Wilton Pans Take the Cake . . . and Give You Big-Time Success
Written: Mar 11 '02
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Pros: Even baking, easy removal, easy cleaning, sturdy, time-tested product
Cons: so many pans available . . . WHERE will I store all of them?
The Bottom Line: These baking pans will meet your needs so well you'll want some in every size and shape. First-time cake bakers can enjoy first-rate results, too!
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| mind-full's Full Review: Wilton Round Pans |
My Cake-Baking Background
I have used Wilton cake pans for more than 10 years now and wouldn’t add any but these to my collection. I bake a great product every time, whether I’m baking from a box or from scratch . . . the pans, though considered “professional”, don’t discriminate!
As a bride-to-be more than a decade ago, I received a few 9 X 13” inch cake pans as shower gifts. They satisfied me because I had used only standard brands, such as Ecko and Mirro all my life heretofore. I had never baked a layer cake, either, so why have more than one of each size? Also, I had never made anything but a boxed cake mix cake – homemade icings, but boxed cakes. Nothing to be embarrassed about (I still make them sometimes), and didn’t know anyone who made “scratch cakes”. I thought it was old-fashioned to do so!
Then, one February, I came across a recipe for Red Velvet Cake – never tasted it before and it sounded good and also very “Valentiney”. My husband and I aren’t big celebrants of February 14, and the cake would be nothing fancy, just dessert. But, I suppose Cupid hit his target and I thought, “Hmmm . . . red-tinted cake . . . Valentine’s Day . . . heart-shaped pans!” Let the hunt begin.
Finding Love in the Housewares Department
I searched high and low for a few days, by phone as well as on foot in several stores in my town. Undaunted by my failure to find my heart’s desire, I traveled to the mall a few towns away and discovered the objects of my affection: two heart-shaped pans. They looked big enough and I didn’t look at the price tags, just grabbed, paid and drove off to our apartment to get baking. All I cared about was the shape. Who knew there were other things to consider?
Simplicity – Who Knew Love Could Be So Easy?
As I washed the pans I read the name imprinted on the bottom: Wilton. A real cake-baker’s pan. SERIOUS cake bakers used these, not just we simple folk. I wondered what special care I would have to take . . . probably lots of that fancy baking paper and special washing instructions would come into play.
Not so. Just wash with everyday liquid detergent, rinse, dry and you’re set to go. No baking paper/wax paper, unless the recipe calls for it. WOW! Still, I was sure I needed special powers to reach the proper performance levels I associated with these pans and their manufacturer.
Wrong again. I followed the directions for my cake (no test cake in this instance. This was show-time, no matter what the result), greased and floured the pans, according to the recipe instructions, divided the batter between the two pans, popped them in the oven and out came CAKE. Imagine that.
I really wanted to try it right away . . . hot out of the oven . . . no pride here. It looked and smelled like it should, and I whipped up the icing, filled and iced the cake (yes, I did wait for it to cool) and waited until dinner time to unveil my masterpiece.
The love of my life arrived home from work and didn’t suspect a thing. We ate dinner and headed to the living room to watch some t.v. After a few minutes I disappeared from his view, reappearing several minutes later with “The Cake”. He looked impressed, giving me a little curious smile. I made a few Vanna White gestures as I set the plate on the coffee table, then proceeded to cut slices that looked too good to eat, but I’ve never taken that phrase very seriously. We ate . . . one slice, then two. The cake was gone in two days (less, actually). I really wanted to bake another one, but didn’t want any MORE of us to love . . .
My love affair with Wilton began at this point. I didn't realize it then, though. A few shots at layer cakes in some of the wedding gift pans (chiseling involved here . . . something you don't want to do when baking) and I knew something better lay just around the corner -- on the store shelf next to the heart-shaped cake pans!
Wilton Round Cake Pans: Not Just for Professionals Anymore
One baking experience with two 9” heart-shaped pans won my heart (pretty symbolic, don’t you think?) forever. I am a believer that it doesn’t matter what skill you think you have in cake-baking. Wilton will do well by you – as far as FORM goes. No pan can make a dry cake moist or a mis-measured ingredient taste right.
