Bakers know that one of the factors that contribute to the success of their creations is the right size of the cake baking pans they use. Each cake recipe specifies the baking pan size based on the amount of ingredients that go in the confections. Using the wrong pan size can ruin your cake as it may burn around the bottom and edges, overflow or allow the cake to sink in the middle. It is important that you read and follow the recipe and use the type of baking pan needed as it can affect the final product. If you use glass baking dish for example, you will need to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Some special recipes will even specify the baking pan material you need to use, like glass or metal to obtain the ideal results.

The terminology in baking recipes will usually give you a clue as to the type of material and baking pan to be used. Baking pans usually mean metals while a baking dish is usually glass. A pie plate called for in pie recipes is usually made of glass, while a pie pan is made of metal. Baking sheets are generally a sided pan and a cookie sheet doesn’t have sides. Certain cakes require a springform pan which has two parts – it has a bottom and a rim. It has a buckled used to release the cake. Tube pans are deep and round, with a hollow center tube and usually made of metal too.