We tested eight popular cake pans. These 3 gave us fluffy, even cakes every fourth dimension.

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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Every bit a young home bakery, I mostly use well-loved, manus-me-down cake pans, and have spent a lot of time dealing with the issues warped, discolored, and not-standardized pans tin can cause. Whether the mix came from a box or you spent hours on the perfect chiffon, information technology's a real bummer when your cake sticks to the pan.

Having a quality cake pan is just as important as using a tried and true recipe, allowing y'all to focus on season 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, writer of the Grandbaby Cakes cookbook.

Nicole Garrett, executive head baker at Susie Cakes, echoed this, telling Insider Reviews the nigh mutual mishaps in block baking are overbaking or cake non releasing from the pans and then trigger-happy. High-quality pans tin limit or outright prevent both of those issues.

We chose to examination 9-inch round pans considering they're a staple in any kitchen and the most common size called for in recipes. For brands without ix-inch rounds available, we chose 8-inch pans. We consulted 3 professional bakers to help u.s. identify common issues that arise during cake baking and how cake pans can solve or worsen them. In addition to Adams and Garrett, we spoke with Aya Fuaki of Aya Pastry in Chicago.

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

Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and recommends kitchen products.

The all-time cake pans of 2022

Best cake pan overall: KitchenAid Nonstick nine" Round, $sixteen.99 on Amazon
The KitchenAid Nonstick Cake Pan has a light gray interior for even baking and is dishwasher prophylactic for easier cleanup.

All-time budget block pan: Amazon Basics 2-Pack Nonstick Cake Pan, 9" Rounds, $11.36 on Amazon
If you're an occasional baker and looking for a set of pans that are inexpensive and will go the chore washed, yous can't discover a amend deal than the Amazon Basics Nonstick Rounds.

All-time uncoated block pan: Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum 9" Round, $14.63 on Amazon
Despite not having a nonstick blanket, the Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum ix" Round pan baked an even, fluffy block and released it without problem.

Best cake pan overall

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The KitchenAid Nonstick Block Pan has a lite gray interior for fifty-fifty blistering and is dishwasher safe for easier cleanup.

Pros: Even bake, dimensions imprinted on base of operations, 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 easy, and I didn't have to worry nigh accidentally sticking a mittened finger into the cake concoction when moving the pan. If I was baking a delicate sponge, I could run into this feature being even more than useful when transferring the cake out of the oven to the counter.

The KitchenAid pan has a greyness-tinted color that produced an even bake. When nosotros made cake in darker-colored pans, the sponge tended to shrink dorsum from the pan by several centimeters as it cooked; an indication that the outsides were baking faster than the center 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 residue like 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 upwardly easily with a nylon sponge and emerged with no discoloration or surface damage when I put it through the dishwasher.

All-time budget block pan

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

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

Cons: Darker colored coating, unclear if PFOA-free

Fukai told the states that nonstick pans are cracking for cake layers yous intend to stack considering the blanket ensures the sides and the bottoms emerge as uniform as possible. These Amazon Basics pans are neat for layer cakes because they're not merely nonstick, merely come in inexpensive packs of two, assuasive you to make multiple layers in one batch.

Cake baked in these inexpensive pans did not stick and came out evenly browned. The pans are the well-nigh lightweight of all we tested, with thinner construction of the base and sides. We did not notice any negative effects from this construction. In fact, the calorie-free weight plus the extended handles brand these pans easy to maneuver when filled with batter.

Metal utensils do scratch the surface of this pan and information technology is not dishwasher safety. It'southward as well unclear from the product clarification if the pans are PFOA-gratis. We reached out to Amazon to confirm, but the company did not respond.

Best uncoated cake pan

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Despite non having a nonstick coating, the Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum 9" Circular pan baked an even, fluffy block and released information technology without trouble.

Pros: Dishwasher safe, block releases hands, a expert option for those who don't similar nonstick coatings

Cons: Hands scratched, parts of cake may stick

For those who prefer an uncoated pan, the Nordic Ware pan was like shooting fish in a barrel to use and clean. After running a pocketknife along the edge, cake released from the pan without any effort. Though a sparse layer of the exterior crust stuck to the sides and lesser 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 low-cal color, which means the cake shrunk back from the sides less than it did in darker-colored pans and was perfectly cooked in the heart. Additionally, this pan produced the tallest cake out of all the pans we tested, but it was ultimately not our elevation choice considering of the minor sticking issues.

