroughly greased the bottom and sides of the pan before baking, the cake nevertheless stuck, even later on completely cooled. It took a few minutes of borer on the bottom of the pan and holding information technology upside downward for the cake to release, leaving a thin layer of crust on the bottom and sides of the pan. This pan must be lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Our cake pan testing methodology

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Our testing included multiple phases. We consulted three experts on their professional person experiences with unlike types of cake pans: Jocelyn Delk Adams, author of the Grandbaby Cakes cookbook; Nicole Garrett, executive caput baker at Susie Cakes; and Aya Fuaki of Aya Pastry in Chicago. Their input informed our ain testing methodology and the answers to our FAQs.

I tested the pans based on my extensive research and experience as an avid habitation baker and kitchenware reporter. Nosotros volition continue to use the pans we recommended and update this guide with any new data.

Blistering: I baked a Betty Crocker Butter Yellow Super Moist Box Block in each pan. Per the instructions on the box, I set the oven to 350 degrees F for shiny metallic pans and 325 degrees F for nonstick ones. When a toothpick inserted into the centre of the block came out clean, I cooled the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. I looked for even browning on all sides of the block, with no excessive shrinking or dry, overcooked spots.

Ease of use: As I used the pans, I noted how easy they were to fill, hold, and rotate in the oven.

Durability: I cut one piece of the cake while it was yet in the pan to see if a serving utensil scratched the surface.

Release: I turned the block out onto a wire rack, noting how easily it released from the pan or if it stuck to the sides or bottom.

Cleaning: For dishwasher-safe pans, we ran them through a regular launder cycle with other dishes and looked for warping, discoloration, or any other surface damage. For hand-launder simply pans, we washed with a rubber sponge and a scouring pad and looked for scratching. We also considered how hard we had to scrub to go off burnt pieces and how piece of cake it was to clean the edges of the pan.

Block pan FAQs

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How can I convert pan sizes?

When substituting pans, call up to adjust baking times. Going from a larger area to a smaller i means the batter will spread out more, and thinner layers melt faster.

When substituting square pans for round pans, follow this simple dominion: add together ane to the square side length and that'southward the diameter of a roughly equivalent round pan.

Successfully substituting i pan for another is nigh matching volume capacity without changing the depth and shape too much. For instance, a 9-inch circular pan with a 2-inch depth has the same volume equally a standard 9-inch loaf pan. Even so, the depths and shapes are so unlike that a cake meant for 1 shouldn't exist baked in the other because the texture and density will exist affected.

The first time you try a recipe, try to follow the instructions exactly. "Afterwards you become familiar with the way the cake batter rises and falls during the baking progress, you will accept a better thought of how to increase or subtract the batter size to fit different molds," said Fukai. If you're not making intricately synthetic baked goods, well-thought-out pan substitutions are fine.


How do you line a block pan?

To line or grease a cake pan, cut a parchment paper round to fit the bottom of the tin and either leave the sides untouched or coat them in butter or cooking spray. Pan sprays tin can harm nonstick coatings, so become with butter in nonstick pans.

If you don't have parchment newspaper, you tin can grease the unabridged tin with butter and a light dusting of flour. Some cakes are meant to exist baked in ungreased tins, so read the recipe advisedly. If information technology says "prepare the pan," that ways you should line or grease information technology. "To avert cakes not releasing I utilize circular parchment paper at the bottom of my block pans along with using a high heat pan spray," said Garrett.

What are PFOA and PTFE?

When researching nonstick coatings for our guide to the all-time difficult-anodized cookware, we learned about two key chemicals that are significant in the production of nonstick cookware: PTFE and PFOA. Here's what we said about each in our guide to difficult-anodized cookware, which is applicable to block pans, likewise:

The acronyms PFOA and PTFE are everywhere in cookware descriptions. Here'south what you lot need to know about each:

PTFE stands for polytetrafluoroethylene, and is more commonly known by its brand name: Teflon. At that place take been concerns over the health effects of PTFE and PFOA, and while studies have been mostly inconclusive, PFOA was isolated as the more dangerous chemical.

PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acrid, was used in the production of PTFE since Teflon was invented in the 1970s. In the manufacturing process, nigh of the PFOA burns off and only trace elements remain in the cookware. These elements are so only released if the cookware is overheated to temperatures of 570 degrees F. However, since 2010, the EPA has put programs and regulations in place to stage out the employ of PFOAs in American manufacturing. The majority of cookware made in the United States since 2015 is PFOA-free, and then are all of our top picks.

International standards are non the same as American ones, so PFOA may however exist used in products from other countries.

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services yous might notice interesting. If y'all buy them, we may get a pocket-size share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. Nosotros may receive products complimentary of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our determination equally to whether or not a production is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. Nosotros welcome your feedback. Email u.s.a. at reviews@insider.com.

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