Welcome to the National Bread Museum of Grain-Baking-Bread Culture
~ the 1850-1999 Home Baking Artifact Index Page of . . . ~
BAKING PANS
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PANS THAT GO IN THE OVEN TO BAKE ITEMS SUCH AS BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES ~ PASTRIES, PIES, & PIZZAS.
This is quite an extensive list because not only do we have a considerable category of baked items (the recipe categories), but then there are the many "forms" (i.e. kinds, shapes) of baking pans, and quite a few are for a specific baked item. Also, some items (i.e. some breads or cakes) can be baked in a whole series of various pans! But to keep it as simple as possible, the pans will be identified by their most common or intended use, or most familiar description.
INTRO: The BASIC RECIPE CATEGORIES affiliated with SPECIFIC PANS for . . . BREAD ~~~ CAKES (& BARS) ~~~ COOKIES ~~~ CUPCAKE~GEM~MUFFIN~POPOVERS ~~~ a JELLY ROLL ~~~ PIE (& Pastry & Tart)~~~ PIZZA ~~~ SPECIALTIES
INTRO: The GENERAL KINDS OF PANS sometimes identified by shape or design for the above list of recipes . . .
Angel Food ~~ Bread & Loaf ~~ Bundt & Kugelhopf ~~ Cupcake & Muffin ~~ Flan ~~ Layer ~~ Loaf ~~ Molded ~~ Quiche ~~ Popover ~~ Ring ~~ Shaped ~~ Sheet ~~ Springform ~~ Tart ~~ Tube
MATERIAL/SUBSTANCE: Aluminum ~~ Cast Iron ~~ Ceramic ~~ China ~~ Clay ~~ Enamelware ~~ Glass ~~ Graniteware ~~ Ironstone ~~ Pottery ~~ & various kinds of Tin & Steel
NOTE of HISTORY: Unless another source is noted, a great number of BAKING PAN items for this historical preservation website record, that were made in the U.S., were bought at thrift shops (TS), garage sales (GS), and sometimes at an antique mall or store in the 2000's years, with the purchase price noted, if known. A few came from Mom's cupboards when twice I cleared out her homes. If I'm contributing a used item which began new in my life (wedding gifts or my purchases usually 40-55+ years ago), it would generally date back to the late 1960s & 1970s. The German Flohmarkt (flea market) (GFM) items were purchased in 1988-91. At this point, it's not an objective to identify each object with specific museum-inventory details. Probably like some visitors to this site, I can provide personal knowledge of the basic history, but will need researchers to fill in the details 😀❣
Let's begin with a visual, INTRO INDEX ~~ a sample of a SPECIFIC PAN SHAPE OR FORM
for BASIC RECIPE CATEGORIES.
These 4 below are for specific, baked-food recipes. (see note below):
In addition to the above, other "somewhat common" specialized categories in the "1850-1999 Grandma era" would have been pans for the Danish Aebleskiver, a charlotte cake, corn sticks, Madeleines, the Norwegian Kransekake, ladyfingers, quiche, soufflés, tarts, & Yorkshire pudding. Some of these pans are in the following group, but many of what's currently available for the museum are in the most relatable category on this page.
Here's a visual, INTRO INDEX - a sample of the
KINDS OF PANS within recipe categories. Generally it's the shape (like a tube or ring), & the size is usually or could be secondary, depending on the baker knowing how much batter or dough would be best for the size of the pan.
ROUNDS ~ RINGS ~ has a tube in the center:
FLAT BOTTOM ~ simple round shapes:
The World of the ALL AMERICAN PIE baked in a PIE PAN ~ PIE PLATE ~ PIE TIN
FLAT BOTTOM ~ simple straight edges
SHAPES & DESIGNS:
MATERIAL FORMS ~ various:
~ INDEX of BAKING PANS on this page ~
BREAD
Loaf
French
Various
Commercial
CAKE - DESIGNATED
Angel Food
Springform
Tube
Bundt
Kugelhopf
CAKE - FLAT-BOTTOM
Round (layer & tortes)
Square
Rectangular
Jelly Roll (Sheet)
CAKE - ASSORTED
Rings
Designs & Shapes
CUPCAKES
COOKIE SHEETS+
PASTRIES, TARTS, ODDS 'n ENDS
PIE PANS / PLATES
PIZZA
SPECIALTIES & BAKING DISHES
Note that the measurements represent the following pattern: If it's a part of an eighth, I tried to put it in this style: 1/8, 3/8, 5/8, or 7/8, but I am so used to handwriting in the decimal, that if I missed one & it's #.18, or #.38, #.58, #.78, please adjust in your mind that it's an eighth. If it's a quarter, half, or three-fourths, I always write it as the decimal of .25, .5, or .75. (Therefore, if a measurement is 8.75" x 5.3/8", you transfer it to say "eight & three-fourths" by five & three-eighths inches.) And all measurements are written for the American system of inches, not the metric system.
The Journey Begins with the Category of BREAD PANS
Traditional rectangles were called ~
BREAD or LOAF PANS
They come in all sizes, & a few variations of shapes when closer to today's time!
The U. S. "standard" for a traditional loaf of yeast bread is 9x5. Many "quick" breads use an 8x4.
~ A BREAD PAN ~ A LOAF PAN ~ (in order to Bake a Loaf of Bread)
Maybe from a bakery?!?
(On the Right) German -- Bought in the flohmarkts 1988-91. A smooth steel; 3 sizes about 3.5"x 6" (top one) to bottom: 6" x 4" ends x 12" long. Heavy - sharp angles - maybe even a drawer?
