The 8 Best Cake Pans to Buy

Best Overall

Fat Daddio's Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pan Celebration Set

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Consider this bestselling set of three round cake pans (a 3 x 2-inch, a 5 x 2-inch, and a 7 x 2-inch) the ideal starter set. Though extremely budget-friendly, the quality is there. The pans, which are made of aluminum, heat and cool quickly, allowing for a faster, more even rise. The material is also extremely durable and naturally resists rust and corrosion (great for anyone who regularly bakes with highly acidic ingredients, like citrus).

Anyone with concerns about nonstick coatings will love that these pans are anodized, not coated. This environmentally friendly process yields similar results but contains no chemical additives, dyes, or potentially harmful compounds that can transfer peel, or flake into baked goods.

Price at time of publish: $19

Material: Anodized aluminum | Oven Maximum: 550 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Round

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan

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Let's face it, just as much effort goes into preparing to bake and then cleaning up as it does actually mixing and baking the cake. Anything to help cut down on prep and cleanup time is a welcome addition to your baking arsenal. The Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick 9-Inch cake pan reduces the amount of effort that goes into prepping your cake pan because it really only needs a quick hit of cooking spray before filling with cake batter, as opposed to the more labor-intensive process of butter and flouring your pans. Additionally, the nonstick coating reduces stuck-on crumbs and releases any that may have managed to stick anyway without extensive soaking. Instead of washing by hand, you can toss this cake pan in the dishwasher with the rest of your baking mess and let the machine handle the dirty work.

The pan itself is made with heavy-duty alloy steel and coated with Whitford Xylan, a tough nonstick coating that's comparable to Teflon — which means that it's also hard to scratch. The sides of the pan are perfectly straight, so you're getting a professionally-shaped cake that's ideal for making stacked layer cakes. You'll notice that the outside of this cake pan is dark, which will absorb head faster than lighter-colored aluminum pans, but to help evenly dissipate the heat, the inside of the pan is light silver. Even still, cakes in this pan may cook a few minutes faster than in lighter pans, so make sure to keep a close eye on your cakes if switching pans.

Additionally, this pan comes with a limited lifetime warranty, which is useful in the unlikely event that your pan warps or the nonstick coating is damaged with regular use. As a note, the user manual specifies that this pan should not be used under a broiler.

Price at time of publish: $20

Material: Non-stick coated alloy steel | Oven Maximum: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Rectangular

Farberware Nonstick Baking Pan With Lid

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A 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking pan is a must in any kitchen, certainly for sheet cakes but also for a multitude of other baked foods, including lasagna, casseroles, cobblers, and cornbread. There's also a good chance that whatever you're baking in a rectangular pan, you'll be sharing with other people. This pan includes a snap-on plastic lid that protects what's inside if you need to stack anything on top of it, covers the edges of the pan to prevent any spillage, and allows you to see what's inside during transport.

The pan is made of alloy steel and finished with rolled edges to prevent warping during baking and transport. It also has a nonstick surface, making it easier to pry off crunchy lasagna edges and release perfectly square slices of cornbread. The pan itself is dishwasher-safe to make cleanup easier after your next potluck or birthday party, but the lid must be washed by hand. Some reviewers mention that the lid does almost too good of a job, and can be difficult to get off of the pan.

Price at time of publish: $17

Material: Alloy steel and plastic | Oven Maximum: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Pan is, lid is not

Best Bundt

Nordic Ware 75th Anniversary Braided Bundt Pan

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If you want to impress a crowd, but are wary of Bundt pans because of their intricacy, this is a great pick. The design is solid and interesting enough to please the eye, but it doesn’t have fanciful, deep grooves that can make releasing the cake a nerve-wracking feat. 

Nordic Ware is a leading producer of Bundt cake bakeware and uses top-of-the-line materials. The durable cast-aluminum construction has a premium PFOA-free nonstick coating. Together these features ensure even baking and easy removal, so you can confidently serve up a beautifully designed naked cake. Nordic Ware also releases new Bundt pan designs regularly, ranging from simple sculptural shapes to more intricate architecturally inspired silhouettes.

Price at time of publish: $58

Material: Nonstick coated aluminum | Oven Maximum: 400 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best for Birthdays

Wilton Countless Celebrations 10-Piece Set

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If you really want to surprise the special birthday honoree, trade your typical round cake for a more highly personalized one. This affordable 10-piece set comes with a unique rectangular pan that features a grid and inserts that allow you to create any letter of the alphabet and numbers from zero to nine.

Despite the perceived intricacy, there’s little fuss for the baker to endure. The pan, which is made of steel and has a nonstick coating, allows for both easy release and quick cleanup—two things you’ll be grateful for when you have a lengthy to-do list to tackle in preparation for the party. 

Price at time of publish: $32

Material: Nonstick coated steel | Oven Maximum: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best for Beginners

Wilton Easy Layers Cake Pans Set

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Just because you’re a novice baker doesn’t mean you have to stick to simple one-layer cakes—particularly if you have this four-piece set at your disposal. With a single box of cake mix, you’ll have enough batter to fill all four pans, creating four 8-inch layers that don’t require any cutting to assemble. It is also available in a five-pan, 6-inch diameter set as well.

There’s minimal risk of sticking, too, since each pan is constructed of heavy-duty nonstick aluminum. For added effect, you can use food dye to color each layer differently—opt for a rainbow or varying shades of the same color for a cool ombre effect. Either way, you’ll be left with a truly impressive dessert—minimal skills required. 

Price at time of publish: $20

Material: Nonstick coated steel | Oven Maximum: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Angel Food/Tube Pan

Chicago Metallic Professional 2-Piece 9.5-Inch Angel Food Cake Pan

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This 9.5-inch tube pan from Chicago Metallic addresses several of the issues that bakers face when making angel food cakes. The pan itself is nonstick, but not in an overly-slick way. It's got just enough texture to help your cake climb up the sides without falling down, and then help it release cleanly once the cake is cool. The pan set comes in two pieces, with a removable bottom. Once the cake releases from the sides of the pan, you can then release it from the removable bottom to make sure the cake doesn't break. It's designed with three little feet that extend from the edge of the pan, and the extended tube balance the cake in the center when cooling upside-down.

The pan is made of alloy steel and is dishwasher safe. Angel food cake batter is fluffy and relatively dry compared to typical cake batter and should not leak from the base of the cake pan. If you're concerned about leaking, you can still wrap the bottom of the pan in foil. Several reviewers also noted that the pan worked fine for baking pound cake without leaking.

Price at time of publish: $18

Material: Alloy steel | Oven Maximum: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but handwashing recommended