Rose's Heavenly Cakes (88 page)

Kaiser (see
Equipment Sources
) makes a terrific 10-cup fluted commercial-weight steel tube pan (8½-inch inside diameter) that is lined with silicone and is called La Forme Perfect Bundform. It has the conductivity of metal and the nonstick properties of silicone. Its silicone lining is just thick enough for perfect unmolding and easy cleanup without altering the baking time or height of the cake. Note: Kaiser's Web site may refer to it as a 9-cup pan, but it is 10 cups. The pan still must be sprayed with baking spray with flour in order to unmold perfectly.

Angel Food Cake Tube Pans

Be sure to purchase a two-piece angel food pan for ease in unmolding. The standard pan, which holds 16 cups, is 10 inches by 4 inches, and is carried by Wilton (see
Equipment Sources
) and also distributed by Allied Metal Spinning (see
Equipment Sources
). But over the past few years, the standard size seems to have shrunk as many other brands' pans are only 14 cups. To measure the volume of your pan, line it with a clean plastic bag to prevent leaking. If your pan is smaller than 16 cups, you may want to decrease the recipe or to fill the pan almost to the top and bake the excess batter as cupcakes.

Always completely cool the cakes upside down; the cakes will cling to the bottom of the pan and stretch downward to their full height. Once cool, the cake's structure is firm enough to prevent collapse of the delicate foam structure.

Some pans have legs designed to support the pan when it is inverted, but they don't function very well because the cooling cake needs to be suspended well above a counter or other surface to allow for the evaporation of steam. A slim-necked wine or glass soda bottle works well as a support, but the opening of some pans is not large enough so you may need to use a rack raised off the counter.

Parrish Magic Line makes a hard-to-find 6-inch (4 cups) tube pan with a removable bottom. This size is perfect for one-fourth of a recipe made in the standard 10-inch (16 cups) pan.

Angel Food Tube Pan Sizes

6 inches by 3 inches: 4 cups

9 inches by 3 inches: 10 cups

10 inches by 4 inches: 16 cups

(See
Baby Angel Food Cake Pans
, for mini angel food cake pans.)

Loaf Pans

Chicago Metallic makes an excellent heavyweight bread pan with a nonstick interior that is 8½ by 4½ inches (6 cups).

For the
Cradle Cake
, you will need a 9 by 5-inch (7 cups) loaf pan, preferably silicone.

Silicone loaf pans are great, but choose ones that have support structures or stanchions on the sides so that they don't bulge outward during baking.

Sheet Pans

The standard half-sheet pan is 17¼ by 12¼ by 1 inch (12 cups), measured from the inside top. My favorite is a sturdy 13-gauge (#5314) made by Lincoln Wear-Ever, available at commercial kitchen supply stores (see
Equipment Sources
). It's fine to use one that is slightly larger or slightly smaller than standard, but the thickness of the cake will vary slightly accordingly.

Cookie Sheets

Only two recipes in this book require cookie sheets (not the insulated variety), and in a pinch, the recipes can be baked on the inverted back of a sheet pan.

Removable-Bottom and Springform Pans

All springform or loose-bottom pans need to be protected from water seepage when set in a water bath (see
Water Baths
). I prefer Parrish Magic Line's sturdy, loose-bottom 3-inch-high pans to a traditional springform. I like to use the removable bottom disks to transfer cake layers, and they are also available separately from the pan itself. Kaiser makes a beautiful nonstick 6½ by 2½-inch (6 cups) springform pan just perfect for a two-thirds size cheesecake. Wilton makes a 9 by 3-inch springform, perfect for the
Orange-Glow Chiffon Layer Cake
.

