Round cake tins (round cake pans) come in various sizes, materials and price tags to suite all styles of cooking and budgets. They represent one of the most traditional ways to bake cakes and are synonymous with the classic jam and butter cream Victorian Sponge or sandwich cake.
Round Cake Tins – Designs and Accessories
Round cake tins typically come in a range of sizes between 4 to 12 inches (10 – 30 cm) in diameter, with 16 inches (40 cm) being the maximum size possible for the majority of home ovens. Some of the most common designs include:
| Round Cake Tins | Various Types | |||
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| MINI | SANDWICH | DEEP | SPRINGFORM |
A range of accessories are possible for round cake tins such as grippers to help remove hot cake tins from the oven, heating cores for cake tins over 12 inches (30cm) to facilitate even cooking, and specialized cooking strips that can be moistened and placed on the outside of the pan to cool the edge and prevent it from cooking too quickly.
Round Cake Tin Materials
In terms of composition, round cake tins that have a non-stick easy clean coating and that are dishwasher, fridge and freezer safe are most popular. Various materials can be used such as:
- Rust resistant anodized aluminum alloy, or
- Medium gauge carbon steel that has a non-stick PFOA free coating.
- Silicon round cake pans have excellent non-stick properties. They can conduct heat better than metal, are microwave and freezer safe plus they don’t distort, crack, absorb flavors or odours easily, and are heat resistant up to 240°C.
In fact, most round cake tins are oven safe up to approximately 240°C/475°F to 260°C/500°F (Gas Mark 9) and are typically manufactured in a thickness between 0.4mm – 0.6 mm up to 1 mm or more for commercial grade equipment. Also, the tins will often feature a loose base for easy release of the baked cake.
| Round Cake Tins | Loose Bases | |||
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Guarantees vary considerably between manufacturers. Inexpensive cake tins often have a 1 to 2 year guarantee. Some higher quality cake pans offer a 25 year guarantee (5 year guarantee for non stick coating) or even a lifetime guarantee, which makes the extra initial cost of purchase cost effective in the long-term.
Positive Attributes of a Good Quality Round Cake Tin
Positive attributes associated with a good quality round cake tin include:
- It should adsorb heat efficiently from the oven and distribute it evenly, so that the cake cooks in a uniform and consistent manner. The cake will be less likely to burn in some places and undercook elsewhere, plus, the overall cooking time will be reduced.
- It needs to be designed and manufactured to a high standard so that there are no sharp edges or toxic materials present.
- One would expect the cake pan to be scratch/flake/chip and rust resistant, keep its shape and not warp through regular usage, and be easy to clean.
- Professional bakers will often choose heavy gauge aluminum with edges that are rolled or extended to give better rigidity.
- Any release mechanism should be simple to operate so that the baked cake can be freed without damaging it. The mechanism needs to be robust so that it can survive repeated use over years.
- And finally, a good quality cake tin good will actually improve with use.
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