(Below) Bought 3 of these in England (1982-88) . . . loved the old, crusty outside! Heavy. Straight sides. 9" x 5" x 4.5". It seems as if they'd seen their days in fire?!?
The smallest for quick bread, cake, cupcake & muffin batter, etc.
5.75" x 3.25" x 2.25"
5" x 2.75" x 1.5"
4.5" x 2.5" x 1"
4" x 2.25" x 1.5"
If you're checking the design, look at the various ways of rolling the edges.
The pan with the holes is the oldest & very heavy! When insulated cookie sheets appeared in the 1980s, it was nothing new under the sun😉! (9" x 5"; $1.37 TS)
Full of aged character, these were a find on my September, Nebraska Junk Jaunt Day in 2025, & absolutely had served someone (or several home bakers) extremely well! If only they could talk & tell us of the hands who used them, & lives in which they helped provide for during possibly, the last 100 years.
4 bread-loaf pans; from 4.75"W to 10.75"L to 3"H; in a $10 buy of 16 items.
The day-long Junk Jaunt is a link in the menu under (1) Bread Culture Artifacts.
~ FRENCH BREAD ~ ~ BAGUETTES ~ SIMILAR SHAPES ~
~VARIOUS SHAPES, SIZES, DESIGNS ~
3 shapes of a flower, star, & heart ~~ Never used one, & I think it would be time consuming to clean the inside. Info says they're for bread or cookie dough. Made in Taiwan. About 2.5" x 10". (source - a thrift shop)
Superstone Bread Baking Crocks 1988, Sassafras Enterprises, Evanston,IL;
4.25"rd x 5.1/8"; $7.99 in a TS
Until I have an actual Brioche pan, this aluminum one is the shape with the fluted, sloping sides, but a Brioche has a flat bottom and a top knot of dough is put in the center. Brioche is known for its higher butter, eggs, & sugar content than regular bread. This pan would most likely have been sold for Jell-O to make what was called "jelly" or a "molded salad," and to serve it would be turned out & upside down for the bubbles on top. 5.25"rd x 2.75"
Walked into a small-town Bric-a-Brac store one day in 2017 in southeastern Nebraska, & this (silver - tin lined) copper bread pan was hanging on the wall with its 3-D sheaf of wheat ~ $5.00! Talk about a beauty!! At that price I felt as if I was buying copper back in Turkey 🤣. 7.5" x 4.5" x 2.5"
The above are called "corn stick" pans, & throughout my life, I've only seen them made in cast iron. The rusty, bottom center one is the Griswold pan. (1865-1957, you can read the company's history on Wikipedia under "Griswold Manufacturing.") A "corn stick" is a batter-based baked item in the bread category. It's main ingredient is yellow cornmeal vs. wheat-based flour. You can also bake the batter in a muffin, loaf, or layer-cake pan. It's just that the corn sticks are a different shape & 50% of its surface area has a light crust😋❣ They are a great accompaniment to a bowl of chili. As to the rust, it can be removed, the pan re-seasoned, & it's good to go!
~ COMMERCIAL BAKERY BREAD PANS ~
COMMERCIAL BREAD PANS from a bakery in France -- The ovals are about 9" x 5". They're strapped together. Prior to the year 2000, a man in Kansas imported from Europe, sight unseen, the contents of entire bakeries which were going out of business. Got these & some terrific other "old world" baking items around the year 2000, at his place out in the country!
The Category of CAKE PANS
Note: In British English, pans are called tins.
BASIC CAKE PANS by the most common name according to the pan's shape:
~ DESIGNATED PANS: Angel Food, Springform, Tube, Bundt, Kugelhopf
~ FLAT BOTTOM PANS: Round, & Square, some aka Layer; Rectangular; Jelly Roll, aka Sheet
~ CAKE - ASSORTED: Designs & Shapes (the ribbed log loaf, the Flan); Holiday & 3-D Shapes; Rings
~ CUPCAKES
NOTE: Beyond the following CAKE pan photos, are the Categories of:
-COOKIE SHEETS
-PASTRIES - TARTS - ODDS 'n ENDS
-PIE PANS? / PIE PLATES?
-PIZZA PANS
-SPECIALTIES & BAKING DISHES
ANGEL FOOD & TUBE PANS of all sorts . . .
Besides the well-known Angel Food Cake Pan (a U. S. cake from the 1800's era), there are the Bundt Pan (created in the 1950 time frame), along with the European Kugelhopf (the spelling I'm more familiar with vs. Gugelhupf) that has a centuries'-long history in Europe & came to this country via immigrants.
~ ANGEL FOOD PANS ~
The traditional "Angel Food" cake pan has a removeable bottom because the cake is baked in an ungreased pan. As soon as it comes out of the oven, it is turned upside down to to keep it light and airy so it doesn't collapse while cooling. To remove from the pan, a smooth, sharp, straight-edged knife blade is run along the inside of the pan. The cake on the tube section is lifted out & the knife is used to cut the cake away from the bottom of the pan.
~ SPRINGFORM ~
<---This springform pan has a clip to hold or release the side. I've had a pan like this with a flat pan bottom (no tube) since the early 1970s, so they've been around awhile. ~ ~ Ovenex; 9" rd x 3" high sides. TS
This one on the right is the first time I've seen a --->
cake pan with handles. Many times a pan like this came in a set of 3 & was versitale with a flat bottom (think cheesecake), a flat bottom with a tube (think angel food cake), & this fancier design. The release handle opens up the side which does not come apart.
