Whether you've just started baking, or you've been a star baker for years, one thing you need in your cupboard is an angel cake food pan.
This circular pan has a hole in the middle and is used to make a delicious sponge cake called the American angel food cake. In this review, we’re going to take a look at the best angel food cake pans on the market.
What is Angel Cake?
Angel cake is a light and fluffy sponge cake that originated in the United States in the mid-19th-century. The cake, made using egg whites, flour, and sugar, is particularly popular due to its unique shape and can be intricately decorated using all manner of toppings.
As opposed to most cakes, the angel cake is made without using butter, and the cake's unique texture comes from the whipping of the egg whites.
Why do you need an Angel Cake Pan?
It's almost impossible to make the perfect angel cake without using a tube pan. This deep round pan features a tube-like hole in the center, which leaves a hole in the cake center.Best Pick
Our favorite angel cake pan has to be the Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Angel Food Cake Pan.
The tin's large capacity ensures a good-sized cake, and the durable aluminum ensures an even bake.
Budget Pick
If you're on a tight budget, the Nordic Ware Heavyweight Angel Cake Food Pan (10 inches) is the best angel food cake pan.
At under $15, this angel cake tin serves its purpose without breaking the bank.
List of the Best Pans for Angel Cake
1. Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Angel Food Cake Pan
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Nordic Ware's durable baking tin is perfect for making sponge cakes and ensures an even rise and uniform bake. The tins shape and depth allows for a golden crust to form on the top of your cake, perfect for topping with icing or buttercream.
This angel cake pan measures 11.2 x 10 x 5 inches and has a 16 cup capacity, meaning you'll enjoy a good-sized cake to feed plenty! The tin has a durable aluminum coating, which makes it easy to clean, and the nonstick feature ensures a quick release when it comes to removing the cake from the tin.
Nordic Ware is a reliable and well-established American company that has been creating baking goods since 1946. Before leaving the factory, over 12 sets of hands provide quality assurance checks on the tin to ensure it meets industry standards and that you receive the very best of Nordic Ware's work.2. Nordic Ware Heavyweight Angel Food Cake Pan
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Slightly smaller than some of Nordic Ware's other angel cake tins, this pan is perfect for shaping cakes, salads, and other such desserts that have a wow-factor. The tins nonstick coating makes sliding the dessert in and out of the pan easily, and no mess is left behind.
This angel cake pan measures 10 x 10 x 4.25 inches and is well built, giving it a long life expectancy. Weighing only 15 ounces, the tin's lightweight form makes it easy to both use and store. Your cakes will come out of the tin evenly baked, well risen, and with a crisp brown top.
Another benefit of this angel cake food pan is that it comes from a reliable baking goods company. Nordic Ware has been producing cake tins since 1946 and strives to ensure their products live up to the best possible standards.
3. Chicago Metallic Professional 2-Piece Angel Food Cake Pan
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The Chicago Metallic cake tin comes in two-pieces and can be inverted to allow your cake to cool in no time. Not only that, but the feet of the tin has been specially designed to allow air to circulate under the cake, which makes releasing the bake seamless.
What more, the tin's nonstick lining makes baking a breeze and cleaning up even easier! Simply tip the cake out of the tin and wipe down the side of the pan. The tin dimensions are 9.5 x 9.5 x 4, slightly smaller than the average angel cake pan, but big enough to bake a substantial cake.
Chicago Metallic is well known for making easy-to-use baking equipment and providing well-built cake tins that showcase exceptional craftsmanship. For over 100 years, the brand has been providing equipment to bakers worldwide and adheres to a high standard of quality. If you're looking for a reliable brand, Chicago Metallic is as robust as they come.
4. CHEFMADE Angel Food Cake Pan with Removable Loose Bottom
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Chefmade's champagne gold colored angel tin won't just look great in your kitchen; it's going to perform great in your kitchen too! Made using chemical-free substances and designed to enhance your baking, this angel cake tin really packs a punch.
