Cake tin: cast aluminium, pressed steel or silicone. Which one lasts for years

If you bake every week and want a tin for the next ten years: cast aluminium. If you bake three times a year, a cheap steel tin will do. Silicone is for ice cream and cold desserts, not for a golden cake.

That is the short answer. Below is the why, with the good and the bad of each material, and which of our tins fits each case.

In short

• You bake often and want the cake out whole and golden: cast aluminium with a non-stick coating. Our Clásico, 2.5 litres, is our best seller.
• You bake now and then and do not want to spend much: pressed steel with a non-stick coating. Knowing that thin steel warps over the years and the pattern stays flat.
• You want small shapes, ice cream or cold desserts: silicone. Not for a sponge.
• There are few of you at home, or you like a lower cake: the Espiral, 1.8 litres.

The three materials, without the brochure

Cast aluminium: thick walls, even heat

A cast aluminium tin is made by pouring the metal into a mould. It comes out in one piece, with thick walls and a pattern as deep as the design calls for. The thick wall is the point: it spreads the heat slowly and evenly, so the crust browns all over and not just where the tin touches the oven shelf.

It is also what makes it heavy. Pick one up: it weighs like a small frying pan, not like a tin can. Our customers put it their own way in reviews, "you can feel the quality in the weight".

What the brochure will not tell you: the non-stick coating needs looking after. Hand wash, no metal scourer, and with a deeply patterned tin you still grease and flour it. We explain it in how to care for the non-stick coating and in how to turn out a cake without breaking it. And it costs more than pressed steel. Between 25 and 50 euros is the norm in this category.

It is your tin if: you bake at least once a month, you care that it browns on every side, and you want to buy once and forget about it.

Pressed steel with non-stick: light, cheap, with an expiry date

This is the tin in almost every kitchen. Thin stamped steel sheet with a layer of non-stick. It costs 8 to 15 euros, weighs little and heats up fast.

That fast heating cuts both ways. Thin steel passes the heat on all at once, so the edges brown before the middle and in hot ovens they burn. And because the sheet is thin, over the years it dents, warps and the coating cracks in the folds. It is the most repeated complaint from people who come from one: "the old tin warped".

The pattern is the other limit. Stamped sheet does not allow deep shapes, so the design comes out half formed and gets lost when you turn the cake out.

It is your tin if: you bake rarely, want to spend little, or need a format that does not exist in cast aluminium, such as a loaf tin or a springform.

Silicone: releases easily, does not brown

Silicone has one real virtue: the cake comes out on its own. And two problems that cannot be fixed. It conducts heat poorly, so the crust stays pale and soft on the sides. And it is soft, so carrying the full mould to the oven it flexes and the batter spreads unevenly, unless you rest it on a baking tray.

When we read the reviews of people who switched from silicone to cast aluminium, the same line comes up: "we never got that even golden finish".

It is your tin if: you make minis, ice cream, chocolates, cold desserts, or want something that stores folded. For the Sunday cake, no.

The three at a glance

	Cast aluminium	Non-stick pressed steel	Silicone
Browning	Even, on every side	Fast at the edges, uneven	Pale, almost no crust
Pattern definition	Deep and sharp	Flat	Shows, but distorts
Lifespan	Years; only fails through poor care	2 to 5 years; warps and cracks	3 to 7 years; starts to stick
Weight	High	Low	Very low
Dishwasher	No	Technically yes, better not	Yes
Usual price	25 to 50 €	8 to 15 €	10 to 25 €
Formats it does not come in	Springform, loaf	Deep pattern	Anything that needs a crust

What to check if you go for cast aluminium

Not all cast aluminium tins are equal. Four things you can check in a minute:

The weight. If two tins of the same size weigh very differently, the light one has thinner walls and browns worse. Weight is not a fault, it is the guarantee that the heat spreads.

The coating layers. A single layer wears through first on the ridges of the pattern, exactly where the cake catches. Ours have two, water based and free of PFOS and PFOA.

Real capacity, not diameter. Two 24 cm tins can hold 1.8 or 2.5 litres depending on height and pattern. To know which one you need, see capacities and conversions.

The price. Under 20 euros it is rarely real cast aluminium. Over 50, you are paying for the brand.

Which of ours

All thirteen Erreke tins are cast aluminium with a double non-stick coating and cost the same, 29.90 €. The difference is shape and capacity.

Your first tin, or the one for good. The Clásico, 24 cm and 2.5 litres. The classic fluted ring tin, our best seller, and it fits any sponge recipe for six to eight slices.

There are two or three of you at home. The Espiral, also 24 cm but 1.8 litres. A lower cake, fewer leftovers and the most photogenic pattern of the big three.

You already have the Clásico and want a change. The Twist, 2.5 litres, same recipe and a different silhouette on the table. When someone buys one tin from us they usually take two, and in Build your baking set they come out cheaper.

For a gift or for individual portions. The Tetrad, four 10 cm mini tins in a single piece.

What a cast aluminium tin does not do

We say this plainly because it saves returns. Our tins are patterned and made in one piece. That means they are no good for cheesecake or cold tarts, which need a springform, nor for anything rectangular. If that is what you are after, you need a different kind of tin, and we do not sell it.

Frequently asked questions

Cast aluminium or anodised aluminium? Two different things. Anodised is smooth aluminium with no non-stick, used by professional bakers who always grease and flour. Cast aluminium with non-stick is the patterned tin that releases on its own if it is well cared for. For home baking with a pattern, cast.

Do you need to grease a non-stick tin? If it has a pattern, yes. The coating stops sticking on the smooth surfaces, but on the ridges of the design the batter grips unless there is a film of butter and flour. It is the mistake that breaks the most cakes.

Can it go in the dishwasher? Ours cannot. The salt in the detergent and the high temperature jet dull the coating and darken the aluminium. Hand wash with a soft sponge, two minutes.

How long does a cast aluminium tin last? Years. It does not wear out with use, it gets damaged: by scratches, by the thermal shock of putting it hot under the tap, and by burnt residue building up. All three are avoidable.

Why pay 30 euros for a tin when there are ones for 9? Because the 9 euro one is thin sheet. It browns worse, warps sooner and the pattern barely shows. A well cared for cast tin works out at under a euro a year.

What capacity do I need for six people? About 2.5 litres, the size of the Clásico and the Twist. For three or four slices, 1.8 litres. If your recipe is written for a different tin, the conversion table is in the capacities guide.