~ ASSORTED TUBE PANS ~
CHILD'S tube pan; aluminum; no removeable bottom;
3.75" top, 2.75" bottom, 1.5/8"H; 75c
Bought 2025, U.S. Had these as a kid in the 1950s. GS
All 3 are different in the size & shape of the tube. The left one has a steeper, sloping side & no removeable bottom. The center one has 3 feet to turn the cake over to cool (traditionally it bakes taller than the pan). The feet on the L one turn against the side, but not on the middle one. The R one would need to cool on the neck of a bottle.
Straight-sided large tube pan, removeable bottom; 9"rd x 3.25" (tube is taller); $2 TS
Tube Pan w~14 sections, removeable bottom; 9"rd w~rims; AGM CO. - VIKO Aluminum - MADE IN USA;
8"rd x3.5"; TS
A square Angel Food pan (not a common shape). Three aluminum companies which began in 1890, 1895, & 1898 merged, making their headquarters in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, & began with the MIRRO name in 1917 till 2003 when it closed to move out of the country. TS
On the side this says Swans Down Cake Pan ~ Pat. Dec 18-23 ~ ~ ~ E. KATZINGER CO. ~ CHICAGO ~ LICENSED MERS (made in the 1920s) ~ ~ ~ On the bottom it says: SWANS DOWN CAKE FLOUR ~ MAKE BETTER CAKES - FM
Metal; Cake Pan/Mold; Germany; 6"rd x 3.5", tube hole is 7/8". Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Metal; Cake Pan/Mold; Germany; 8.75"rd x 3 1/8", tube hole is 2". Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Metal; Cake - Kugelhopf Pan; "NAISER" - Made in W. Germany (est. 1949-89); 9"x 3.75", tube hole 2".
Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Metal; Cake Pan; Ovenex Starburst Pattern; U.S.
8"rd x 3", hole 2.5"
A blackened metal pan. 9" x 3.5" The tube is an additional 1.75" higher than the rim, but because it's so wide compared to the height, I don't know if it would be classified as a Kugelhopf. Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Metal Cake Pan; 7" x 2.3/8", hole 1"
~ BUNDT Cake Pans ~
The typical, basic Bundt pan SHAPE which became so popular with a 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off Winner's Tunnel of Fudge Cake. 10"rd x 4"; L -mustard, 1970s; R -copper colored (not real), bought used since 2020; maybe $2-3 TS.
My original red bundt bought new in the late 1960s or early '70s because of the Pillsbury Bake-Off recipes. Besides cakes actually made for the pan, Monkey Bread was a new item to me & was also made in this pan. It became money well spent as is seen by the wear & tear on the bottom😄.
Very heavy like (or maybe is) cast iron & it has a very intricate design pattern to have to clean. Dozens of these more intricately-designed cake pans, modeled off of & even called Bundt, have been created during the recent decades. TS
~ KUGELHOPF . . . a YEASTED BREAD? - CAKE? Historically, most aligned to ALSACE, FRANCE, then Germany. ~
Enameled steel; Kugelhopf
Cake Pan; Blue; German;
9.75"rd x 5", 1.7/8 hole
Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Enameled steel; Kugelhopf
Cake Pan; Cobalt Blue; German; 10.5"rd x 5.25", 1.75" hole
Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Enameled steel; Kugelhopf
Cake Pan; black rim, "Chicken Wire" pattern; German;
8" x 4.5", .5" hole
Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Enameled steel; Kugelhopf
Cake Pan; blue rim, "Chicken Wire" pattern; German;
8.5" x 4.75", 1" hole
Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Enameled steel; Kugelhopf
Cake Pan; ruby w/grey interior; German; 10" x 5.1/8", 1" hole, & w/rim 2"
Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
Enameled steel called graniteware; Kugelhopf
Cake Pan; German;
About 8" x 5"
Bought 1989-90 in Germany.
a Kugelhopf Mold
When it's ceramic, it's called a "mold" (vs. cake pan).
(new - 1980s)
Bought in Germany.
Very lightweight tube pan, Aluminum; Made in Germany (i.e. since 1990); An update version of the old & traditional heavy, stoneware Kugelhopf pan; 6"rd x 3"; $2.10
Bought used in U.S.
CAKE Pans - Flat Bottom
Round or Square (layer, tortes & others); Rectangular; Jelly Roll; shaped & others
ROUND
LAYER - - The traditional layer cake always was, and still is, round. The common size with recipes was to use an 8" or 9" pan. Sometimes square pans, again 8" or 9" might be used. In the 1950's, the Wilton Company began making "bakeware" for the home baker, & gradually there were various shapes "to layer," especially when making wedding & other special-occasion cakes (6- or 8-sided, heart, petal/scalloped, & such).
A side note: In England, in the Queen's English😉, all these 8" & 9" round "layer" pans to us in the U.S., are called "sandwich tins" to the British because in our ancestral grandma's time, it was mostly a sponge, or basic yellow or white cake, chocolate, spice, poppy seed, etc., and the 2-3 layers were "sandwiched" together with a layer of jam, jelly, marmalade, sometimes a thick pudding, buttercream, or other sweet something. That is also the same process for multi-layered tortes, although these are made with very little to no flour, but rather ground nuts, breadcrumbs, or egg whites for the basic body of the cake layers. Three of the most famous which are familiar to and in many American cookbooks are the Austrian Sachertorte (chocolate) & Linzertorte named after the city, Linz, and the Hungarian Dobos Torte.
