Square Pans??

Hi. I noticed that also when I bought mine. I did keep them...but I ended up ordering another set of 3 inch deep pans that have very sharp corners. I find that I use the 3 inch the most because they work better for present cakes...square wedding cakes... etc. I like the ones from Michaels for stacking character pans on top of. I also think the ones from Michaels would be easier to use fondant with. I think you should keep them...but the 3 inch pans that you can order online do have nicer corners.
traci

I have 2" magic line square pans with super sharp corners! If you want to get a sharp corner with frosting it's better to use a pan with sharp edges. I bought the set form Michales, but after looking at the other ones, I took them back.

Where did you get your cake pans with the real sharp corners???
I have the Wilton set too....
cakegal

Yes, please share. I just bought the set of 3 square pans from Michael's, but maybe now I will return them.

Jess

I ordered mine online from The Decorette Shop. Try this link
http://www.thedecoretteshop.com/product2.cfm?CID=21&SCID=15
I do recommend the 3 inch deep pans....but that is just my opinion. I hope that helps!
traci

Haha, I have a thing about squares and rectangles having really squared off corners too. Those rounded corners bug me.
Thing is with the 3 inch deep pans, you can still put the amount of batter required for a 2 inch deep pan if you like and you will end up with about a 2 1/2 deep cake. Whenever you put 2 inch deep required amounts of batter into 3 inch deep pans, the cakes rise higher than they would in the 2 inch deep pan. Anyway, they will also be fairly level. So they are really quite handy.
I bought a Chicago Metalurgic True Square Pan and they are nice but even though the corners are really square the sides flare out somewhat at the top of the pan. Makes an interesting shape and is great for a pillow cake but not so great when you want a really square cake. Nice pan though.
I wish Wilton would bring back all of the sizes and shapes in the Decorator Preferred pans, they are still my favourites for weight and the way they bake. The Magic Line pans are not available here and would cost me a fortune to purchase from the U.S. I find the quality of the cheaper lines of Wilton pans, the Performance Pans very poor - too lightweight. I have some Crown Aluminum pans and the quality while better than the Wilton cheapies, still isn't that great.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Hugs Squirrelly

You can also go to www.kerekesequip.com
They have the cheapest good quality on-line pans so far...I've purchased from them before, but 2" highs...

Squirley, do your cakes cook well througout the middle? I've had the bad luck with a round 5" , 3" high pan...Top looks great, but center NEVER bakes well!!!

I have a cake for September that will be square and am in the process of ordering pans for it... What say you? 2 or 3" high?

I figure 3" would be best instead of having to bake twice the size, but am in fear of the above mentioned...

Hi Godiva! I love using my 3 inch deep square pans! I like to bake at a little lower temp. and they bake well even in the middle. I think out of all my pans...the 3 inch deep squares are my favorite!
traci

Since were on the subject of square pans, tell me if this has happened to anyone else. I also have the three tier set of square pans from Micheals and I baked a red velvet cake in the 8 inch the other day, two layers, and when I went to put the two layers together, they were so uneven, I had to take a knife and cut some off all four sides to make it layer right. I hope this makes sense

irisinbloom...That has not happened to me...but I fill my pans so full that I saw a lot of cake off with the Wilton large leveler. Also, I do not use these pans very much. Someone else might know!
traci

traci, after looking at the pan again, it looks to me like the top of the pan flares out some and I'm thinking this is the problem. It was like when you tried to layer the cakes one overlaped the other, so I guess I will be on the hunt for a better square pan.

That might not be a bad idea. It is very frustrating when layers do not go together the way they are suppose to!
traci

Funny you should mention that kiddo, the worst results I had were with the Crown aluminum 5 inch round 3 inch deep pan. Same problem. I thought it might be the pan itself. So I started using a bit less batter in it than was called for, haha, which was somewhere between the difference in the amounts for a 4 inch round and a six inch round based on the way the batter amounts graduate for the other sizes. Eventually I got good results. Bake this little pan at 350F for the time it should take and reduce oven to 325F if the cake is not done when you think it should be. That ended up working for me.
Oh yes, I am finding that many pans almost need to be seasoned, in that they need to be used once or twice before you start getting good results. I am finding that more and more as I started buying new pans recently.
My theory is that when you bake anything smaller than a 6 inch round and the sides are 3 inch deep, well your sides are getting too close to the size of the actual diameter of the cake pan and the cakes have a tough time supporting themselves in the rising process and it is harder to cook the centre.
Likely why all cake pans at one time were about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches deep by 8 or 9 inches in diameter. Anything larger or deeper had the built in core like an angel food pan or bundt pan. The deeper square pans that folks used for fruit cakes and such had removable bottoms that you lined with greased paper. likely again to give the sides something to cling to. Folks put pans of water in the oven when cooking these and they reduced the heat too. These were the common sizes and likely based on the results produced. But we cake decorators like to push the limit so we have to adapt accordingly.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes