8 or 9 Inches? The Best Round Cake Pan Set for Layer Cakes

A layer cake is easier with a matched set. Two identical pans bake two identical layers at the same pace, and that matters more than almost anything else when you stack them.

The harder call is what those pans should be: 8 inches or 9, coated or bare, light or dark. This guide compares eight sets from six makers, and tells you plainly where independent reviews found problems.

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Quick verdict: which round cake pan set to buy

Five cake pan sets at a glance

Five of the eight sets, one for each kind of baker, with the details each listing states. All eight are reviewed below.

Product images from Amazon. Details are as each listing states; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best round cake pan set

These eight sets cover coated and uncoated pairs in the two common sizes, plus three-size tier sets. Each pick says who it suits, what reviewers found where they covered it, and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a round cake pan set

America’s Test Kitchen’s round cake pan review and Reviewed’s cake pan roundup are the two outside sources we use here. They do not always agree, which is useful in itself.

1. 8 and 9 inch cake pans

Most American layer recipes call for one of these two sizes. A 9-inch pan gives a wider, slightly shorter layer, and an 8-inch pan gives a narrower, taller one from the same batter, so swapping sizes changes the baking time. If you buy only one set, buy the size your favorite recipes use.

2. Depth

America’s Test Kitchen likes round cake pans that are at least 2 inches deep. Shallower pans risk overflow with generous recipes, and a deeper pan has room for a tall layer.

3. Light or dark

Those reviewers slightly preferred light pans, since dark pans absorb more heat and can brown faster. If you buy a dark pan, start checking a few minutes early.

4. Coated or uncoated

That review called a slick coating essential for a good cake pan, and uncoated pans gave it trouble. Bakers who line every pan may not mind, and uncoated pans have nothing to scratch. Our guide to baking pan liners covers precut parchment.

5. Straight sides

America’s Test Kitchen vetoed angled sides, since straight sides make better layer cakes. Every pan here is sold as a round cake pan, but only some listings mention the sides, so check the photos.

How we picked these eight sets

The title of this page promises sets, so every pick is a set of at least two pans from a named maker, sold new and in stock on Amazon in the United States. We read each listing for size, depth, material, coating and care. We used the two reviews above for how pans behave and did not bake in these pans ourselves. Some pans those reviews rate highly are sold singly, such as the Nordic Ware nonstick pans in our cake pan guide, so they are not here. The Williams Sonoma pan that won America’s Test Kitchen’s review did not come up in our Amazon searches. Reviews covered specific sizes, and we say so where a verdict is for a similar pan rather than the exact set.

Round cake pan questions, answered

Do I need two cake pans or can I use one?

You can bake one layer at a time, but a matched pair bakes both layers at once and at the same pace. That is why the sets here make life easier for layer cakes.

Should I buy 8-inch or 9-inch pans?

Go by your recipes. Plenty of home bakers end up with both sizes, since each comes up often. The Nordic Ware sets above make that easy to do in one material.

How do I stop a cake from sticking?

Grease the pan, add a parchment round to the bottom and grease again. On uncoated pans we would treat this as required, since two reviews found sticking in uncoated pans.

Can round cake pans go in the dishwasher?

Check each one. Wilton’s aluminum care line says not, Chicago Metallic says yes but suggests hand washing, and Fat Daddio’s recommends hand washing. When in doubt, wash by hand.

Why did my cake dome?

Reviewed saw the most doming from its USA Pan cakes. A trimmed top is the simple fix, and it also gives a flatter surface to stack.

Our last word on round cake pans

Buy the USA Pan pair if you want a light, coated set for 9-inch cakes. Choose a Nordic Ware pair if you line your pans anyway, in 8 inches or 9. Reach for a three-size set only if you actually plan to stack a tiered cake.

For more shapes, see the best cake pans, and for the finishing tools see the best offset spatula and the best cake stand.

And if you would rather someone else did the cooking tonight, see the menu or call to order.