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2" or 3" pans?

post #1 of 19
4/9/05 at 3:51pm
Thread Starter 
Just wondering which ones you prefer....I have been using only 2" ones, but I am thinking that it might be a good idea to switch to 3" ones...that way I could do a respectable looking/height torted tier cake using only 2 pans

Thanks again!
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post #2 of 19
4/9/05 at 3:58pm
You could always stick to your 2" pans, and just collar them to make a deeper cake:
http://cakecentral.com/article43-Collaring-Your-Cake-Pans-Make-A-Deeper-Cake.html

birthday.gif Jackie

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birthday.gif Jackie

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post #3 of 19
4/9/05 at 4:02pm
I like my 2" pans. By the time i get done filling and torting they are not quite 5" high... plenty tall enough.
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post #4 of 19
4/9/05 at 6:35pm
I wouldn't go out and replace all your 2" pans. Like Jackie said, if you need to you can collar them. I use 3" round pans but not for any particular reason. They didn't cost a whole lot more so I thought the taller the better. All of my other pans are 2" though. The only benefit I can think of is that you can make a taller cake by just adding more batter. This is really convenient if you charge by servings. It gives you a little more flexibility.
Birthdays are just nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.
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Birthdays are just nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.
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post #5 of 19
4/9/05 at 7:06pm
I have both two and three inch pans. I use them both. For me it really depend on my mood. do I feel like baking one cake and torting or baking two and filling. I dont really have a preference.
Becky D
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Becky D
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post #6 of 19
4/9/05 at 8:01pm
The pans I've bought in sets are 2" but I've been buying 3" pans when I buy them seperately. I use the same amount of batter as with the 2" but I like how it bakes up straighter and flatter with the taller pan. Then I have less of a dome, if any to level off. The price difference isn't that much. It seems like the aluminum is a heavier gauge too and I think it makes a difference in how they bake. That's my preference anyway.
"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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post #7 of 19
4/9/05 at 8:07pm
I agree that the 3 inch deep pans are a lot better quality, at least the Decorator Preferred ones are. I have the Crown ones also, I don't find them as good.
I agree with Carol Ann that you get a nice shaped cake when you put the amount of cake batter for a 2 inch deep in these 3 inch deep pans. The cake also riser higher and I have tested this out - same amopunt of batter in the same sized 2 inch and 3 inch deep pans, the 3 inch deep pans bakes this higher.
But I think baking these 3 inch cakes in these pans, well they are a lot harder to bake evenly without getting crispy sides, so for some folks this is a drawback.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
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post #8 of 19
4/9/05 at 9:13pm
I have both 2" & 3" pans. I was thinking about doing my 3rd wedding cake in the 3" pans. That way I don't have to make 2 cakes just 1!!

I have never torted a 3" cake. Is it just like torting a 2" cake?

I found that the 3" cake was prettier! Don't know why but it was.
"Learn from a turtle... it only makes progress when it sticks it's neck out"
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"Learn from a turtle... it only makes progress when it sticks it's neck out"
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post #9 of 19
4/9/05 at 9:34pm
Hey Turtle Lady,
Well, it gets a little more difficult when it is a big cake, like a 14 inch. YOu have to be sure to have help sliding the board under the torted layer, or onto a cookie sheet.
I have done 6 inch high, 2 layers of 3 inch pans and this is really neat except that generally, most places use smaller plates for serving cake and well, this can be awkward.
Gee, I think actually that I prefer two layers of cake batter for the two inch layers baked in the 3 inch pans, so you get about 5 inches of cake before you fill, that is a nice height, at least in my opinion. The trend is towards much higher layers these days, I find. The good thing with the 3 inch layers is, you are only baking the one cake for each layer.
Since I broke my shoulder and did some nerve damage to my hand, I find it a lot easier to put two layers together than to torte a 3 inch one, but that is me.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
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post #10 of 19
4/10/05 at 4:53am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all your advice...I wasn't thinking so much about "replacing" my 2", just womdering if I should only buy 3" from here on out <grin>

Let me make sure that I am understanding what you are all telling me.....

Let's say, for instance, that I want to make a 2-tier cake...a 6" roun and an 8" round.

If I am understanding right...if I use a 2" pan, you would make 2 layers per tier. But if use a 3", it would bake higher and if you torte that cake made in a 3" would be just as high as 2 cakes made in a 2"?

am I understanding correctly?

Thanks!
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post #11 of 19
4/10/05 at 6:59am
2 cakes baked in 2" pans may be just a bit higher than one baked in a 3" pan (torted and filled). That really depends on how much batter you're putting in each pan and how well the recipe rises. In my 8"x3" round, I use an entire box of cake mix. If I were using 2" pans, I'd split the batter in half. The cakes would be very close in size/height.
Birthdays are just nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.
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Birthdays are just nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.
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post #12 of 19
4/10/05 at 11:28am
Well like Lisa said, it really depends on how much the batter rises. Personally I find that with 2, 2 inch layers levelled and filled, I get a 4 inch cake, with a 3 inch levelled, torted and filled, I get a 3 inch high cake. But when I put the amount of batter stated for a 2 inch high pan, only into a 3 inch high pan I get about 1/2 inch higher cake even though the batter amount is the same.
The 3 inch high pans are becoming harder to come by. At one time 2 inch was the standard for many years. Then 3 inch high pans came out and they were the standard. Now a lot of companies are no longer making the 3 inch high pans so they are becoming harder to come by.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
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post #13 of 19
4/10/05 at 11:35am
I was thinking that collaring would work too! Now that I see Jackie has mentioned it...I feel better! icon_smile.gif
I have only 2" pans...maybe I will be adventureous and do the collaring sometime!!!
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post #14 of 19
4/10/05 at 1:13pm
I've never torted. But I can take a 3" pan and add the same amount of batter I'd use for a 2" pan and have a little higher and more level cake. The higher side of the 3" pan just brings the cake higher and thus leaves less of a dome, if any. It's more efficient with less waste for me. No don't replace your 2" pans, as in toss them forever and use new 3" ones instead, but you might consider getting some 3 inchers when you need another pan and see how it works for you. I'm just saying I like the performance better so I'm buying them in 3" whenever I can. And the Decorator Preferred pans Squirrley Cakes mentioned are the heavier guage pans I'm talking about.
"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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post #15 of 19
4/10/05 at 1:43pm
I dunno why, but I just prefer 3" pans, no real reason, I just like 'em better.
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