The Best Cake Pans

Our pick

USA Pan Aluminized Steel 9×2 Inch Round Layer Cake Pan

Best for layer cakes

This sturdy round cake pan has a slightly corrugated bottom, which gives it a slight edge in the nonstick department. It also comes in an 8-inch or a 10-inch size.

Buying Options

$15 from Amazon

$15 from Wayfair

For simple single-layer cakes like a pineapple upside-down, or a beautiful, towering classic layer cake, we think the USA Pan Aluminized Steel 9×2 Inch Round Layer Cake Pan is the best choice for any baker. After working through two rounds of baking using eight different pans, we are giving the highest praise to the USA Pan for its truly nonstick corrugated bottom, even heat distribution, and durability. In our tests, even sticky sugar from cinnamon buns didn’t stick to the pan. And at around $15, it won’t break the bank, even if you buy two or three.

Our pick

USA Pan Bakeware Aluminized Steel 13 x 9 x 2.25 Inch Rectangular Cake Pan

Best for brownies, bar cookies, and single-layer sheet cakes

This pan (which also comes in a square version) is sturdy, and the nonstick coating feels durable. The edges and corners of the cake came out clean and sharp.

Buying Options

$25 from Amazon

$20 from Wayfair

A square or rectangular pan is one of the most basic essentials for a home baker. It’s indispensable for the simplest brownies, bar cookies, and single-layer sheet cakes. We tested three different square pans (after eliminating many others), and again, USA Pan offered up the best: the Aluminized Steel 13 x 9 x 2.25 Inch Rectangular Cake Pan and the Aluminized Steel 8 x 2.25 Inch Square Cake Pan. Unlike darker pans we tested, these heavy-duty quality pans gave cake an even, golden color. Though the corrugated sides help release the cake easily, they don’t mar the edges of the cake too much.

Our pick

USA Pan Aluminized Steel 9 x 5-Inch Loaf Pan

For tall breads and cakes

This is a heavy-duty item, designed to last. Breads baked evenly, came out easily, and baked up tall and handsome.

Buying Options

$16 from Sur La Table

Loaf pans are great for easy, quick bread recipes (like banana bread), pound cakes, and yeasted sandwich bread. After testing five different loaf pans, the USA Pan once again produced the winner: the Aluminized Steel 9 x 5-Inch Loaf Pan. Breads baked taller in this pan than others we tested, and the pan was recommended by two of our expert resources, Rose Levy Beranbaum and Tish Boyle. If you can’t find this pan in stock, King Arthur sells a version stamped with their logo. It’s made by USA Pan and otherwise looks identical to our pick, but we haven’t tested it.