Non stick angel food cake pan?

I am baking angel food cake. I've read info that says no non stick pan, as well as the opposite. I bought a Wilton angel food cake pan. I think that it's non stick. It's the only one I could buy in time to make it tomorrow. (7/3). Does it matter?

Lynn
  • Posted by: Lynn
  • July 2, 2015
  • 34541 views
  • 31 Comments

31 Comments

lori S. September 16, 2020
so I'm good with going for a non-stick tube pan for angel food or sponge cake - and how to remove the cake from the pan without it falling apart. all good there. the tip I'm looking for - anyone know the best way to quickly and effectively clean the pan afterward? the egg whites and heat combine to make it almost impossible to get the pan clean. I guess if you use an aluminum pan you can use steel wool. but it's a bear so any soaking and/or scrubbing tips are appreciated. i love making sponge cake but so not worth the clean up! thanks~
 
sonya August 10, 2015
I've heard on Cook's Illustrated not to spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray or to grease it in any way for angel food cake, because then the batter can't cling to the sides and rise properly. However, they specifically said that you can use a non-stick pan; it's not going to be so slippery as a greased pan would be, so you'll be fine. I've made many angel food cakes/chiffon cakes/sponge cakes and both my regular and mini tube pans are non-stick, and I've never had a problem, so I can vouch for what they said. Basically, a non-stick pan is not as slippery as a greased pan, so those egg whites can still rise up the sides :)
 
ChefJune July 4, 2015
imho a nonstick angel food cake pan is an oxymoron. Your cake will not rise the way you expect an angel food cake to rise in such a pan. Too bad Wilton has pandered to the lowest common denominator instead of educating the customer. AND, if you have never made an angel food cake before, I would make the basic one before playing with additional ingredients and flavors. Angel food cakes are easy to make, but pretty specific as to technique, and the balance could easily be thrown off with extra ingredients.
 
Lynn July 3, 2015
Well, it didn't rise during cooking, but didn't fall while cooking.
Did layers red, then white, then blue. They all combined. The blue on top got really dark. The coconut in that layer got toasted. Doesn't look appetizing. It 's not what I wanted, but, it'll taste good.
 
sdebrango July 3, 2015
Lynn it looks like it turned out pretty good. Can't see the layers of color but the cake itself looks good. Angel food cake and non stick pans just don't mix. As Cynthia said it has to stick to the sides in order to climb up and rise. I bet it is delicous, I am a big fan of angel food cakes.
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
I will let you know. TY TY TY!
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
:0)
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
Gonna do red, white, and blue layers, (which will be ghastly uneven). Just gotta remember to keep blue and red apart.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
Perfect for the 4th!!
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
I'll try to prop it. If it cooks right, it'll be dry on top. If it fails, then I'll just make boring red, white, and blue cupcakes.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
I'm sure it will be great, if it fails use it to make a red white and blue trifle. Whipped cream, berries. Delicious. Best of luck and let us know how it comes out.
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
I found a Pilsner glass. I weighted it with salt. It should do. Thank you so much for the suggestion. Now I just have to hope that it cooks right with pineapple and coconut.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
Sounds wonderful, a pineapple coconut angel food cake. YUM. Hope the recipe works it sounds delicious.
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
So put the tube, into a glass....
I'm afraid that any glass that will be the right size won't have the weight to hold it.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
I am grasping I think. Worst case scenario is that you don't invert the cake. I make angel food cupcakes all the time and they are not inverted and are just fine. You don't want to take a chance on damaging the cake.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
There is also the chance that because the cake is in a non stick pan if you invert it the cake could let go of the sides and fall out of the pan. Maybe not but you never know.
 
boulangere July 3, 2015
The cake needs to be inverted so that all of the metal surfaces, including the bottom, can cool as quickly as possible, and with the cake in its risen state. If not inverted, the pan will retain heat, and the cake will begin to collapse onto itself. Its structure will be more sticky and dense than light and airy, as is the standard for angel food.
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
Pan and bottle
 
ChefJune July 4, 2015
That's the weirdest tube pan I have ever seen. So glad I have my old fashioned ones...
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
Couldn't upload photo. Will try again.
It doesn't go over the top at all. The tube sits on the bottle neck's rim.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
Oh I see I was thinking exactly the opposite that the tube was wider than the bottle. Thats very odd, my non stick tube pan has a wide opening just like the angel food pan, yours is moe like a cone. Do you have a tall glass? Maybe it would fit in the glass, the tube part that is.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
more not moe. LOL
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
A tall glass that is not too wide you don't want it touching the cake.
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
Thanx for chiming in.
I bought a bottle of wine. The pan inverted doesn't fit. The tube is too wide.
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
Does it stop where the bottle widens? It does the same for me but stops where the bottle widens.
 
ChefJune July 4, 2015
It's okay if the pan slips down to the shoulder of the bottle. The cake is still above the table.
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
Thanx for chiming in.
I bought a bottle of wine. The pan inverted doesn't fit. The tube is too wide.
 
Lynn July 2, 2015
Thank you for responding.
Why would Wilton make an Angel food cake pan non stick if it's bad for it?
I want to make it piña colada. I've seen recipes using both ingredients. Any suggestions as to quantities I should use?
I can't find a bottle with an opening small enough to fit the tube. Can I set it on a cooling rack?
Sorry for so many questions.
Thanx again!
 
sdebrango July 2, 2015
I will chime in, non stick tube pans are used for other types of cakes like for example a pound cake but there are many that are baked in pans with tubes some coffee cakes also. You don't want the top of the cake to touch the cooling rack which is why the bottle works well. The bottle should be sort of tall like a wine bottle but maybe a soda bottle or beer bottle would work.
 
boulangere July 3, 2015
Well, Wilton needs to sell pans, and people have come to believe that non-stick is best because it is easy to clean. It is easy to clean, but it is not the best surface for an angel-food cake. For other tube-pan cakes, sure, but not for angel food.
 
boulangere July 2, 2015
You'll get a better rise from a traditional pan as opposed to a non-stick one. For a change, it's a very good thing if the batter sticks to the pan because it helps it to climb the walls of it more effectively. That is the reason non-stick pans are not recommended.

That said, if a non-stick pan is all you have, then by all means use it. It will give you a good standard of comparison. Second-hand stores are wonderful places to find traditional angel food pans, by the way, especially ones that have the 3 "feet" extending above to top rim - perfect for inverting the cake while it cools.
 
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