Baby Pans and Ramekins

Muffin or Cupcake Pans

Traditionally, liners are used for muffins and cupcakes because they keep the small cakes fresher and make it easier to frost and transport them. Liners need to be set in a metal muffin pan or in ramekins in order to keep the cakes from spreading sideways. Silicone pans without liners give just the right support to produce the nicest domed shape. Sili-Cups are very pretty, but they are three-quarters the size of the standard muffin pan, so if a cupcake recipe makes 14 to 16 standard-size cupcakes, it will yield 19 to 21 cupcakes if using Sili-Cups. My favorite silicone pans have six or twelve cavities. Each cavity is the same capacity as that in the standard muffin pan: ½ cup/4 fluid ounces. It is a good idea to set muffin pans on a wire rack and then set the rack on a sheet pan or cookie sheet for support, so that air can circulate around them and ensure that they bake evenly—especially the middle row in the twelve-cavity pan.

A number 30 (2 inches wide) ice cream scoop is great for dispensing the batter neatly into the cups.

The most elegant and beautiful disposable muffin cups come from Qualitá Paper Products (see
Equipment Sources
). The small panettone paper pans, 2¾ by 2 inches (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/7 fluid ounces), are almost double the size of standard muffin pans. They are firm enough to stand alone (also see La Cuisine, in
Equipment Sources
).

Pyrex Custard Cups and Ramekins

Similar sizes of custard cups and ramekins can be used interchangeably as long as their volume is the same. The most commonly available Pyrex (see
Equipment Sources
) shallow custard cups, or dessert dishes, are 6 ounces (bottom 2¾ inches, top 3½ inches, 1 7/8 inches high), and 10 ounces (bottom 3½ inches, top 4¼ inches, 1 7/8 inches high). These are interchangeable with Mary Ann or shortcake pans (at right). You can also use 6-ounce ramekins or soufflé molds that are 3 by 2 inches.

Little Loaf Pans and Disposable Pans for Gift Giving

Chicago Metallic makes a great 2-cup mini loaf pan that is 5¾ by 3¼ inches. Qualitá Paper Products makes elegant little disposable loaf pans, and aluminum foil pans are available in supermarkets.

Baby Angel Food Cake Pans

I call these "cherubs." My favorite is the mini angel food pan set (item number 2105-1827) by Wilton because the pans are nonstick and two parts: four 4½ by 1¾-inch pans (1¾ cups each). The Nordic Ware Bundt Angelettes are also well made and nonstick, though not two parts: six 4 by almost 2-inch pans (1¼ cups each). Since the cakes are so small, it's relatively easy to remove them from the pans by squeezing them gently away from the sides and bottom of the pans.

Unusual Baby Pan Shapes

Nordic Ware makes some of my favorite baby specialty pans. The Sweetheart Rose pan has twelve cavities, each of which holds 1/3cup/2.6 fluid ounces, totaling 4 cups. The Mini Pineapple Pan has six cavities, each of which holds ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/7 fluid ounces, totaling 5¼ cups. It is perfect for pineapple upside-down cakes. The Bundt Muffin pan has six cavities, each of which holds 1 cup/8 fluid ounces, totaling 6 cups.

Individual Mary Ann or shortcake pans by Chicago Metallic are shaped to produce a perfect little recess to hold the berries or other fillings on top of each cake. Each of the six containers holds 5.3 fluid ounces/ 2/3 cup. A 10-ounce Pyrex dessert dish described above could be used in its place, but then you have to create the recess with a knife. The Mary Ann pan is well worth having.

Lékué makes the ideal silicone financier or bar-shaped pan that it calls a mini cake pan. The pan has nine 3 by 1 by 1¼-inch-high (¼ cup/2 ounces) cavities. This pan is indispensable for financiers and for brownies as well, giving each an identical size and perfect shape with a fine crust on all sides.

Classic 3-ounce silicone brioche pans are ideal for making the famous molten chocolate cakes (see
Molten Chocolate Soufflé and Lava Cakes
).

Unusual Specialty Pans

Heart Pans

I love hearts, and Wilton makes the most beautifully shaped heart pans in varying sizes. The ones suggested for this book are 9 inches at their widest point by 8 inches in length (from the center of bowl to the point) by 2 inches high (8 cups), and 5 7/8 inches at their widest point by 5 3/8 inches in length (from the center of the bowl to the point) by 2 inches high (3 cups).

