What a great ?! I was thinking about this yesterday, when I was looking for pans a T.J. Maxx found a dutch oven for $30! But only one great looking cake pan and wanted two

Why not choose a spring form pan?

9 inch, regular depth, not springform

Springforms don't always work well for regular cakes.

It's a good idea to have two 9 inch pans, to make a layer cake.

i agree, you can't go wrong with a 9". i have a couple 8" pans, too, but i rarely ever use them... and for most cake recipes, you won't ever need anything super deep. stick to the basics!

I agree with the 9" pan. I'd also recommend a 6" pan because then you can halve the cake recipe (and slightly decrease cooking time) if you're not going to have enough people around to polish off the 9" cake. I do that often so I can still make a cake when just a few people are joining me.

Why doesn't a springform pan always work well with regular cake?

It's the only pan I've got and my yogurt cake comes out fine each time. Then again, I only make yogurt cakes . . .

9 inch from me as well. A bunt pan will get you far too. They're much harder to screw up than a layer cake!

9 inch and definitely at least 2 inches deep. The ones I use are heavy duty aluminum and from a baking supply shop. If you have one in your area, that's usually where you can find the best prices. I'd also recommend picking up 3 pans, instead of just 2.

Try finding 8" pans. Not so easy. Even harder is finding an 8" pie pan.

9" is pretty much the "norm."

Would like to second the idea of getting heavy professional pans. It is a very good investment in the long run. While you are at it, avoid the dark pans. They tend to burn the cake!

I love thicker cake pans as well. I use Michaels' 40% off coupons to buy all my Wilton cake pans. they are very sturdy and easy to find plus the price is great (with coupon.)

I personally prefer 6" round pans. with one cake mix I can make two nice and thick cake layers (and yes I got mine from Michaels.)

9inch Williams and Sonoma - best cake baking pans around

I usually just use the same cake pan no matter what size it calls for...

Kristen, thank for the great tip re: using a 6" pan to halve a 9" cake recipe!

I believe springform pans are generally flimsier and easier to dent, resulting in a mess of batter.

8" is my preferred size for a regular sized layer cake and 10" for larger sized cakes. They are readily available at restaurant supply stores. They are durable thick walled, shiny metal (so the sides don't darken and burn) and very, very cheap.

i would suggest 8" if youre planning on going the "fancy cake" route -- that way, down the line, you can buy 10" and 6" and make a 2 or 3-tiered cake. 9" allows for a wonky looking 10"/9" or 9"/6". Keeping the sizes even numbers apart will make the tiers look consistent.

(used to work in a 'fancy cake' bakery and we used cake pans in even numbers, never odd)

9? really? I would have guessed 8; the ones that come in sets are 8, the ones we used in baking school were usually 8..

I second the recommendation to not get dark pans. If you do get them, reduce your baking temperature by 25 degrees. Also, don't get pans that flare out as this makes layer cakes unnecessarily difficult. Sur la Table has the largest selection of baking pans I've seen. You can also hit up a restaurant supply store if there's one in your area. Get at least two!

Okay, as someone who makes on average, 2 cakes a week that people pay me for (I have a lil side biz going on), I would say go with the 8-inch. If you find that you really love making cakes, the standard cake-tier round sizes are 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14. . . all the even's. So go with 8. I also would recommend getting a light-finish. Fat Daddio's is my fav brand because the cakes cook SO evenly in it. http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Daddios-Anodized-Aluminum-Round/dp/B0013374AM/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1299520860&sr=1-1

With such a thick cake, make sure you aren't filling the pan more than 1/2 and you decrease the cooking temp by about 25 degrees so that it doesn't come out gooey in the middle with the edges burnt to a crisp. You will also have to torte and fill a cake this thick, but its super easy and a good skill to have.
http://whisk-kid.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-assemble-layer-cake.html

People will be amazed and astounded with your baking-prowess if you can make an even-layered 4-layer cake with smooth frosting!

Feel free to email me with any questions seriouslyawesomebakery at gmail dot com