Cast iron bakeware offers better heat retention for crispier crusts, but buying can be difficult due to the variety of shapes and sizes. Look for sturdy, unseasoned pans with no irregularities, or choose pre-seasoned or enamel-coated options. Cast iron pans absorb and hold heat, but can promote adhesion or heat unevenly. Choose from different types of cast iron pans, including specialty shapes, and consider glazed or enameled options.
Cast iron bakeware offers better heat retention than aluminum or silicone bakeware for crispier crusts and reliable cooking, but it comes in a variety of shapes, names and sizes that can make buying difficult. Consider the type of baking you want to do carefully, then decide if you want a simple round pan or loaf pan or if you prefer a shaped pan. When shopping for a cast iron cake pan, look for a sturdy product with no significant mold lines, cracks, or irregularities. Unseasoned bakeware should have a silver-gray, slightly bumpy surface and may feel slightly oily. To avoid seasoning alone, look for pre-seasoned pans or enamel-coated products.
The density of a cast iron cake pan allows it to absorb and hold heat, so that even if the oven heats erratically or shuts down unexpectedly, the cake inside will continue to cook for some time. Many cooks value this material for the smooth, near-nonstick surface that develops over time and for its ability to withstand rough cleaning. The wrong cast iron pans, however, can promote adhesion and can also heat unevenly, making cooking more of a problem than it needs to be.
You can choose from several different types of cast iron pans, depending on the type of cooking you prefer, but they may not all be labeled for pie. Ordinary round pie pans are often sold as pie or tarte tatin pans, while quick bread and loaf pie pans may also be listed as pie pans. Some manufacturers make specialty cake pan shapes, including cornbread pans, lamb or rabbit pans, and novelty pans, as well as full and miniature tube pans and ebelskiver pans. Cast iron pans of all types go in and out of production more frequently than steel pans or cake pans, and some types may only be available as antiques or used for baking.
A new cast iron cake pan should have a relatively smooth surface with no lines or excess material left by the mold, cracks or voids, or other major irregularities. If unseasoned, the pan should be gray to silver in color, with a slightly bumpy texture that may be coated in protective oil, whereas pre-seasoned pans are darker in color and feel less oily. If the pan has been seasoned from use, it may feel very smooth, but it should never show signs of rust. Whenever possible, choose pre-seasoned molds and special shapes, as their small angles can be difficult to season on your own.
You can avoid the topping with some types of cake pans by choosing a glazed product. An enameled cast iron pie pan has a special ceramic coating that never needs seasoning and doesn’t react to acidic ingredients like bare iron, but these pans cost significantly more than their uncoated kin. They are mainly available in simple and round shapes.
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