I purchased my first round pans (9") for basic birthday cake making. One scratch recipe or one box-cake mix makes two layers. In subsequent years, I've gone to 3 8-inch pans for "checkerboard" cakes . . . had to have a pink and white checkerboard layer cake for Daughter's first birthday, and have baked and frozen a blue and white one for upcoming first birthday of Son!
Though you usually find Wilton in the cake/candy section of a craft store, or at kitchen shops and many department store housewares sections, it is priced for the common person more than for the professional. “High-end” pan manufacturers, like All Clad, Magic Line, etc., have heavier aluminum pans, often with steel or stainless steel surfaces, making them heavier and also much more expensive. With Wilton, you get a light pan with even heat distribution, an anodized surface for a performance SIMILAR TO non-stick and a much lower price tag. You’ll notice that even the old standards as I noted several paragraphs back (Ecko, Mirro) have heftier price tags than in the past, and often are only available in non-stick coatings which darken your baked goods, or, worse still, BURN them. Don’t fear for a minute about burning something in a Wilton pan. You can, if you leave it in the oven for a good long time, but you won’t end up with blackened edges from just a few minutes past the specified baking time in a recipe.
The Wonder of Wilton Pans
Wilton round cake pans have an anodized surface – it is NOT non-stick, does NOT have a non-stick coating and does not claim any attributes that non-stick products do. Please don’t misunderstand this. Other pans, like Calphalon, state “anodized non-stick surface”. Wilton pans are anodized ONLY. This means that the aluminum is specially treated to provide a harder surface that is abrasion-resistant, easy to clean, distributes heat evenly and is non-porous.
Thus, you purchase a product that is a great heat conductor (aluminum is at the center of All Clad Stainless cookware, among others) and also lightweight, one of the perks of aluminum.
All Wilton round pans are available in 2” and 3” heights. The three-inch high pans often are harder to find, and are usually a few cents more, but are great for high-rising cakes and cheesecakes. The higher sides are also great for a water bath (Bain Marie) for steamed puddings, cheesecakes, etc.
If you want to make cakes in advance, you can use the pans to protect them in the freezer (unfrosted/unfilled). I have frozen cakes right inside the pans by first removing the cake from the pan, wrapping in a few layers of plastic, then putting it back in the pan and covering it with foil. To defrost, I just remove them from the freezer, take off the foil and set the cake on the counter, in the pan or out, and wait to unwrap until it reaches room temperature. I have kept frozen cakes this way for 3 months without any freezer burn.
You can purchase round pans from 6” to 18” round (even numbered measurements only) and in 2” or 3” heights. Sometimes, the pans are available in sets, such as graduated sizes for wedding cakes, but most often are available individually.
Where to Buy Wilton?
These days, Wilton still does a great business in craft stores and kitchen shops, plus some department stores, as I have mentioned in other parts of this review. BUT, if you go to www.wilton.com, you will see more Wilton bakeware, gadgets and baking/decorating supplies than you ever thought possible. The prices are average, but the selection is prime. The site offers:
# online store
# lists of all products available in the Wilton line
# recipes
# decorating ideas
# job offers for Wilton method decorators
# much, much more than I will list here
You may also find Wilton products at other online sites for varying prices (use a search engine, like Google.com to find a selection of these sites). Many online merchants offer sets and sale prices. It pays to shop around, but for hard-to-find items, I suggest the Wilton site. Why not go right to the source?
The Toothpick Test
Wilton round pans will be the only cake pans I ever purchase. I have wandered, hoping to find “different better” pans, but in the end, have fewer dollars in my wallet and not even close to the same performance as my Wilton pans give me. And, other pans are harder to clean, making me dig out a toothpick to get into the edges of the pan so I don’t mar the gleaming surface. Who wants that? With Wilton, the only toothpicks you’ll use are for testing the cake for doneness. Just the way it should be.
The price listed below is for the 8" round pan.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 5.49
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Epinions.com ID:
mind-full
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Member: Amy
Location: Same Place as Ever
Reviews written: 320
Trusted by: 185 members
About Me:
Faith is like electricity. You can't see it but you can see the light.
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