Checkerboard Cake (sold about Dec. 1998) The original version, in the 1920-30's, it had metal ring dividers.
WILTON Petal Cakeware Pan, w-paper; 12"rd x 2"; Made in Korea 1978; (originally $6.50) $1.49 TS
These are 3 of those huge, old, 12-16" round German pans which I'd buy whenever I'd see them, on which to stencil an American Country design which was the decorative ware of that time.
SQUARE
The standard sizes in recipes are generally 8" or 9", but I had a 7.5" sq. for years without realizing that it was NOT an 8"! Does that 1/2" matter? Not really if you know how to check what you're baking.
RECTANGULAR
These two 10"x15' (left) & 11-12" & 17" pans (above) were probably meant to be roasting pans, but mine, the one above since 1970, was mostly used for baking crumbles, a rhubarb crunch (see it in the Baking Mill section), bars, a double cake recipe, & on & on.
JELLY ROLL PANS (also called SHEET PANS; many various sizes)
One of my grandma's probably made a jelly roll at least once a week during the years of her life on the farm from the 1920s - 1960s! And how many have I made in the past 55 years? Maybe 2! But the bars, cookies, snack items, bread rolls, crackers & such . . . no telling how many 100s of times (a 1,000+?) this pan (below left) provided for our family🙏❤
One thing about recipes for pans beyond the standard 13"x9" cake pan, many old recipes had no pan size included in the instructions. "Everyone" just "knew" what size of a pan to use . . . the ONE that they had! If it said to bake in a "jelly roll" pan, you knew it needed to have sides usually called a "rim." And usually 1" high. The various recipes called for a "shallow" pan, or pans from 10"x14", 10" or 12"x15", or could go all the way up to the 11"x17" (2nd row below). Basically, you judged by the amount of batter you had & the thickness you wanted the end product to be.
CAKE ~ ASSORTED
DESIGNS 'n SHAPES ~ Since the 1950's, untold hundreds of shapes & designs of baking pans have been made by U.S. companies! For the home baker, for "fancy cakes" for holidays and occasions, many have been created by Wilton (which began as a cake decorating company for the home baker), & sometimes there are "knock-offs," (i.e. similar copies with the slightest variation) by others.
Various sources have called this a Yule Log Mold, a Ribbed or Ridged, Loaf or Log or Cake or Baking, Pan or Mold!
#1) Twice between 2018 & 2024, I had a home-baked Norwegian Almond Roll made in this shaped pan (an almond-flavored, yellow/white cake, coated with powdered sugar ~ just fabulous)! Here's one recipe; juggle the pan size: https://livingthesceniclife.com/almond-cake/ (But use whole milk or half & half, & 2 t. of almond extract.)
#2) Then I dug these 4 "Made in Germany" pans out of storage & found out they are for a traditional German Rehrücken Chocolate / Almond Cake Roll. The recipe in my (English version of the German) Dr. Oetker Baking book (c) 1970 is now on a website in his name. https://www.oetker.de/rezepte/r/rehruecken (Translate the page into English via the 3 dots in the upper right of your computer screen. Open it & click on "Translate," then "English" in the pop-up.)
#3) Now let's go to Scotland. There's a castle, cake, & bread called Balmoral. The traditional English fruitcake is filled with bits & pieces of candied fruits (oranges, lemons, cherries, angelica, apricots, etc.), but the Scottish Balmoral fruitcake has only raisins or glace cherries (candied or dried just as raisins are). Having lived in England 6 years, I thought Balmoral Cake was another common recipe, but I've found it's not an item in the American kitchen collectibles reference books! But in an English Cook's Tools book by Susan Campbell, 1980, this shape of a 6" long pan is for the Balmoral Cake, & sometimes the bread! https://favouritefamilyrecipes.com/455/ So on we go . . .🙂
The newer pan above was made by Wilton, in Korea.
BELOW: 4, all old metal "Made in W. Germany" (1949-1989: communist, Behind the Iron Curtain, i.e. Berlin Wall years) Rehrücken pans bought 1989-90, for breads or cakes.
L - R: 13.25" x 4.25"; 12.25" x4.5"; 12" x 4.5"; 10.25" x 4.5"; Each is 2.5" H.
Flan ~
This has always been called a flan cake pan during my lifetime. But why? And what is this "flan" cake pan used for? My comments come from a home baker; not a professional position😅. For Mom and Grandma, this was more of a "fancy" type of dessert, no matter what kind of cake you baked in it, and then when it was turned it out of the pan, the center was filled with a compatible cake filling (not a frosting, but maybe a pudding, jelly, gelatin, fruit, etc.). The traditional was a sponge cake with a thin layer of a creamy custard & then topped with fruit (usually poached or from a can). In actuality, the limit of this combo is endless👍❣
Charlotte Pans ~
The flutes or scallops are filled with lady-fingers, & then the pan is filled with what-ever sweet recipe you're making (for instance, Tiramisu or Charlotte Cake, or a similar dessert you create.
Alternately, you can use the pans for a shaped cake, bread (yeast or quick bread), or molded Jell-O salads.
SHAPES: ~ Bear & Dog ~ Book ~ Egg ~ Gingerbread House ~
Gingerbread Man ~ Holiday (pumpkin, candle) ~ Heart ~ Stars & Tree ~ Hexagon ~ Lamb
2 cake molds: 3 piece w/a base, 3-D bear, 5" x 4" x 5", Wilton-Chicago, Made in Korea 1972;
3 piece w/a base, 3-D Cocker Spaniel, 4" x 3.75" x 1.5"; Wilton-Chicago, Made in Korea 1974; $1 for the 2 (flea mkt.)
