Baking for Dummies #6: It's All About the Pans!

 It's All About the Pans!

Hellooooo everyone! Welcome to post 6 on Baking for Dummies! For post 6 and 7, we will be going over the wonderful types of pans used to bake all sorts of things! There are quite a few different types of pans, so we are splitting it up into two posts and only going over the most basic ones. For this post, we will be going over the basic cake and cupcake pans! These pans are the most commonly used and are the easiest to work with. We will be describing both and giving some tips for using these pans!

Firstly, let’s go over a pretty simple baking pan – the cake pan! Obviously from the name, cake pans are used to bake cakes, but can also be used to make certain types of bread too (such as cornbread or blueberry bread). They come in a variety of sizes, but the most common ones are 8 by 8 and 9 by 9 round pans. You may also see larger, smaller, or even square shaped cake pans as well depending on the bakers needs.

Some tips when using cake pans:

• Spray cooking spray or place parchment paper at the bottom of the cake pan so your cake will come out smoothly! (for even better results, use both)
• When testing to see if a cake is done, use a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Do not overfill the cake pan with batter! Cake batter will rise, so do not fill it over ¾ of the pan or it will goop all over your oven!

 

Next, the cupcake pan is used to bake cupcakes (hence the name), but it can also make muffins too. This pan usually comes in the same size with 12 cupcake spots in the pan, but it is also common to see a cupcake pan with only 6 cupcake spots. Unlike the cake pan, the cupcake pans are a little easier to lift and place in the oven due to the handles on the sides of the pan, but still be careful when placing and taking out of the oven!

Some tips when using cupcake pans:

• Please use cupcake liners! If you do not place cupcake liners in the spots before pouring in the batter, it is almost impossible to remove the cupcake once its baked.
• Also like a cake, use toothpicks to determine if your cupcakes are done.
• Just like the cake pan, do not overfill the cupcake spots! Cupcake batter will also rise, so do not fill it over a half of the pan or you will have a big mess on your hands!

 

Next week we will go over some other basic pans, but these are usually the most important. Have a good rest of the week, and happy baking!