Because of the thin layer stuck to the pan, cleaning it required more scrubbing and time. However, there was no discoloration afterward baking and the scouring pad did not damage the surface. It can as well become in the dishwasher. Metallic utensils do scratch this pan, just surface impairment will not impact baking performance.

What else we tested

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What else we recommend and why:

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

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

Chicago Metallic Nonstick 9" Round and Cuisinart Chef'south Classic Nonstick 9" Round: These pans performed almost identically. In both, the cakes released immediately without whatever sticking. Neither suffered damage from the dishwasher or beingness scrubbed with a scouring pad, but both were scratched by steel wool. Additionally, the baked cakes in both pans shrunk back almost a full centimeter, indicating overcooking likely due to the pans' nighttime colour. This tin exist remedied by adjusting the baking fourth dimension, and so these pans are still worth purchasing, but did not make our top picks.


What we don't recommend and why:

Fat Daddios Anodized Aluminum ix-inch Round: This pan does non accept a nonstick coating. Though I thoroughly greased the bottom and sides of the pan before baking, the cake still stuck, even later on completely cooled. It took a few minutes of tapping on the bottom of the pan and holding information technology upside down 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 forbid sticking.

Our cake pan testing methodology

Isabel Fernández/Insider

Our testing included multiple phases. Nosotros consulted three experts on their professional experiences with different types of block pans: Jocelyn Delk Adams, author of the Grandbaby Cakes cookbook; Nicole Garrett, executive head baker 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 inquiry and experience every bit an avid home baker and kitchenware reporter. We volition continue to use the pans we recommended and update this guide with any new data.

Baking: I broiled a Betty Crocker Butter Yellow Super Moist Box Cake in each pan. Per the instructions on the box, I prepare the oven to 350 degrees F for shiny metal pans and 325 degrees F for nonstick ones. When a toothpick inserted into the heart 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 block, with no excessive shrinking or dry, overcooked spots.

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

Durability: I cutting 1 piece of the cake while it was nonetheless in the pan to see if a serving utensil scratched the surface.

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

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

Cake pan FAQs

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How can I convert pan sizes?

When substituting pans, retrieve to accommodate baking times. Going from a larger area to a smaller one ways the concoction will spread out more, and thinner layers melt faster.

When substituting square pans for round pans, follow this uncomplicated rule: add one to the square side length and that'south the diameter of a roughly equivalent round pan.

Successfully substituting one pan for some other is most matching book chapters without irresolute the depth and shape too much. For case, a 9-inch round pan with a 2-inch depth has the same volume as a standard 9-inch loaf pan. However, the depths and shapes are so different that a block meant for one shouldn't exist broiled in the other because the texture and density volition be affected.

The first time you endeavour a recipe, try to follow the instructions exactly. "After you go familiar with the mode the cake batter rises and falls during the baking progress, you will accept a better idea of how to increase or decrease 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 cake 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 can impairment nonstick coatings, and so get with butter in nonstick pans.

If you don't take parchment paper, you tin can grease the entire can with butter and a lite dusting of flour. Some cakes are meant to be baked in ungreased tins, so read the recipe advisedly. If it says "prepare the pan," that means yous should line or grease it. "To avert cakes not releasing I use round parchment newspaper 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 best hard-anodized cookware, we learned about two central chemicals that are significant in the product of nonstick cookware: PTFE and PFOA. Here's what nosotros said about each in our guide to hard-anodized cookware, which is applicative to cake pans, too:

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

PTFE stands for polytetrafluoroethylene, and is more unremarkably known by its make proper name: Teflon. There 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, most of the PFOA burns off and only trace elements remain in the cookware. These elements are and so just released if the cookware is overheated to temperatures of 570 degrees F. All the same, since 2010, the EPA has put programs and regulations in identify to phase out the use of PFOAs in American manufacturing. The majority of cookware made in the Usa since 2015 is PFOA-costless, so are all of our tiptop picks.

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

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you purchase them, we may go a small-scale share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products gratis of charge from manufacturers to exam. This does not bulldoze our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@insider.com.

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