Book-shaped Cake Pans; WILTON; 6.25" x 8.5" w/rim, (6x8 cake size), x 1.5"H; $1 & $2, TS
L - Eggs from 3" x 4.5" W, up to 5" x 8"L; early 1970s to make those hollowed-out "peek-a-boo" 3-D diorama sugar eggs for Christmas and Easter. Also, an old bunny mold. All aluminum.
R - Two half-egg cake molds with ring bases for baking; £1.80 on sale in England - 1980s ($2.70); originally £10 = $15.00.
Gingerbread House pans for a shallow cake or a huge cookie. L-3 pics, Wilton, $1.19;
Two pics R: a Wilton in back (no paper) & the front one - Brand Castle, 2/$2; TS (just a slight shape difference)
Gingerbread Man - #1: "Holiday time" info in English & Spanish (Unknown Co.); originally w/3 tubes frosting.
#2-3 - Back Wilton 1998 Indonesia; Front also newer Wilton.
#4-5 - Cookie Molds, but could also be used for shallow cake, bars, shortbread, bread/rolls for the imprint; "Nestle(TM) Toll House (TM) Cookie Kids (TM) Baking Pan"; $1 TS
HOLIDAYS: Pumpkin cake pan - 12.75" x 12.75"; Wilton-Made in Indonesia 1998; $1.75 TS; Shallow rim, but good for the age-old, traditional Pumpkin Bar recipe. ~ ~ ~ NOEL Candle cake pan, 9"x16"x2"; Wilton-Korea 1981; $.90 TS
Both the 9" x 9" heart (Valentine's Day) & star (Christmas) were the "fancy" aluminum cake pans in the 1940-50-60s. The 4-tier heart set is by Wilton, 1982, made in Korea. The clay stoneware heart is from Europe, 1980s.
Star, 8.75" point-to-pt; MIRROR, aluminum; $.99 TS; R: Stars from the farm 1940-50-60s. Small for Jell-O. Tree 11".
I vividly remember the day I saw this 2-piece sheep cake mold in a German flohmarkt. I'm partial to sheep! The vendor spoke enough English to tell me that this was cast aluminum, made from melted down parts of airplanes after WWII - wow / history! The Flohmarkt day was June 23, 1990, & he knew this history from first-hand association w/it being made! He was asking DM20, but very few times did I agree to the initial price, as bargaining was the custom, & always smiling and loving the interaction, we settled on DM15 ($3.33 that day with the fluctuation of the Deutsch Mark).
The tin "Swan's Down Cake Flour" pan was $7 some years back in an antique-type shop in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
RINGS
I had never seen one of these ring pans (above) until a few years ago in the Thrift Shops in Omaha, Nebraska.
I automatically assumed they were for recipes like Danish Kringle & other pastry-type sweets which are formed into rings because through the 1st century of its growth, c. 1867, this area became home to a great diversity of immigrants and refugees from all over Europe. But research says they are actually Pie Drip Pans! (12" rd., holes about 4") L - R: hammered aluminum, tin, aluminum, 1930s-1950s. Aluminum was considered the poor man's silver & was created into many beautiful items for the home . . . didn't rust or tarnish, no polishing, lightweight, good $$$. I'm including them in baking pans because from the wear & tear & residual stains, some were used for baking something. Also, they are rings & very adaptable to those kringles😅 & coffee cake-type baked items!
Below, the ring molds are between 7-10" in diameter.
On the farm, Mom had one ring mold and it seemed so special when she made one of the following:
1) a molded Jell-O recipe (a HUGE food item between/during World Wars I & II, but especially during the Great Depression years which began in 1929 with the Stock Market crash & went through the 1930s); This isn't a baked item, & it doesn't use grain, but was an inexpensive, therefore, economical, food item from breakfast through dessert for "dinner" (the word used by the city folk, & "supper" by the country folk).
2) a baked salmon or tuna fish ring which was filled with creamed peas when served;
3) a cake or sweet yeast bread baked in a ring & decorated at Christmas time to be a wreath.
4) The copper ring could also serve as a wall decoration to give the kitchen a bit of sparkle.
In the 1800s to WWII - 1940s, in Europe & especially the 1st generation of immigrants in the United States, many "average" families had 8-13 children. Therefore, many European bread & cake recipes were of a greater size than what gradually became standard American recipe sizes; therefore, the very well worn, used, & loved 12" ring above. Bought in Germany 1988-91.
CUPCAKE ~ GEM ~ MUFFIN ~ POPOVER Type Pans
Here's a note on "cup" sizes by volume as to how much "a serving" was yesterday vs. today.
Also, unraveling any mystery about a "gem" recipe or pan.
Muffins were sometimes "Gems" in old cookbooks.
There are several very distinct "small cup" types of pans in this category. Called a muffin or cupcake pan or tin, depending on where you grew up, or your family lineage & way of speaking, the basic pan of 6, 8, or 12 cups is a 1/2 cup volume in size.
Now, "back in the day," in many of the old cookbooks of the 1850-1940's time frame, you'll come across a "gem" recipe and wonder, "What in the world?!?" Turns out it's a muffin, cupcake, or a cross between the two (i.e. % of sweetness), & it calls for a "gem pan." And then you wonder - - - , and then you learn that a gem pan is like a cupcake pan, but the cups are about half as deep as your basic cupcake pan which is 1/2 a cup of volume.
