equipment

Muffin pans

Muffin or cupcake pans are available in a variety of shapes and sizes from large to medium and small. Most now come with a non stick coating.

Oven mitts

Always use oven mitts for handling hot cake tins to protect your hands. Never use tea-towels as they could be damp and the steam transmitted from hot pans can burn you.

Patty or cup cake tins

Patty or Cup Cake tins are similar to muffin pans but are usually a little shallower. Patty tins are used for making Patty or Cup Cakes and are usually lined with little paper cups called ‘patty or cup cake papers’.

Spring form cake pans

Spring form cake pans are usually round and have a little spring attachment on the side like a lever that lifts up and the sides of the pan expand allowing the base to be removed. This type of pan is usually used for cheesecakes that are baked or refrigerated and for cakes that can’t be turned out of a pan.

Cake pans

Cake pans come in all shapes and sizes and some are non stick and some aren’t. It is always a good idea to at least line the base of any type of cake pan with baking paper to prevent cakes from sticking to the pan. All pans that aren’t non-stick should be well greased to prevent cakes sticking.

Cake cooling racks

Cooked cakes or biscuits will need a place to cool that allows the air to circulate around them and a cooling rack is the best equipment to do this. After removing from the oven allow cakes to stand for a few minutes in the pan on the cooling rack. Cakes will often break if tipped out of their pans as soon as they are removed from an oven. Next, turn cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Biscuits will also need standing time as above before removing to the rack to cool.