We tested eight pop cake pans. These iii gave us 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 utilise well-loved, hand-me-downwardly block pans, and have spent a lot of time dealing with the problems warped, discolored, and non-standardized pans can crusade. Whether the mix came from a box or you spent hours on the perfect chiffon, information technology'due south a existent bummer when your cake sticks to the pan.

Having a quality cake pan is just every bit of import as using a tried and true recipe, allowing y'all to focus on flavour and texture without worrying about turning out a broken sponge. "I rely on quality pans and quality recipes that will give me wonderful results regardless of what I'm baking," said Jocelyn Delk Adams, author of the Grandbaby Cakes cookbook.

Nicole Garrett, executive caput baker at Susie Cakes, echoed this, telling Insider Reviews the almost common mishaps in cake blistering are overbaking or cake not releasing from the pans and so tearing. Loftier-quality pans can limit or outright prevent both of those bug.

We chose to test 9-inch round pans considering they're a staple in any kitchen and the most common size chosen for in recipes. For brands without 9-inch rounds available, nosotros chose eight-inch pans. We consulted three professional bakers to help the states identify common problems that arise during cake baking and how cake pans can solve or worsen them. In improver to Adams and Garrett, we spoke with Aya Fuaki of Aya Pastry in Chicago.

For this testing, I tried eight cake pans and broiled the same yellowish block mix in each; you lot tin can read more nigh how I tested and what criteria I looked for below.

Acquire more most how Insider Reviews tests and recommends kitchen products.

The best cake pans of 2022

All-time block pan overall: KitchenAid Nonstick 9" Round, $16.99 on Amazon
The KitchenAid Nonstick Block Pan has a light gray interior for fifty-fifty baking and is dishwasher safe for easier cleanup.

Best upkeep cake pan: Amazon Basics 2-Pack Nonstick Block Pan, 9" Rounds, $xi.36 on Amazon
If you're an occasional baker and looking for a set of pans that are inexpensive and will become the job done, you can't find a better bargain than the Amazon Basics Nonstick Rounds.

Best uncoated cake pan: Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum ix" Round, $14.63 on Amazon
Despite non having a nonstick coating, the Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum 9" Round pan baked an fifty-fifty, fluffy cake and released it without trouble.

Best block pan overall

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The KitchenAid Nonstick Cake Pan has a light grey interior for even blistering 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 piece of cake, and I didn't take to worry about accidentally sticking a mittened finger into the cake concoction when moving the pan. If I was baking a fragile sponge, I could come across this feature beingness even more useful when transferring the cake out of the oven to the counter.

The KitchenAid pan has a grey-tinted color that produced an even broil. When nosotros made cake in darker-colored pans, the sponge tended to shrink back from the pan by several centimeters as it cooked; an indication that the outsides were blistering faster than the middle of the cake, which can brand 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 residuum like all the nonstick pans I tested. The residue came off easily with lather and water, and none of the cakes were noticeably greasy because of information technology. 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.

All-time budget cake pan

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If you're an occasional bakery and looking for a fix of pans that are inexpensive and will get the job done, yous can't find a better deal than the Amazon Basics Nonstick Rounds.

Pros: Comes in a 2-pack, loftier oven-safe temperature

Cons: Darker colored blanket, unclear if PFOA-complimentary

Fukai told us that nonstick pans are great for cake layers you intend to stack because the coating ensures the sides and the bottoms emerge as compatible as possible. These Amazon Basics pans are slap-up for layer cakes considering they're non but nonstick, merely come in cheap packs of 2, assuasive you to make multiple layers in one batch.

Block baked in these inexpensive pans did non stick and came out evenly browned. The pans are the virtually lightweight of all we tested, with thinner construction of the base and sides. We did not observe any negative furnishings from this construction. In fact, the light weight plus the extended handles make these pans easy to maneuver when filled with batter.

Metallic utensils do scratch the surface of this pan and it is not dishwasher safe. Information technology's also unclear from the product description if the pans are PFOA-free. We reached out to Amazon to confirm, simply the company did not reply.

Best uncoated cake pan

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Despite not having a nonstick coating, the Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum 9" Round pan broiled an fifty-fifty, fluffy block and released information technology without problem.

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

Cons: Easily scratched, parts of cake may stick

For those who prefer an uncoated pan, the Nordic Ware pan was easy to utilize and make clean. After running a knife along the edge, cake released from the pan without whatsoever effort. Though a thin layer of the exterior crust 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 lite color, which ways the cake shrunk back from the sides less than it did in darker-colored pans and was perfectly cooked in the centre. Additionally, this pan produced the tallest cake out of all the pans we tested, but it was ultimately not our top choice because of the pocket-size sticking bug.

Because of the thin layer stuck to the pan, cleaning information technology required more scrubbing and fourth dimension. However, there was no discoloration after baking and the scouring pad did not damage the surface. It can as well go in the dishwasher. Metallic utensils practise scratch this pan, only surface harm will non impact blistering performance.

