Looking for the Perfect Baked Treat? The Color of Your Baking Pan Matters

If you’ve ever wondered why your baked goods come out looking different even when you use the same brand of bakeware, TikTok star Benjamin the Baker‘s recent TikTok post may give you the answer you’re looking for. Taking to his account, which boasts more than 700,000 followers, to reveal a few tips for choosing baking pans, followers and commenters were surprised by the little known facts that seemed to have been … well, not-so-known.

According to the veteran baker, as it turns out, the color of the baking pan you choose will impact how well your sweet treat bakes. Amazed? Me too!

“Whether it’s cookies, cakes, or brownies, the type of pan you use has a big impact on how your desserts bake,” he shared in the video. “Cookies baked on a dark tray will have a more crispy edge, and the bottom will brown more than those baked on a light tray.”

But cookies aren’t the only treat he gave advice for. “For cakes, because the dark metal conducts heat more quickly, the bottom of the cake will be darker, and the edges of the cake will also set faster. This means you end up with a shorter cake with a more rounded top and a thick crust,” he advised.

And as for brownies, darker pans will cause the outer edges of the dessert to cook and set faster than the middle of it. As a result, he notes that you’ll “end up with brownies that have a super crisp edge as opposed to the softer edge of brownies made in the lighter pan.” But which pans make the biggest difference while baking? The content creator revealed to his followers that cakes pans are the ones you need to pay attention to most.

As someone with an insatiable sweet tooth, I was very intrigued with Benjamin’s tips. However, I’m also a natural skeptic, but it turns out that the TikTok star was right! The color of the baking pan matters because dark-colored pans absorb heat more efficiently than lighter pans, and more heat radiates off its surface. 

Now that I’m equipped with this knowledge, it will definitely change how I look at baking and which pans I choose the next time I feel a craving for a sweet treat — like these double chocolate cookies. Another thing that changed how I do things the kitchen? This helpful guide to five substitutes for baking without eggs.