One of the tin's selling points is the carbon steel structure, which improves heating time, locks in flavor, and provides an even bake. Not only will you use less energy than a regular tin, but the carbon steel also ensures you can reuse this tin for years to come. What more, the tin features a nonstick coating, which means you don't have to use as much (or any) lining oil, and cleaning is quick and easy.
The tin is also warp-resistant, meaning high temperatures won't affect the product's performance. If you're not happy with the tin, Chefmade offers excellent customer service and are happy to find a solution fast.5. Fat Daddio's PAF-8375 ProSeries Angel Food Cake Pan
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The selling point of Fat Daddio's angel cake tin has to be the anodized aluminum coating, enhancing the tin's performance. The coating ensures the pan is durable and gives you the freedom to bake at high temperatures without worrying about warping. This environmentally-friendly coating contains no chemicals or additives, and can't be transferred to your food.
Want to know how this tin works? Instead of absorbing heat, the ProSeries tin reflects heat, which speeds up baking time and ensures a great rise. This technology also helps with cooling. Once out of the oven, your cake will quickly drop in temperature, preventing any over baking.
6. Nordic Ware 12-Cup Angel Food Cake Pan
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Thanks to Nordic Ware's aluminum base structure, this tin conducts heat evenly and results in an even all-over bake. Not only will your cakes be cooked to perfection, but the tin also allows the edging detail to be sharper than ever.
This angel cake pan measures 10 x 10 x 4.2 inches and has a 12-cup capacity. The life expectancy on this product is long, though customers should note that the pan isn't dishwasher friendly as it could reduce your uses. Instead, hand wash with warm water.
Nordic Ware also pride themselves on their product quality. With over 60 years of experience in the industry, their products have been tried and tested by many, making the Nordic Ware 12-Cup Angel Food Cake a reliable choice.
7. Calphalon Nonstick Bakeware Angel Food Cake Pan
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This particular cake pan has been designed with interlocking nonstick layers to ensure your angel cake is light, airy, and delicious. Say goodbye to uneven bakes and over-cooked cakes as the tins heavy-gauge steel core ensures an even distribution of heat.
Once out of the oven, the tin's design stops the cake from continuing to cook. Whatsmore, this angel cake pan measures 10 x 10 x 4.5 inches and has been designed to fit perfectly on standard cake stands.
Calphalon is a brand that takes customer service seriously. Their lifetime warranty means you can enjoy your angel food cake pan for years to come, and should a problem ever arise, Calphalon is there to provide an immediate solution. This cake tin provides not only great bakes but also a piece of mind.
8. Topenca Angel Food Pan
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Topenca's angel cake pan is of commercial quality and meets the highest standards in the baking industry. This aluminum cake pan offers the reliability you need when it comes to baking, and can be enjoyed time and time again.
The pans rust-resistant aluminum core has been designed to provide superior heat circulation, and the textured surface allows seamless airflow. The result? Smooth cakes, baked evenly throughout that have a gorgeous golden crust.
Topenca offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if, for whatever reason, it doesn't quite fulfill your baking needs, simply return the pan for a full refund.
9. Wilton 2109-6835 Mini Angel Food Cake Pans
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If you're looking to bake multiple miniature angel cakes, then the Wilton Mini Angel Food Cake pans are just what you're looking for. Not only do individual cakes provide a true wow-factor for your guests, but they also minimize waste in the kitchen.
In this product package, you will receive four individual tins of the same size and shape. The pans are 2 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches and weigh just 1.15 pounds each. The tins feature removable inner cores, making cake removal easy, and the cleanup operation is quick and manageable.
10. Fox Run Angel Food Cake Pan
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Fox Run's angel food cake pan has been designed specifically to enjoy nonstick features to make every bake easy and enjoyable. You'll be able to quickly release the cake from the tin and allow it to cool in no time.
The cake pans heavy-gauge center aids your bake too, as the structure ensures even heat distribution across the pan. Wave goodbye to soggy bakes and uneven cakes!