Now fast forward to sometime before the turn of the century (i.e. 2000), & the mini & jumbo sizes came about. The mini holds 2 tablespoons, and the jumbo holds 1 cup (and the baked item is also, usually "runneth over" or half-again as much as the 1 cup volume)! So, in essence, as to the amount, you're eating 3 of the original cupcakes.
Let's just say "in the olden days in home baking," you filled the half-cup container 2/3rds full & when baked, it was a nice round shape at the edge of the cupcake paper. THAT was a "serving - especially for calories, sugar, etc." But today if you're buying in grocery stores or a bakery, most jumbos can be heaping in size, and yesteryear's common regular 1/2 c. size can end up having 2-3" of frosting heaped on it!!! What a difference from Grandma's sprinkle of powdered sugar or a "drizzle" of frosting - not even actually coated.
The final note is that the "cupcake pan" and the "muffin tin or pan" are the same shape, just various sizes! Both can be used with and without a paper lining. Also, you can bake almost any cake or quick bread in a cup cake/muffin pan. Just learn to adjust the baking time.
Let's begin by looking at a variation of many sorts of "6-cup" pans from Grandma's yesteryear time to our more recent time with non-stick coatings & such.
Cupcake Pan; standard 6-cup size
7" x 10.5", 2.75" rd. cups.
Very shallow, non-stick; made in China; wouldn't hold a cupcake paper -- not deep enough, but also wider. Maybe it was made more specifically as a tart pan for a crust shell that would have a filling, OR for a small-size Yorkshire Pudding (often said to be the American "popover," but they are different).
Baking Pan - with Emeril's (Lagasse) signature. Another modern day, different shape - maybe for a specific kind of item (don't know)!
Mini cups; very sloped sides; non-stick; 2" round cups; could also be a tart pan.
5.5x 7.38; 50c each TS
The average of these 3 different pans, which is the standard or common size of a cupcake or muffin recipe, 7.25" x 10.5"; cups = 2.75" diam. & are deep enough for the standard cupcake paper liner.
L: Donut ring pan; used.
R: Wilton Donut-shaped Pan; 8.25" x 12.75" x .78"; $1 TS
6-cup PANS: fluted mini bundt cupcakes; hearts; popover pan (in a storage box); all from a TS
8-cup CUPCAKE & MUFFIN PANS:
Baking Pans-2; Ovenex 7.25x14.75x1.38; U.S.of A, 'New Baking Metal'; $1 TS
Mini Cupcake Pan, 8 sm, 2in rds; EKCO, Ovenex, Made USA; 5.5x10.5; $1.49 TS
L2: Cupcake-Gem Pan, V.V Old-8 shallow; 7x13.5x1, 3in rds; $1.40 TS
R: Another company & style with the 4 rings, 7" x 13.5" x 1"; TS
Kellogg's All Bran; Best for Cereal; 7.25x13.75, c=2 ; Cupcake Pans - assorted (9) Kellogg's 'Best As A Cereal'
9-cup pan - THESE WERE THE MAX PAN SIZE THAT FIT IN THE TYPICAL ENGLISH & EUROPEAN OVEN back in the 1980s😉; it could be different today in the 2000-time period. When I walked into our military-assigned apartment in Germany in 1988, a 9" x 13" pan wouldn't fit in the oven! At my request, a standard American stove with oven was installed🙏.
The pan on the left is for your standard American cupcake. The one on the right is for the standard English Mincemeat Pie (for single servings). They are made with a double crust - one fit the cup, was then filled with a mincemeat filling, & a single round crust with a small "+" slit in the middle, was set on top. It wasn't large enough to seal the edges. To serve, the tops were dusted with a coating of powdered sugar. Very yummy & a tribute to an English grandma, Miss Edna❣
The pan was made in England.
12-cup CUPCAKE & MUFFIN PANS:
Cupcake Pan;
10.5" x 14",
cup = 2.75" diam.;
Mirror Company,
10 raised lines; $1.00 TS
Mini Donut Pans,
8" x 11.5", holes .75" deep;
$1.99 each TS
The most unique and absolutely my favorite of all the old German pans!
11.5" x 15.5", handle 2", cups 1.25" deep; bought 1988-91 in a German flohmarkt.
These are the assorted paper liners for the basic, standard, half-cup size cupcake.
They are also made in the mini and jumbo cupcake sizes.
If you don't have a paper liner, the way it was done in Grandma's day (which still works today!) was to grease & flour each cup. Another way, without the flouring, is to grease & then set a round wax paper circle in each cup. To make these, I tear off some inches from the roll, accordian-pleat fold it for multiple layers, & cut the size I want. You can cut at least 6 circles at a time this way. They don't need to be perfect & exact.
P.S. The wax paper bottom is especially the way to go when you make some muffins & find that when you pull off the paper cup liner, half of the muffin also comes off! Just make sure you remove the wax paper circles prior to serving. But you don't remove the paper cups to serve.
Cookie Sheets & Beyond!
Cookie Sheets (sometimes called "baking sheets")
Probably the most boring of all the pans during the 1850-1999 era! But it's also one of the first pans everyone wants & needs because who doesn't want to bake a batch of cookies😁❣ . . . or a pastry . . . or some bread rolls . . . & more👍? And to do so, this is the all-versatile pan.
BUT THEN GOING FROM BORING SHEETS TO FANCY, "DESIGNED COOKIES IN A BAKING PAN," came into existence sometime since the mid-1900s.
PASTRIES, TARTS, & ODDS 'n ENDS
SWEETS 'n TREATS
Baking Pans ~~ for Specific Recipes ~~ for
PASTRIES & ODDS 'n ENDS
---Balmoral ---Brioche ---Dariole
---Ladyfinger ---Pastry Molds --- Pastry Tins, i.e. Tart Pans
Balmoral ~ Cake & Bread
In case you missed this one in "Cakes - Assorted," this pan is for 3 heritage groups that I know of, of ancestral grandmas:
1) the German chocolate-almond cake (Rehrücken);
2) the Norwegian Almond Roll;
3) the Scottish Balmoral Cake and Bread;
4) and maybe others?
Brioche ~ (no pan at this time)
Dariole ~
What is a Dariole? It's this mold that a sweet dessert is baked in. Traditionally of French origin, it's an egg custard. As such, for baking, the molds are set in a pan of water, so it's a version of steaming vs. baking by dry heat.
Ladyfinger ~
For some there's confusion between a "ladyfinger" which has a sponge cake base & is meant to soak up liquids, and a thin, crisp, French butter cookie called Cat's Tongue or Langue de chat which is generally of this same shape. Ladyfingers are best known around the outside of a Tiramisu or Charlotte Cake.
Madeleines ~
A French pastry with a sponge cake base. In cookbooks, called both a small cake or a cookie. - 6 (6.5" x 8") & 8 (6.5" x 10")
Pastry Tins or Molds ~ Also known as "Tart" pans with a (pie) crust & a filling.
The following small pastry tins of all sorts came by the way of picking up one or more here & there . . .
1) in thrift or (so-called) antique shops (sometimes in "antique" malls);
2) Some of the still-bright silver colored, aluminum "rings-hearts-bells-spades-round deep fluted domes" came from my mom using them to serve "fancy" jello on the farm (1940s-60s -- 3rd row);
3) One day going along Beck Row to RAF Mildenhall AFB in England in the mid-1980s, I stopped at a man's roadside second-hand shop. He had a huge old, round, black, baking pan filled with several dozen of a dozen differently-shaped tart pans (& all the dariole molds above) for only £5 (about $7.50!). Some are the dark black steel ones below. As to collecting home-baking-related artifacts in Europe for historical preservation, this would have been my first treasured keepsake relating to our ancestral grandmothers' lives.
**Almost all of the tart pans are between a 2" x 4" size. Some have exquisite detail for being so small!
A German "Vanilla Sticks Baking Pan" ~
Amazingly, when I bought this "Vanilla Sticks Baking Pan" in a German Flohmarkt in the 1989-91 era, it had a paper with it regarding the name & instructions of the Vanilla Sticks recipe it was used for, to make 36 or 24! Today, online, translated into English, the following website seems to have the closest to the original pastry that this pan was made for. I doubt that the original had a cream filling (like a Twinkie) which was most of the online Vanillenstangen recipes.
(NOTE: Translate the website into English with the "Translate" link in the 3-dot link in the upper right of your computer screen.)
https://www.rewe.de/rezepte/vanillestangen/
The AMERICAN PIE!
To introduce this pie plate section, I just can't resist! I have to show you this child's 1953 Mattel musical windup toy. The blackbirds are of plastic and very delicate, so only one survived in tact when I found this in an antique-type shop in 2025! In searching online, there was a red wooden ball on the center post. After winding this to play the tune, the birds would pop out. Then pushing the post down, the birds were lowered back into the pie, ready for the next windup😀!
When kids grew up, especially in the first half of the 1900s, "everyone?!?" knew & could recite a couple dozen nursery rhymes by heart, & were familiar with a few dozen additional others, including "short story" fairy tales & folk tales, plus could eventually sing a least the 1st verse of dozens of kids' & patriotic songs "by heart," (i.e. by memory), & hymns if your parents took you to church. This learning was from books, & music came from the school, church, radio, 4-H & other clubs, records, sing-a-long groups, or someone playing an instrument at home (especially a piano, accordian, or guitar). TV entered many people's lives in the 1950s, & cartoons, Captain Kangaroo, cowboy & comedy shows, movies, & the Mickey Mouse Show also became part of kids' lives. And to top it all off, along came Sesame Street😁.
Sing a song of sixpence
A pocket full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing
Wasn't that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
PIE PANS? or PIE PLATES?
~ Pie Pans / Pie Plates with Imprinted Names ~
Most of these I found in thrift shops in the 2000-2010 years, but now haven't seen one in at least 15 years! Almost every "old" item I've seen in the past 25 years, I've only seen one of, and only once. It was the same with everything discovered in the German flohmarkts. It wasn't as if there were duplicates or repeated items during the 3 years. No. It was almost always a "one time" get it now, or never see it again!
Then here in the U.S., it all became a more serious business after making a trip back to Europe in 2000, after I had learned about "bread museums," & saw the preservation of all the home baking artifacts of their past century. It dawned on me that if I didn't help to preserve the home baking history in my own country, it would all be lost, never known, & forgotten along with the women of the past 1 1/2 centuries. And even if I can't name all four of my great-grandmothers who were born in that period of the 1850s-1870s, some of the artifacts help me to understand what their lives must have been like - no electricity regarding any of the appliances we take for granted today or lights & heat/air conditioning, no indoor water faucets or plumbing, no cars & easy-access grocery stores, & the list just goes on! Can you begin to go back into your family tree? My grandmas-grandpas were born in the 1880-1890 period. Then my parents in the 19-teens, and my siblings & I in the first 10 of the 18 Baby Boomer years right after WWII.
