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This is Highly Recommend, a column dedicated to our very opinionated editors’ favorite things to eat, drink, and buy.
“That’s beautiful” was the immediate response I got when I texted a photo of my latest loaf cake to my great friend and baking pen pal, Caroline. “It’s not me,” I wrote back, “it’s the pan!”
Loaf cakes are normally squat and plain—the type of dessert that fits squarely into the “humble and homely” category. But a loaf that’s baked in the Nordic Ware fluted loaf pan emerges like a butterfly from a cocoon: intricately designed and absolutely stunning, an entirely different creature. With its undulating curves and star-like design, the Nordic Ware pan transforms even the plainest carrot cake or banana bread into a beauty queen—no glaze or dusting of powdered sugar necessary (though it sure is nice).
If you, like me, are risk-averse, you might be wondering how on earth you’re going to get the cake out of the pan in one piece while preserving the elaborate pattern. Good news: This pan is nonstick—like, actually nonstick.
But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook completely: You still should spray the pan with baking spray (nonstick spray that also contains flour) or butter every nook and cranny, then dust with flour and tap out the excess. However, nonstick here does mean that if you do your share of prep, the pan will work in your favor, and you’ll be able to turn out a photo-worthy loaf (not an oxymoron) every time.
And while my loaf cake’s beauty was mostly the pan’s doing, I give you permission to take credit for your future cakes. Half the fun of baking, after all, is showing off.