The Best Baking Tins, According to 11 Local Bakers and Chefs

Bakers are a precise breed. They’re comfortable following a recipe down to the pinch, and they expect the same texture, structure and rise every time. That kind of precision deserves the right bakeware, starting with the tin.

This trusty tool does just as much work as you do. You can nail your ratios, the temperature and the timing, and still end up with an inconsistent bake or a loaf that refuses to leave its mould. The right one conducts heat well and evenly, gives a crisp, consistent edge and releases the finished bake easily – and it’ll keep working like that over many years and thousands of uses.

So what do the experts actually reach for? We asked some of Australia’s best bakers and pastry chefs which tins have earned a permanent spot in their kitchens. Their picks span the full batch, from a workhorse cake pan that’s less than $30 to a specialty madeleine mould imported from Korea. Many of them double as cooking companions, too – just as good at roasting a chicken as baking a lemon slice.

In some families, baking tins are family heirlooms. “I have some of my late grandma’s,” says Alice Bennett, co-founder of Co Bake Space. But since the advent of mass production, it’s become harder to tell which products will actually go the distance, and which will warp after a single trip through the dishwasher. “Not all cake tins bake the same. Some produce uneven colouring or hot spots, while more intricate shapes can leave the outside over-browned before the centre is fully baked,” says Kirsten Tibballs, pastry chef and founder of Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School.

Get it right, though, and a tin will last a lifetime. Here are the best baking tins to shop now, according to the pros behind To Be Frank, Megan Bowditch and more.

Hyoju Park, co-founder, head pastry chef, Madeleine De Proust

What’s your favourite baking pan?

As someone who works in a shop built around madeleines, I feel like I have to choose a madeleine mould! I’ve tested many from around the world, and this is the one I come back to. It can be difficult to find outside Korea – we sell it at our shop because so many customers ask which mould we use.

What do you love about it?

It offers the best balance of clean release, beautiful shape definition and long-term durability.

I love how cleanly the madeleines are released. The coating means you do not need to heavily grease or flour the mould, so the surface of the madeleine stays smooth and the shell pattern comes out beautifully. After more than 100 bakes, ours still releases cleanly and consistently.

The cavities are deep and well-defined, so the madeleines develop a generous shape, neat edges and a clear shell pattern. When you make the same product every day, those details matter.

Is there anything to note before buying?

The mould shouldn’t be heated above 200°C for extended periods. It should also not be left empty in a hot oven, as this may damage the coating or cause the tray to deform.

What do you like about this material compared to others?

What makes this mould so effective is the combination of a rigid metal body and the Silpap Gold FAZ coating.

The FAZ coating is a newer technology. It’s essentially a silicone-based coating applied directly to the metal mould. With this coating, you get the strength and precise baking performance of metal, while the silicone-based surface helps the madeleines release without requiring a heavy layer of butter or flour. This gives you a smoother finish and sharper details, and means there’s less preparation between batches.

The metal body transfers heat efficiently into all the fine ridges of the mould. This helps the madeleines bake evenly and develop golden edges, a lightly caramelised exterior and a clearly defined shell pattern.

A fully silicone mould can be convenient, but it is often too flexible and doesn’t always produce the same level of colour or definition. Ceramic can also give lovely results, but it tends to heat more slowly and is heavier to handle.

Michael James, owner and baker, Urbanstead

What’s your favourite baking pan?

I have two that I like at home and at the bakery. One is the Mondo Pro 25-centimetre baking tin, which is great for a standard-sized tea cake. The other is a Masterpro pan, which I’ve had since we moved to Melbourne in 2009. I use it for crumble cakes, lemon slices, brownies and for roasting veg or roasting chickens. It’s also great for storing cookie dough once it’s made, as it’s deep and it can be covered easily. I would be lost without this pan.

What do you love about it?

