No Springform Pan? Here Are Some Springform Pan Substitutes

The other day I came across this luscious mouthwatering blueberry and raspberry swirl baked cheesecake recipe on one of my favorite recipe websites – and yes, I know what you’re thinking, the baked cheesecake has TWO kinds of berries – so just imagine how delicious it would be!

Therefore, you can picture my despair after I read that the recipe calls for a springform pan, which I don’t own. I was pretty upset about it.

What is a Springform Pan?

A springform pan is in fact a round-shaped baking pan made of two parts: a removable bottom and an interlocking band which holds the circular “sides” of the pan together which opens and removes the sides from your dish.

 

Springform pans are initially designed for very delicate dishes that are usually not easily removed or flipped out of a baking pan. Basically, these pans save you from making a huge mess and ultimately ruining your goodies like my mixed berry dream cheesecake, layered ice cream cake, tarts with fruits, and even savory dishes including traditional lasagna or pies.

They’re useful for creating that flawless look without damaging the top, bottom or side of any delicious dish you create.

Since I didn’t have one of these kitchen essentials, I immediately started looking for substitutes through research and I found quite a few! Therefore, despite what the recipe says, you can find a way to make your creation without a springform pan – and it’s most probably already lying around in your kitchen!

So imagine my relief when I discovered that I don’t need an actual springform pan to make that baked cheesecake I was so badly craving!

Here are some things that you can use instead of springform pan in case you don’t have one at home.

Here are 4 Substitutes for Springform Pan

If you don’t own a springform pan at home, you can use one of these substitutes to replace it!

Serve your cake straight from the pan

Serving your cake right from the pan you baked it in is actually a pretty good idea. So instead of sweating over how to make that ideal flawless transfer from the regular traditional baking pan to a final serving plate, serve the cake from the pan itself.

Genius – you don’t even need to separate your cake from the pan! This method helps if you aren’t really worried about having an aesthetic presentation. Then again, your traditional pan could look a little rustic so why not decorate around it and create that vintage look? In all cases, I don’t think anyone will notice the presentation once they taste how delicious your cake is.

Another option would be to slice your cake and serve them into plates from the start; that way your guests don’t even see the whole cake in the pan, but rather just their individual serving! If a guest asks for seconds – and who wouldn’t? – simply take their plate to the kitchen and put another slice on it.

Bake your cake in a silicone cake pan

Silicone cake pans are the perfect choice for when you have a cake that can be inverted from the pan. They also come in many different shapes and sizes.

I love to be a bit playful when it comes to cake shapes; sometimes I go for a heart-shaped silicone cake mold or even a flower-shaped one for a more summer season kind of vibe. When using a silicone cake pan, it’s best to spray with vegetable oil or dust flour on to it before pouring in your cake mix, that way release of the cake is quicker and much easier.

It’s important to note that silicone cake pans aren’t exactly the best for making cheesecakes though. However, they’re perfect for making firmer cakes.

Bake your cake in a disposable aluminum foil cake pan

Just bake your dish in an aluminum foil pan and then simply cut it away with a knife or scissors to reveal your finished product once it has finished and cooled. A great tip for getting the most flawless release of the cake is to put it in the fridge to cool down for at least an hour and then run a knife around the edges before using scissors to cut the foil away.

Disposal foil pans are great if you plan to bring your freshly baked cake to an event or to someone’s house as a housewarming gift – that way you don’t need to worry about taking the pan or serving dish back home. Also, less cleaning since you just throw it away once the cake is all done!

You can find very cheap disposable foil pans at a dollar store or your local supermarket.

Using disposable aluminum foil pans isn’t exactly the best method sometimes since it can be rather time consuming. It wouldn’t be a good substitute for a springform cake pan if you’re planning to open up a cake business. However, if you’re not making cakes every day, it’s definitely a good temporary solution until you invest in a springform cake pan.

Line a traditional cake pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil

You can use any traditional cake pan or baking dish that has a similar size to the springform pan indicated in the recipe. Of course, it is essential to use a pan or dish that would hold the same amount of batter that the recipe yields.

So for example, if your recipe needs a 10-in springform pan, then it would be best to use either a 9×13 pan, a 9-in tube pan (angel cake pan), or a 10-in Bundt cake pan as a substitute. Another option would be to use several pans to separate your batter in – in this case, you can even use load pans or pie dishes.

Firstly, line your traditional cake pan with greased parchment paper or aluminum foil (this prevents it from sticking to the bottom) and pour the batter over it. Once your baked good is cooked, you can gently lift it out.

Make sure when you line the pan to keep a generous amount of paper or foil coming out of the sides of the pan in order to lift it out easier holding the edges of paper or foil. Note that if you’re using a square-shaped pan, line it with two layers of parchment paper or aluminum foil in opposite directions (like a cross) in order to lift out your baked good keeping it intact and avoiding breaking it.

Asking someone to help you remove the baked good would be useful as well. Teamwork all the way!

How to Adjust a Recipe for Springform Pan Substitutes

Naturally, since you are replacing a springform pan to another pan, adjusting baking time should be a given in order to accommodate for the pan substitution.

If you’re using a pan that is deeper than the springform pan, then baking time will be longer. The opposite is true for shallow pans which will make your baked good take less time to finish. It would be best and is advised to keep checking on your baked goodies to make sure that they are cooked properly (i.e. not undercooked or burnt).

Take it out of the oven as soon as it’s done. A good indicator of “done-ness” for cakes is inserting a metal rod through the cake and if it comes out clean, then it’s done!

Also, you should consider the fact that springform pans are usually tall so there might be a slight chance that you will need to split your batter between two pans or one very large pan. Remember that shallow pans mean less time to bake and deep pans mean more time to bake.

The baking temperature indicated on the recipe should not be adjusted; only the baking time.

Also Read:

• Double Boiler Substitute
• Parchment Paper Substitute
• Wax Paper Substitute

Conclusion

Keeping your baked goodies looking flawless from start to finish is tough, we all know the dilemma. Of course, if a recipe calls for a springform pan then it would be ideal to use one. However, in case we don’t have one, then it’s not the end of the world… we know that substitutes exist and we can still eat delicious homemade cake!

So now that worry you get when transferring your freshly baked cake from the pan to a serving plate hoping it won’t break has been eliminated – with or without the use of a springform pan. You’re welcome 😉