Just like everyone loves a parade, even more people love a good party (you thought I was going to say drink holder). So that means cakes:
Some cake pans are simply mandatory, and many people don’t have them. It’s really easy to get caught up in the newest trends of materials, shapes, or cartoon characters, but without the basics the cakes that you’re able to bake are pretty limited. This is especially true of beginning bakers, and those tempted by new and shiny things (unlike our educated cup holder patrons). This article will show you what you should have stocked in your pantry before going shopping for the crazy pans.
Round cake pans are the standard. The most common sizes are 9 and 10 inch, but having 7, 11, and 13 inch is also extremely useful. With all of these different sizes you can make a mean tiered cake. Another benefit of a full set of round pans is that they can easily be cut down into shapes that you can’t find a pan for. If you’re anything like me, and you bake a mean cheesecake, having springform pans in the same sizes is going to help a lot.
You’re also going to need a fluted cake pan. These are also called bundt and tube pans. Get the design and shape that suits your fancy, but make sure that it’s nonstick. Baking fluted cakes is terribly frustrating when you can’t get it out of the pan, so you’re going to need all of the help you can get. They are fluted that way so that the cake can bake from the center as well as the outside to make sure that comes out finished.
Square cake pans aren’t terribly useful, but important to have on hand. Tiered square cakes are very trendy for wedding right now, and you can also use them to trim shapes that you can’t get a shaped pan of.
Having a solid set of standard cake pans is one of the smartest things aspiring bakers can have. Not only can you bake any cake you can imagine, it saves the time of having to go to the store with every baking project that comes up!