The pan is 10 x 10 x 4.5 inches and a 10-cup bake, allowing you to make a substantial sized cake perfect to serve at dinner parties or to share out amongst friends.
Fox Run is a well-established baking supplies company with over 50 years of experience manufacturing high-quality cake tins. To show customers they care, Fox Run offers a five-year warranty on all their products, so if anything goes wrong with your angel cake food pan down the line, you'll be eligible for a full refund.
What to Bake with an Angel Food Cake Pan
Of course, the first thing you're going to bake with your angel food cake pan is an American angel cake, but can you use it for baking other delicious treats? Absolutely!
This tin can be used to cook everything and anything, so once you've mastered the angel cake, try your hand at a lemon pound cake or a raspberry chiffon cake before progressing to more technical bakes.
Prefer savory bakes? Why not put your tin to good use and attempt a rosemary focaccia bread. If you've got guests coming over, try your hand at a sharing dish like a sausage roll ring, or baked camembert bread. Whatever you bake, the doughnut-shaped finished product will wow everyone.
Buying Guide
Cake pans are made out of four materials (metal, glass, ceramic, or silicone), and the material type makes a huge difference in the quality of your baking. Below we'll break down the four different materials and look at the pros and cons of each.
Aluminum
Metal cake tins can either be made of steel or aluminum, and aluminum angel cake food pans are regarded as the ideal cake tin. Aluminum is durable, lightweight, and offers even cooking temperatures (as it's a good conductor of heat).
If you want to go one better, opt fo anodized aluminum, which is non-reactive. This way, your tin won't react with acidic ingredients (which include brown sugar and lemon juice). However, warping can occur under high temperatures).
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel retains heat well, is non-reactive, and conducts heat evenly to ensure the perfect bake. These hardy tins are robust and durable, and as long as you take care of your baking time, temperature, and follow up the cleaning process, you'll likely enjoy a long-lasting pan.
Glass
Glass isn't a great heat conductor, and glass angel cake food pans are hard to find. For that reason, we don't recommend this material.
Silicone
Silicone is a great nonstick material that tackles high-temperatures without fail. However, silicone is not as efficient as aluminum at conducting heat. This means your bake times will be longer, and you'll use more energy in the kitchen.
How to Use an Angel Food Cake Pan
Angel food cake pans are no different from any cake pan when it comes to functionality. Simply add your ingredients to the pan, and pop into a pre-heated oven for a given amount of time.
Make sure you take care when cleaning and drying your pan to ensure it can be reused for years to come. Note that you should always allow your angel cake food pan to cool before commencing cleaning.
FAQ's
What does an angel food cake pan look like?
Traditionally an angel cake food pan is a deep pan featuring a tube in the middle. The tube creates a hole in the cake and helps the mixture rise. Some angel cake pans come in two parts to help remove the cake from the pan once cooked.
How do you clean an angel food cake pan?
Some angel cake food pans are dishwasher friendly and can be washed with the rest of your dishwasher load. However, not all pans are! If your pan isn’t suitable for the dishwasher, simply hand wash with warm water and soap.
Can you use an angel food cake pan for monkey bread?
Yes! Angel cake food pans can be used to able most cakes, particularly those that are heavily butter based.
How does an angel food cake pan work?
The depth of an angel cake food pan is key to making a beautiful, light, and airy cake. The design of the inner tube (which forms the cake’s hollow center) helps pull the mixture up as it rises in the oven.
Final Verdict
So there you have it! We’ve listed the best angel food cake pans on the market, and now it’s over to you! The ten angel cake food pans listed in this article are all excellent cake tins suitable for both novice and professional bakers.
Let’s do one final round-up! In our opinion, angel cake pans made from aluminum are the best on the market as they conduct heat well.
If you can afford to upgrade your cake pan, we'd recommend taking the next step up and purchasing one made from anodized aluminum i> Check this also: