Primary Shapes

• Primary shapes are the most common shaped cake pan.Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
  
  Primary shapes include round, square, triangle, oval and rectangle. These shapes make up most of the cake pan shapes that are available for cake baking. They can be used for basic cake baking, and also for special event baking like wedding cakes and birthday cakes. With their uniform size, these types of shaped cake pans are best used for stacked cakes and tiered cakes, since the cakes inside of them bake up uniformly, and can be sliced for different fillings.
  
  

Character and Novelty Pans

• Some character pans are specific to an event or holiday.Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
  
  Character pans are perfect for children's birthday parties, for adult fan birthday parties, and for holiday events. The novelty pans can be made of lightweight aluminum, silicone and high temperature plastic, which are molded to the exact character likeness. The pans are made by different companies, and will try to showcase the latest cartoons or pop culture items, like cell phones and guitars. Inexpensive character pans are used for holiday baking and perhaps used only for one event, with shapes specific to the holiday like a turkey for Thanksgiving or a shamrock for Saint Patrick's Day.
  
  

Bundt and Tube Pans

• Pound cakes are best baked in tube pans.Eising/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Bundt and tube pans are used for baking pound cakes and other rich, dense cakes, and are generally made of heavy metal or another sturdy material. These types of pans are optimal for dense cakes because the center is removed so there is no chance of the edges of the cake being done before the center of the cake is, a problem with some dense batters. Some bundt and tube pans have very intricate designs on the outside for elaborate baked patterns on the sides of the cake. Pound cakes and other dense cakes don't fall apart like other cake batters, so the pattern stands out better.
  
  

Specialty Cake Pans

• Angel food cake is baked in a distinctive shaped pan.Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
  
  Specialty cake pans include savarin molds, angel food cake pans and springform molds. These types generally create one kind of cake inside of them due to their specialized baking procedure, although they could be used for other desserts. Springform pans have removable sides making it easy to remove delicate cheesecakes from the pan. Angel food cake pans have very high sides so the batter can climb and rise during baking. Savarin molds are shallow rounded bottom tube pans that bake a yeast batter to create a soaked cake with the center often filled with cream and fruit.