The Masterpro is a hard metal, so the heat transfers well and you get good consistent bakes. It’s a great all-round size for home baking, whether it’s brownies, cakes or just roasting off some seeds or nuts. It’s a good size for home ovens and it has deep edges, which means it can hold your bakes, roasted veg or roasted meat inside. It holds up to extreme temperatures in my oven at home.

What do you like about this material compared to other ones?

It’s easy to clean and it doesn’t stain. It’s also not Teflon which I don’t like to use at all due to its chemicals.

Kirsten Tibballs, pastry chef, chocolatier, cookbook author, founder of Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School

What’s your favourite baking pan?

Bakemaster’s Fluted Ring Cake Pan. The shape is timeless, and it bakes evenly and gives excellent colour every time. It’s oven-safe up to 260°C.

What do you love about it?

Firstly, I love the elegance of the fluted design. Secondly, the shape does all the work for you. Even a simple dusting of icing sugar is enough to create a cake that looks polished and impressive. Finally, I use cake tins every day, so they need to perform consistently. This tin has been used countless times and still looks and bakes as well as it did when it was new.

What stands out about this material compared to others?

For baked cakes in this type of tin, I prefer heavy-gauge cast aluminum. It conducts heat beautifully, giving an even bake and a lovely golden colour. This is ideal for bundts as it heats quickly and distributes heat uniformly. The Bakemaster tins also have a double non-stick coating, although I still recommend greasing the tin generously with vegetable oil spray for the best release. Silicone is fantastic for mousse cakes and frozen desserts, but it doesn’t produce the same browning or crust on baked cakes. 

Zee Scott, founder Bento and Bubbles

What is your favourite baking pan?

I’m a real fan of the Mondo bake range. I use the four-inch round tin for my workshop cakes and the 9x11-inch tin for the focaccia we bake for class. I use these for all of my cake baking because they’re consistently reliable. They strike a great balance between quality and value and have held up really well over time.

What do you love about it?

First, they’re lightweight without feeling flimsy. When you’re moving multiple tins in and out of the oven, weight makes a difference. They’re easy to handle but still feel solid and well-made. Second, they’re durable. Mine have stood up to plenty of use and still bake evenly. As someone who bakes regularly, I appreciate equipment that doesn’t need replacing every year. Finally, they produce consistent results. I don’t have to think about hot spots or uneven browning. I know what I’m going to get each time I use them and that’s exactly what I want.

What stands out about this material compared to others?

Aluminum wins every time for me. It heats quickly, distributes heat evenly and gives me consistent bakes. I’ve never really warmed to silicone. This might sound strange but I always notice a slight smell when it’s heated and I’m convinced I can taste it too!

Alec Lowe, group chef, Jocelyn’s Provisions

What do you love about it?

This 18-centimetre size is a great fit for home. [I love the] clean release with barely any greasing. It produces an even bake and it won’t warp or rust! It’s rated to withstand up to 250°C. It’s dishwasher-safe too. No seasoning, no rust, no fuss.

What do you like about using this material compared to others?

Silicone can be an uneven bake and pale; ceramic is heavy and cracks; metal warps, rusts and reacts with acidic batters. This mould is a glass-fibre composite that sits between metal and silicone. This gives me clean release, even heat and total durability with none of those downsides.

Lauren Parsons, co-owner, To Be Frank

What is your favourite baking pan?

We buy our bread tins from Greg Rae at Direct Bakery. We use them every day for producing consistent tin loaves, and they’ve been incredibly reliable over the years. They feature a Teflon-coated interior for easy release and a black heat-retaining exterior coating, and are available in a range of sizes.

What do you love about it?

These commercial bread tins provide exceptional consistency, with even heat distribution producing uniform loaves every bake, while the non-stick Teflon coating ensures effortless release. Built for the demands of commercial bakeries, they’re durable and designed to withstand years of daily use, making them a worthwhile long-term investment. With proper maintenance, they perform well for many years.

Is there anything to note before buying?

They’re designed for professional use, so they’re heavier than some loaf tins. The non-stick coating also deserves a little care – we avoid scratching it as much as possible. 

