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- High-quality Bundt pans are easy to maneuver, bake evenly, produce attractive cakes, release your baked goods effortlessly, and are a snap to clean up.
- The Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Fluted Tube Pan is our top pick because it's inexpensive, lightweight, and has easy-to-grip handles.
There is no single recipe used to make a Bundt cake. Rather, the term refers to the shape of the cake, which generally has ridges or grooves and a cylindrical hole in the middle. Though the cake has been around for centuries, it didn't get its "Bundt" moniker until Nordic Ware trademarked it in 1950 to describe its new line of pans.
Today, there are dozens of companies selling their own Bundt pans, only you will often see these pans referred to as "fluted tube pans" to avoid potentially infringing on the trademark. Nordic Ware continues to be the most popular brand thanks to its selection of countless designs.
Bundt pans are used for a variety of purposes, including molding frozen desserts and gelatins and baking festive breads. For this guide, though, we are going to focus on which pans are best for crafting cakes.
Using a Bundt pan to bake cakes is quite simple. First, you use a baking spray or shortening to grease the pan - use pastry a brush to get into all of the crevices. Slowly add the batter - any cake batter will do - to the pan. Once it's all in, tap the pan a few times to get the air bubbles out. For even baking, spread the batter so it's higher on the sides than the center.
Once the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Tap the pan a few times and invert it over a cooling rack to let the cake slide out and cool completely.
A good Bundt pan must produce cakes that are attractive to look at. There are two factors that play into this. First, the shape of the actual pan will give you a good idea of what your baked goods will look like. The designs range from your classic symmetrical round pan with ridges to incredibly intricate grooves for catching glazes. The other factor to consider is the product's tint. Typically, the darker the pan, the darker your cake will be. So, you will likely want a pan that is lighter in color.
Several different materials are used to make Bundt pans: silicone, ceramic, glass, and an array of metals. We only included aluminum and steel pans in our guide because silicone is floppy and fails to brown correctly and glass and ceramic do not conduct heat well. A heavy-duty aluminum or steel pan with a nonstick surface will cook your cake evenly and give it a nice even browning.
While researching the best Bundt pans, we read through hundreds of expert and buyer reviews and ratings of dozens of models. Our guide features pans that have a track record of ease of use, performance, and durability.
Here are the best Bundt pans you can buy:
- Best Bundt pan overall: Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Fluted Tube Pan
- Best affordable Bundt pan: Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Bakeware Fluted Cake Pan
- Best high-end Bundt pan: Nordic Ware Jubilee Bundt Pan
- Best big Bundt pan: Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan
- Best easy-grip Bundt pan: Anolon Advanced Nonstick Bakeware Fluted Mold Pan
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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