What else we tested

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What else nosotros recommend and why:

Wilton Performance Pan Aluminum 8" Round: This is another skillful option for those who adopt uncoated pans. The cake came out with relative ease, merely compared to our current pick for best uncoated pan, a thicker layer of crust stuck to the Wilton pan. Ultimately, I did not accept major issues with this pan and I'chiliad a big fan of the price.

Goodcook Nonstick 9" Circular: This nonstick pan performed similarly to the Amazon Basics pan; cake released smoothly and broiled in the suggested time. The Goodcook Pan produced slightly darker edges, but the texture of the cake was not over baked.

Chicago Metallic Nonstick 9" Round and Cuisinart Chef'southward Archetype Nonstick 9" Round: These pans performed about identically. In both, the cakes released immediately without any sticking. Neither suffered impairment from the dishwasher or being scrubbed with a scouring pad, simply both were scratched by steel wool. Additionally, the baked cakes in both pans shrunk back almost a full centimeter, indicating overcooking probable due to the pans' nighttime colour. This tin be remedied by adjusting the blistering time, so these pans are still worth purchasing, simply did non make our top picks.


What nosotros don't recommend and why:

Fat Daddios Anodized Aluminum 9-inch Round: This pan does not have a nonstick coating. Though I thoroughly greased the bottom and sides of the pan before blistering, the cake still stuck, fifty-fifty after completely cooled. It took a few minutes of borer on the bottom of the pan and holding it upside downwardly 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 forestall sticking.

Our cake pan testing methodology

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

I tested the pans based on my extensive research and experience as an avid home baker and kitchenware reporter. We will proceed to utilize the pans we recommended and update this guide with whatsoever new information.

Baking: 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 metal pans and 325 degrees F for nonstick ones. When a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake came out clean, I cooled the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. I looked for even browning on all sides of the cake, with no excessive shrinking or dry out, overcooked spots.

Ease of employ: Equally I used the pans, I noted how easy they were to fill, concur, and rotate in the oven.

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

Release: I turned the cake out onto a wire rack, noting how hands it released from the pan or if it stuck to the sides or lesser.

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 impairment. For hand-launder only pans, we washed with a condom sponge and a scouring pad and looked for scratching. We also considered how hard nosotros had to scrub to go off burnt pieces and how easy it was to clean the edges of the pan.

Cake pan FAQs

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How tin can I convert pan sizes?

When substituting pans, think to adjust blistering times. Going from a larger area to a smaller one means the batter will spread out more than, and thinner layers melt faster.

When substituting foursquare pans for round pans, follow this simple rule: add together 1 to the square side length and that'southward the bore of a roughly equivalent round pan.

Successfully substituting one pan for another is about matching volume chapters without irresolute the depth and shape too much. For instance, a nine-inch round pan with a 2-inch depth has the same volume as a standard 9-inch loaf pan. Notwithstanding, the depths and shapes are and so dissimilar that a cake meant for one shouldn't exist broiled in the other because the texture and density will be affected.

The outset time y'all try a recipe, try to follow the instructions exactly. "After you become familiar with the fashion the cake batter rises and falls during the baking progress, you will have a better idea of how to increase or decrease the batter size to fit dissimilar molds," said Fukai. If you're not making intricately constructed broiled appurtenances, well-thought-out pan substitutions are fine.


How practise you lot line a block pan?

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

If you don't have parchment newspaper, y'all tin can grease the entire tin can with butter and a light dusting of flour. Some cakes are meant to exist baked in ungreased tins, so read the recipe carefully. If it says "prepare the pan," that means you should line or grease it. "To avoid cakes not releasing I use circular parchment paper at the bottom of my cake 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 best difficult-anodized cookware, nosotros learned nigh ii cardinal chemicals that are significant in the production of nonstick cookware: PTFE and PFOA. Here's what nosotros said almost each in our guide to hard-anodized cookware, which is applicable to cake pans, too:

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

PTFE stands for polytetrafluoroethylene, and is more than commonly known by its brand name: Teflon. At that place have been concerns over the health furnishings of PTFE and PFOA, and while studies take been more often than not inconclusive, PFOA was isolated as the more dangerous chemic.

PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, 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 phase out the use of PFOAs in American manufacturing. The majority of cookware made in the United States since 2015 is PFOA-gratis, and then are all of our top picks.

International standards are not the same equally American ones, so PFOA may however be used in products from other countries.

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Disclosure: Written and researched past the Insider Reviews squad. We highlight products and services y'all might discover interesting. If you buy them, we may get a pocket-size share of the acquirement from the auction from our partners. Nosotros may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does non drive our conclusion every bit to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our ad team. We welcome your feedback. Electronic mail the states at reviews@insider.com.

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