Full-Size Mary Ann, Shortcake, or Flan Pans

These pans, which have recessed centers to hold berries, fruit, or ice cream, come in several different shapes and sizes. Kaiser makes an 8-cup silicone-lined aluminum pan that is 12½ (measured from the outside edge) by 1 5/8 inches high and is called La Forme Perfect Flan Pan. Kaiser also makes 8-cup all-metal versions in heart and square shapes.

Nordic Ware makes an 11 (measured from the outside edge) by 2½-inch-deep Fancy Marianne pan with basket-weave sides in a 10-cup size.

Fluted Tart Pan with Removable Bottom

Although the standard 9 by 1-inch pan will work for
Gâteau Breton
, for the best shape, the ideal pan is the Gobel nonstick 9 by 1 3/8-inch (9½ inches at the top) pan carried by JB Prince and La Cuisine (see
Equipment Sources
). The nonstick removable bottom doubles as the perfect transfer disk for moving cake layers. (Allied Metal Spinning carries nonstick disks 9, 13, and 16 inches in diameter.)

Wedding Cake Pans

Following is a list of all the standard 2-inch-high round wedding cake pans from 2 to 20 inches in diameter and their approximate volumes. Most pan manufacturers produce pans that are slightly tapered, so that the bottom of the pan is about 1/8 inch smaller in diameter than the top. The volumes here are based on slightly tapered pans, except for the 2-inch through 5-inch pans produced by Parrish Magic Line, which do not taper. Their larger pans will hold ¼ to ½ cup more than listed below. Chicago Metallic makes an untapered, true-to-size 9 by 2-inch pan that holds 9 cups of batter.

Cake Pan Sizes

Wilton makes graduated wedding cake pans in oval, heart, square, petal, and hexagon shapes. In their annual yearbook, they list the amount of batter for each size and shape. They carry all the round pans from 6 to 16 inches except for 7, 11, 13, and 15 inches.

Parrish Magic Line carries all these pans from 2 to 20 inches except for 17 and 19 inches.

Allied Metal Spinning makes all these cake pans from 3 to 24 inches in 2-, 3-, and 4-inch heights. The following are very useful sizes for easy-to-cut servings.

Two-Inch-High Sheet Pans

How to Determine Pan Size

A round cake pan is three-quarters the volume of a square cake pan of the same size. To determine the volume of a square cake pan, multiply the volume of a round cake pan of the same diameter by 1.33.

To determine the volume of an odd-shaped pan, use a measuring cup with a spout to pour water into the pan until it reaches the brim. I like to set a metal ruler on top of the pan so I know when the water is level with the top. If it's a two-piece pan, line it first with a clean plastic bag.

To determine the volume of a pan using a scale, set a sheet pan on top to contain any water that might spill, then set the pan to be measured on top. Tare out the weight of the pans. Fill the pan to be measured with water. One cup of water weighs 236.35 grams/8.3 ounces.

How to Prepare Different Types of Pans

Butter Layer Cake Pans

Encircle the pan with a cake strip (see
Cake Strips
). Coat the bottom of the pan with shortening. Top it with a parchment round and coat the entire interior of the pan with baking spray with flour, preferably Baker's Joy (see
Equipment Sources
) as it is odor free. Wipe off the rim of the pan.

Sponge Cake Pans

Coat the interior of the pan with baking spray with flour. Then set a parchment round in the bottom. (The round will stick to the cake, helping to remove the bottom crust from the pan; the bottom crust is necessary when brushing the cake with syrup.) Wipe off the rim of the pan. There is no need to use a cake strip as sponge cakes do not tend to dome and also any dryness at the edges will be corrected when the cake is brushed with syrup.

Fluted Tube Pans

Coat the interior of the pan evenly with baking spray with flour. Wipe off the rim of the pan. If the baking spray clumps, use an artist's paintbrush to even it out and prevent bubbles in the crust.

Sheet Pans

Coat the interior of the pan with shortening or nonstick cooking spray, and top with parchment. It helps to make a small snip into each corner to help the parchment ease around the curves. Have the long sides or the short sides extend a few inches past the edges of the pan. Coat the parchment with baking spray with flour and wipe off the rim of the pan.