Best Cake Pans in Egypt: Springform, Silicone, or Aluminum?

Which pan do you need?

• Regular Round: The first pan for any home. For everyday cakes and small basbousa, and you flip it onto a plate after it cools a bit.
• Springform: The sides open with a latch, so you don't need to flip the cake. This is essential for cheesecakes, layer cakes, and delicate cakes.
• Bundt Pan (with a hole in the center): The hole conducts heat to the center of the cake, so high cakes bake without the top burning. It also looks nice without decoration.
• Loaf Pan: For pound cakes, sandwich bread, and brioche, and it cuts into even slices.
• Cupcake Tin: 12 small cups that bake in a quarter of the time of a large cake.

Aluminum, non-stick, or silicone?

Light aluminum heats up quickly and distributes heat evenly, and the cake comes out a light golden color, but it needs good greasing and flouring. Dark non-stick pans release the cake easier, but the sides and base darken faster, so keep an eye on the cake a few minutes before the recipe time. Silicone is flexible so the cake comes out easily and it is easy to clean, but it is soft and needs a tray underneath, and the bottom browns less.

Size changes the recipe

Every 2 cm increase in diameter makes a big difference in surface area: a 28 cm pan has about a third more area than a 24 cm pan. This means if you put a 24 cm recipe in a 28 cm pan, the cake will turn out shorter and bake faster, and vice versa if the pan is smaller it will overflow or stay raw in the middle. Fill the pan up to about two-thirds, and do the toothpick test in the center before taking it out. A set of 3 sizes lets you choose to match the recipe instead of changing the quantities.

For a family of 4 to 5 people, a 24 to 26 cm pan with high sides of about 7 cm is enough for a cake made with 3 or 4 eggs. If you are making a two-layer cake, it is easier to bake it in two pans of the same size instead of cutting a tall cake in half with a knife. The 25 cm loaf pan is enough for an average tea cake, and if the recipe is large, split it into two pans.

How to prevent your cake from sticking or breaking

• Grease the pan with butter or oil, dust lightly with flour and tap out the excess, or cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the base.
• In the bundt pan, grease every groove well, especially around the hole.
• Leave the cake for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven, run a plastic or wooden knife around the sides, and then invert it.
• In the springform pan, close the latch securely and put a tray under the pan if the batter is runny like cheesecake.

Care and common mistakes

Do not cut the cake inside the non-stick pan with a metal knife, and do not use steel wool to clean it. Wash and dry aluminum right away. Wash silicone with warm soap and water, and if it absorbs an odor, wash it again and let it air dry. Do not open the oven in the first half of the time so the cake doesn't deflate.

Carbon steel pans can rust if stored wet, so dry them well before stacking them in the cupboard. The bundt pan can also be used for crème caramel in a water bath inside a larger pan, as long as it is one piece and not a springform. If the aluminum pan darkens over time, this is normal and does not affect the baking.

Check before you buy

• The stated size is usually the top diameter, so compare it with the size in the recipes you make.
• The term Food Grade on silicone pans is just seller talk, so choose a seller with good ratings.
• Springform sets come in many shapes: round, square, and heart, so make sure of the shapes included in the set.
• Inspect the latch as soon as the order arrives, and try opening and closing it several times.