So for all of you in the Millennial and 2000+ generations, let's hope there will be an on-the-land museum for the preservation of this 1 1/2 centuries of our grandmother's home baking lives.
Unless noted, the following pie pans were all found in thrift shops of one sort or another, and generally after 2020. It's been during these past few years in the thrift shops, that it was very noticeable in the kitchenwares' sections, that another era of folks (from the 1920s-1960s) was rapidly disappearing. Items from people in their '70s-100 who had things from their moms, & then through their own years, were now showing up in the thrift shops (if they hadn't been thrown out!). And I knew that if they weren't a part of this NBM artifact-treasury, preservation project, the history for most would disappear with the lives of those who couldn't have fed their families - relatives - neighbors - friends - & others without the benefit of these "tools."
Hexagonal 9" aluminum pie plates from the 1920s through the 1970s. They were designed to help cut even slices, but judging by all the scratch marks, people didn't cut according to the unseen guide lines!
Pie Pans, enamelware, 9-10"rd x 1.25"; $7 for the 3, TS
Enamelware is usually steel coated with a smooth enamel finish. It is said to have been created in the 1800s in Europe and the U.S., and is lightweight and durable. The drawback is that it does wear out and chips, but it can also last more than a lifetime! It's been made in many colors and some patterns/designs.
I typed "history of aluminum & enameled kitchen items" into Google & there were 8 websites of "history" articles, 3 videos, & a great AI intro (1.5 MW pages) regarding enamelware & graniteware.
I sure wish I had the story of this grandmother's baking life with this pan! What a treasure it was for her (& now is for you & me).
An aluminum inside, & enameled outside, pie plate with the famous Libby's canned pumpkin & Pet 's canned Evaporated Milk "Pumpkin Pie" recipe on the back/bottom.
"LOVE WARE; Deep Glass Pie Plate; 9" Diam.; 1 Qt.; Oven & Microwave Safe; No Stovetop & Broiler Use"
Pyrex - One of many long-time dishes by this company. It was my first & most used pie plate for over 50 years.
L one: my 9" solid white, ceramic or ironstone; England
R one: my Royal Worcester, Fine Porcelain; "Evesham" pattern
9" round, 10" with rim; Bought new in England, 1980s.
Covered PIE plate, aluminum; 9", 11.25" w/rim; The cover rotates to lock onto 3 extensions around the rim. The hard part is being able to grip the pie pan in order to hold it, to turn the cover to remove it. $3.20 TS
"Bandwagon's Pie Crust Shield" (Bandwagon Manufacturing Company); "Mrs. Anderson's Pie Crust Shield"; 10" round; TS
Some Pie History References
https://piecouncil.org/about/history-of-pies/ (for the 1-minute read from the American Pie Council)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_in_American_cuisine (the Wikipedia report)
https://matadornetwork.com/read/american-history-told-vintage-pies/ (American History through 7 pies)
https://historynet.com/history-pies/ (the History Network's "History of Pie")
https://www.history.com/articles/pie-america-ancient-rome-egypt (The History Network as to "Who Invented Pie?")
https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/piehistory.htm (Another "History of Pies" from What's Cooking America?)
PIZZA PANS
There's not much excitement in a pizza pan! And generally a solid or perforated ROUND pan is automatically called a pizza pan, although it can be used to bake anything that's a solid dough or batter, and to get a flat bottom.
PIZZA PANS
Most of these pans will outlive you in your lifetime. Old ones can usually be cleaned (if stained) with a good scrubbing using an SOS or Brillo pad which is just an "aught 4" (very fine) steel wool pad filled with soap. But if they are warped, they've usually seen their day!
ABOVE -- The 2 on the left I bought in the 1970s.
I began with 2 of the smaller pan, above right, in the late 1960s. After using one for 45 years, a son asked for it as a keepsake of memories😊❣ So for several decades already, we've continued to use this 2nd pan for everything ever heated up or broiled (usually lined with tin foil for meat or salmon, etc., as juices leak)!
During 55 years of the use of these 2 pans, one memorable food item still is/was "Cheese Bread." For breakfast, put a slice of Provolone cheese on a slice of bread & broil it till bubbly. No need to foil this or any other pan to make this Cheese Bread. Have it alone, with a drink, with a piece of fruit, yogurt, or something else - your choice. I can't tell you how many 100s of breakfasts we had like this!
SPECIALTIES & BAKING "DISHES"
Not everything "baked" in the oven (vs. on a griddle or other item on the stove top) is in a "pan." There are several common baked food items which are distinguished by the shape of the "dish" they are baked in. So let's take a look.
SOUFFLE ~ QUICHE
SOUFFLE Dishes - purchased new in England in the 1980s
QUICHE Pan
Most quiche recipes use a crust. There was a day in our early family years when there was enough meat for one serving, but four of us (example: a cup of diced ham). I had never had a quiche, but had enough of whatever all the ingredients were, & could easily roll out a pie crust. That began a new baking venture of always trying new quiche recipes for flavors, the custard-type consistency, etc., but I never had the money to buy an actual quiche plate - pan - dish, or whatever you're familiar with. I always used my 10", sloping-sided pie plate which worked just great! Then, when in England & going to the yearly January & July "China" factory sales in Stoke-on-Trent, I found this one.
The difference between a quiche & pie plate? . . . the sides! The "American" pie slopes while the quiche is "more European" with the straight sides for their 100s of tarts . . . that's all! And when I ordered my first quiche in a London restaurant, it was served "room temp," not hot! . . . another surprise!!
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