Published January 1, 2004.
Unlike other cakes, Bundt cakes need no adornment; the distinct shape from the pan gives them an interesting design —if you can remove the cake easily.
Bundt pans were introduced by Nordic Ware (which is still in possession of the registered trademark) in the 1950s, based on the traditional cast-iron Kugelhopf molds of Eastern Europe. (A kugel is a baked pudding, but a Kugelhopf is a yeasted bread common to much of Europe, especially Austria, Germany and Poland.) These fluted, turban-shaped baking pans eventually gained widespread popularity, largely thanks to a slew of Bundt cake mixes marketed by Pillsbury.
To assess quality and performance, we tested eight so-called nonstick pans. Ranging in price from $9.99 to $31.99, each had a simple ridged design and a minimum capacity of 12 cups. In addition to preparing our chocolate Bundt cake in each pan, we baked vanilla pound cakes to test for evenness and depth of browning.
Ease of release was our top concern. All of the chocolate cakes released easily, but some of the pound cakes did stick. All of the pound cakes baked properly, varying in cooking time from 5 to 10 minutes, although some were not as evenly browned in the center (the only cake with no color at all was baked in the silicone pan.) Some pans lost points for design flaws— specifically, an unsightly crease where the center tube and the ring were joined. In the end we found two winners. The best performer overall (also the most expensive) had the best shape (with the most clearly defined ridges), it browned cake evenly and deeply and released it easily. The runner-up was half the price. Although it was made of lightweight material, it passed all of our tests with above-average results.
