Baking Pans for Cake

[PoetryLover]

I'm making a birthday cake for my husband. It calls for 2 round cake pans, which I don't have. Would you make the cake in a square pan and just make it one layer, make it in a square pan and make 2 layers, or use a pie pan and make 2 layers? (Would they even stack right if I make them in a pie pan?)

Thanks so much! I need to get started on this early today and am hoping to find some helpful advice. Buying a cake pan is out of the question.

[ollyoxenfree]

Do you have a round and a square pan? You can make a heart-shaped cake:

- cut the round cake in half
- position the square cake so it's like a diamond (point down toward you)
- on each side at the top of the square cake, place one-half round
- ice to cover the seams

Depending on how big and deep your pie pan is, you may be able to achieve the same effect using it instead of a round pan.

If you only have one 8 inch square pan, you could probably use it twice to make 2 layers.

How about cupcakes ?

[PoetryLover]

Thanks! I actually don't have a round cake pan. I think I will use the square pan twice and hope for the best.

Thanks, too, for the idea of the heart cake. I'll have to buy a round cake pan and try that in the future.

[ollyoxenfree]

Just remembered something called "Pie Cake and Candy". Back in the good old days when good housewives did all their baking on Saturdays (cakes, pies, biscuits etc.), they developed a catch-all recipe to use up leftover batter and dough at the end of their baking session.

For Pie Cake and Candy, line a pie plate with pastry and blind bake it for 10 or 15 min. Then pour in left-over cake batter and bake it. Drizzle it with left-over icing or caramel or syrup or hard-crack candy....

I don't know if that inspires some ideas. I don't think you have to be constrained to making a layer cake, unless that's what you really want to do.

Hope your baking goes well. Happy Birthday to your dh!

[PoetryLover]

Thanks so much! I did make a double layered cake using the square pans and it came out okay.

The pie cake and candy sounds awesome, though. I'll have to try that sometime!

[catnip]

I made this with only an 8x8 square pan.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/j...uploadcake.jpg

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by catnip

I made this with only an 8x8 square pan.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/j...uploadcake.jpg

Truly, that's one of the neatest birthday cakes I've seen. Very cute and clever.

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by catnip

I made this with only an 8x8 square pan.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/j...uploadcake.jpg

That is AWESOME!!!!!!!!

[catnip]

(and it was all vegan and completely organic except for the yellow and blue food coloring)

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by catnip

(and it was all vegan and completely organic except for the yellow and blue food coloring)

I showed this to my husband, who thinks our son may somehow be deprived if raised vegan. He may have the coolest cake around!

I bet your child felt extra special, though, to have such a cool cake!

[SollysMom]

My go-to chocolate cake recipe calls for two 9-inch round pans, and I always just do it all in one 13x9. I just up the baking time a bit and it comes out great.