It goes without saying that without a high-quality cake pan, you’re not going to get a high-quality cake. Cake decorating supplies, including cake pans, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You don’t need to buy every shape and size cake pan under sun, but in order to get the most mileage out of the pans you do buy, make sure you invest in chef-quality pans.

Rectangular and Square Cake Pans

Generally used for large groups of people, rectangular and square cake pans are used to make sheet cakes.

Quarter-sheet cake 9 x 13 (1 layer yields 18 servings)
Half-sheet 12 x 18 (1 layer yields 36 servings)
Full Sheet 18 x 24 (1 layer yields 72 servings)

You can make a full sheet cake by putting two half-sheet cakes together. In addition, if you plan on doing some serious cake decorating, consider getting two pans of the same dimensions to cut your baking time in half for two layer cakes. The 9 x 13 cake pan is most often used for two layer cakes because of its smaller size.

Round and Oval Cake Pans

When most people think of cakes, they picture the traditional double-layer round cake. Round cakes are most often used for small gatherings and dinner parties. If you’re just building up your arsenal of cake decorating supplies, two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans should serve you well in the beginning.

Later on you can invest in other sizes such as 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch. The smaller 6-inch round cake pans are fun too–and can be used to make personal or accent cakes. Oval cakes are also gaining in popularity these days.

Other Shapes and Sizes

Cupcake and cake baking tins can also be used for most cake recipes. Most recipes will require you to use two cupcake tins–each with 12 wells. A traditional-shaped bundt pan is also a must for the novice cake decorator. You can get a lot of mileage out of just one pan. Bundt pans allow you to create unique shapes such as pumpkins and doll dress cakes.

One of the most interesting types of cake decorating supplies are the many specialty and shaped cake pans available. They come in every shape and size and can be used to create everything from the latest cartoon character to the tallest princess castle. You certainly don’t need to spend a lot of money on different types of specialty cake pans, but if you’re looking to save time in the creativity department they can save you a lot of headache.

While you can get a lot of use out of just a few basic cake pan shapes, specialty shape cake pans can be the way to go if you like a simple template to follow.

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