| Cake Pans come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, | | | | technique perfectly ball shaped cakes, or cakes in the |
| and materials - from traditional to specialty pans, | | | | form of a giant cupcake can be created with relative |
| miniature pans to wedding cake pans, made from | | | | ease. |
| metal or silicone. | | | | Specialty Cake Pan Materials |
| Traditional Cake Pans | | | | Traditionally most baking pans were made from metal, |
| Every baker, even the home and hobby baker should | | | | but also glass or ceramic forms can be found. Now |
| have a selection of baking pans. Traditional 8" or 10" | | | | many metal cake pans are produced with a non-stick |
| round pans are essential for 2-layered birthday cakes. | | | | surface to ease the removal of the cake from the |
| Rectangular pans are used for sheet cakes. A spring | | | | form. It is still recommended to grease the pan using |
| form usually consists of two pieces, the bottom and | | | | baking spray or brushing some oil and sprinkling flour |
| the ring that attaches around it. Contrary to the one | | | | onto the pan to ensure that you will be able to get out |
| piece pans they make the removal of the cake | | | | the cake after baking. |
| extremely easy. Pans for a Bundt cake look like an | | | | A small revolution was brought on with the introduction |
| inverted flower pot with a cylinder in the center. Usually | | | | of silicone cake pans. Because of their bendable |
| they will give the cake a wavy pattern on the outside | | | | structure removing a cake is no problem anymore. In |
| surface. | | | | order to give your silicone form support it is suggested |
| Specialty Cake Pan Designs | | | | to place it on a baking sheet when filling in the batter |
| While cakes from traditional pans require some | | | | and baking. |
| decorating skills to make them an eye-catcher, this job | | | | Adjusting Batter Amounts for Specialty Cake Pans |
| can be made easier by using specialty cake pans. | | | | Any type of cake can be baked in a specialty cake |
| Three Categories of Specialty Pans | | | | pan but it is important to fill in the right amount of batter. |
| 1) Shaped Pans cause the batter to set in a certain | | | | At first measure out the volume of your specialty |
| form while baking so that no sculpturing or carving is | | | | cake pan by filling it with water. Compare this with the |
| necessary to make the cake match a desired theme. | | | | size of pan called for in the recipe. Conversion rates |
| These pans are produced in shapes of cars, animals, | | | | can also be found online. As a general guideline any |
| or different kind of fruit. They are especially popular for | | | | kind of pan should only be filled half way. |
| birthdays to match the interests of the celebrated | | | | There is no need to adjust the oven temperature but |
| person. | | | | the baking times will most likely vary. Deeper pans will |
| 2) Character Pans replicate the images of favorite TV | | | | require more time. However, you should check the |
| show or movie characters. Children often make | | | | cake at the time indicated in the recipe and in five |
| requests to have a cake in the form of their most-liked | | | | minute intervals from thereon. When the cake is ready |
| hero, toy, or cartoon character. It is important to keep | | | | it will spring back if you press the surface gently and |
| in mind that most of these character pans are licensed | | | | an inserted toothpick will come out with only dry |
| and these cakes cannot be made for sale. | | | | crumbs on it and no wet batter. |
| 3) Three dimensional pans allow giving your shaped | | | | If your cake pan is more shallow than the one required |
| cake additional spin. Often they are come as two | | | | in the recipe start checking the cake at half of the |
| parts. The two cakes you get are then "glued" | | | | indicated time. |
| together with buttercream or royal icing. With this | | | | |