The Best Bundt Pans

The Bundt pan was introduced in 1950 by Nordic Ware at the request of a Minneapolis-area Jewish women’s group whose members wanted a lighter, easier-to-use version of the ring-shaped cast-iron pans used to make kugelhopf, a Central European yeast cake. But the pan didn’t truly start to become popular until 1966, when a chocolate Bundt cake called the “Tunnel of Fudge” took second place in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Sales boomed as home bakers across the country sought to make this cake for themselves. Today, Bundt pans are a common sight in kitchens everywhere.

Bundt pans can be made from a variety of materials, including cast iron and, more commonly, cast aluminum with a silicone nonstick finish. The capacity ranges from 10 to 15 cups. Because the pans differ primarily in height but not in diameter, capacity differences matter less than you might think. Cakes baked in 11- or 12-cup models produce cakes with similar dimensions to those prepared in 15-cup pans.

We couldn’t help ourselves but to test a few fun, festive pans made by the manufacturer of the winner of our testing.

Each released cakes easily and made a striking cake. The trade-off is that these intricate designs are tedious to grease and harder to clean than simpler models. They’re also a bit smaller. When making some recipes, you may find that you have more batter that can fit in the pan. We suggest filling the pans only to about 1½ inches below the rim and then check the Bundt cake about 15 minutes sooner than the recipe states. (Don’t toss the leftover batter. It can be used to make a few muffins.) If you want a relatively simple, easy-to-use pan, stick with our overall favorite. If you’re drawn to the intricacy of the other models and don’t mind a slightly more fussy experience, we’re sure you’ll love any of the other three pans we tested.

• Sharp, Well-Defined Ridges: We liked pans that had sharp, well-defined ridges that created dramatic peaks and valleys on the cakes. They produced more attractive, impressive-looking cakes than pans with gentle waves or fluting.

• Thick, Easy-to-Grip Handles: We preferred pans with handles. These pans were easier to maneuver while greasing them, removing them from the oven, and turning out cakes.

• Nonstick Coating: One of the key characteristics of a Bundt cake is the peaks and valleys that make them the centerpiece of any table. Flipping the pan and unmolding the cake can seem daunting, but nonstick coating ensures a clean, satisfying release.

• Gentle, Nondescript Fluting: The stunning, well-defined edges of a classic Bundt cake are a result of the cake pan’s fluting. Some models had softer fluting that made the edges almost nonexistent, resulting in unremarkable cakes that resembled giant donuts instead of ridged Bundt cakes.

• Uncoated Pans: The last step of making a Bundt cake is flipping the pan to release the golden-brown cake. We tested one cast-iron pan that comes preseasoned and does not have a layer of nonstick coating. It was a heart-wrenching moment to witness a big chunk of the cake ripped from the rest of it because the cake was stuck to the well-greased pan. We think a nonstick coating is essential for successfully unmolding baked goods.