What do you like about this material compared to others?

Metal bread tins offer the best combination of heat conductivity, consistency and durability. They produce better oven spring and crust colour than materials like ceramic or silicone, while also standing up to the demands of daily commercial baking, which is why they’re the industry standard in professional bakeries.

Alice Bennett, founder and owner of Miss Trixie Drinks Tea, co-founder Co Bake Space

What is your favourite baking pan?

Both Mondo or Fat Daddios produce really good anodised aluminum cake tins, which is my preference. We only use anodised aluminum in our kitchen.

I love these because they are not springform, which means they’ll never leak. They last forever, you can use them a million times over and they’ll be with you when you’re 100.

What do you like about this material compared to others?

There’s no risk of them cracking, or that you’ll spill your cake batter (which is a higher risk with silicone!). They ensure an even bake every time. I’m not a very gentle baker, so they feel quite sturdy and clumsy-proof for me.

Lewis McDonald, co-owner, Idle Hands

What do you love about it?

It’s so simple to use, it will last forever, and it makes absolutely perfect sourdough bread.

Is there anything to note before buying?

Because it’s a high baking dish, I guarantee you will burn the inside of your wrist or forearm at least once. Think of it as a badge of honour – baker’s tags!

What do you like about this material compared to others?

The best sourdough loaves I’ve ever baked have been in cast-iron pots, and I own two commercial bread ovens! The unit turns into a miniature oven within your home oven, trapping steam and baking literal perfect loaves of bread.

Megan Bowditch, co-founder, Prove Patisserie

What’s your favourite baking tin?

My favourite baking tins are by San Neng, a Taiwanese bakeware brand. We’ve relied on them in the bakery for years, for everything from sourdough tin loaves and honey shokupan to banana bread. They consistently deliver excellent results.

They can be hard to find in Australia, so I made the most of travelling through Asia and stocked up while I was there. In Australia, you can find it at Direct Bakery.

What do you love about it?

They’re lightweight aluminium, which makes them easy to handle. Aluminium conducts heat exceptionally well, giving even colouring and a consistent crust every time. Finally, the non-stick finish provides excellent release, so loaves come out cleanly with minimal oiling and little risk of damaging the product.

Is there anything to note before buying?

They’re more expensive than standard tins, but if you care for them well, they’ll last for many years and are well worth the investment.

What do you like about this material compared to others?

Aluminium is one of the best materials for baking bread because it conducts heat quickly and evenly. In a commercial bakery, where consistency is everything, that’s incredibly important. It helps produce an even crust colour and reliable oven spring across every bake. Other materials can be much heavier, slower to heat, or produce less consistent colouring, so aluminium offers the best balance of performance, durability and efficiency.

Valentina Yip, pastry chef, Past Port

What’s your favourite baking tin?

I highly recommend the Mondo Pro Angel Cake Pan and Baking Tray. Most of their tins are made with commercial-grade anodised aluminium and built to last without rusting or warping.

What do you love about it?

It’s ideal for delicate sponges and works particularly well for the celebration cake we offer at Past Port – a chocolate sponge layered with chocolate ganache. It’s great value for money, it’s durable, conducts heat evenly and is scratch-resistant, making it easy to clean.

What do you like about this material compared to others?

Silicone is good for storage, but it’s not very sturdy and is hard to clean. Ceramic looks good aesthetically, but it takes a long time to pre-heat, can develop cracks, and breaks more easily. Aluminium is sturdier and has better heat conductivity which offers consistent cooking times and baking results. Aluminium also reflects heat instead of absorbing it, which allows the bottoms and sides of cakes to not overcook.

Emily Teese, pastry chef, Ophelia

What do you love about it?

It’s a good size – any cake that you want to bake fits into this tin. The spring latch makes demolding the cake from the tin so easy. The metal tin conducts temperature well and, in my opinion, is more reliable and durable than ceramic or silicone.

Is there anything to note before buying?

As the tin gets older, it can become fragile at the latch section and eventually break.

Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.