Wilton Performance Circular Baking Cake Pans, 8-Inch

You wouldn’t know it from the drama and flair that surrounds shows like “Cupcake Wars” and “The Great British Bake-Off,” but baking is a lot more science than art. You can measure your ingredients and set your timers perfectly every time, but there’s still one variable many bakers forget to factor in: The bakeware.

A good cake pan isn’t just a handy receptacle for holding that yummy batter. It’s an element that can radically change the taste and look of your dish if the material, size, and even the color aren’t just right. So what’s the best one to buy?

As with most kitchenware, it depends on what you’re baking. Let’s start with the material. Most cake pans are made of metal and there’s a reason for that. Overall, they heat up as quickly as they cool down.

Mind you, not just any metal will do. Stainless steel’s durability and resistance to rust makes it a great material for skillets and sheet pans. But it conducts heat slowly relative to other metals, making it a cheaper choice for cake pans.

Aluminum, on the hand, heats up perfectly — which may balance out the fact that it’s not as durable as a pure metal. It may also impart a funny taste to acidic foods like tomatoes or citrus. To mitigate that, look for higher-gauge aluminum pans or those made with anodized aluminum. This is aluminum that’s been subjected to an electrolytic process that hardens the outer layer. Without getting into the science, it also makes it non-stick and non-reactive with acidic foods.

Less common but definitely findable are glass bake pans and newer ones made with heat-resistant silicone. These pans get points for storage versatility and presentation, but you’ll definitely need to adjust your cooking times since they won’t heat as evenly.

Speaking of cooking times, consider the size and depth of your cake pan. Nice, tall cakes are visually impressive but there’s a reason people make them in layers. Fill up a deep pan with too much batter and the top will toast up before the middle gets done. Eight-inch deep pans are the standard but you can get away with nine inches or more depending on the material of the pan and the dish you’re baking.

Here’s one more, often overlooked selling point for a good cake pan: The color. Assuming it’s aluminum or some other kind of steel, any non-stick coating might darken the hue. Just keep in mind that darker pans conduct heat a little faster, and that can lead to a crustier bottom layer than you might like. Account for the difference or go for a lighter shaded pan if you want to stick to the recipe.

• If you’re baking traditional cakes, you want a pan with a little edge. And we’re not talking edge as in “attitude.” Flared or tapered tops might be fine if you’re baking bread or muffin-type dishes that meant to rise and puff out, but it’s not much good for cakes or anything you need to decorate around the sides. Most bakers prefer straight sides that come up at a right angle.
• Most kitchens will have more than one cake pan.  If storage is tight, look for sets of pans that can “nest” one inside the other, making it easier to save space.