The Best Cake Pans For Spectacular Desserts

This mini pineapple upside-down cake pan is both on-trend (cakelets: so hot right now) and retro (when's the last time you had a cake with a pineapple ring on it?).$36 | SurLaTable.com

Three words: Giant donut cake. Oh, and don't forget the sprinkles.$19 | Amazon.com

The plain old PB&J becomes a thing of beauty when you turn it into a cake. It's easy with this silicone mold, which is shaped like a big slice of sandwich bread. Once you bake the cake, remove it from the pan and slice it in half horizontally, spread the inside layers with peanut-butter frosting and jelly (or marshmallow fluff).$20 | Casa.com

Sure, you could use this pan to make éclairs or hot-dog rolls -- but the real reason to use one is clear: DIY Twinkies. The classic snack cakes are actually a snap to make (especially if you have a box of yellow cake mix and a pastry filling set) and are guaranteed to fly off the dessert table.$9 | SurLaTable.com

We don't know why food is more fun to eat when it's on a stick, but putting that issue aside, the important question to ponder here is: What kind of cakesicle should you make? A few ideas: Dip vanilla cakes in chocolate frosting and sprinkles, or make devil's food cakes and dust them with powdered sugar. (And you don't have to stick to cakes; brownies and cookies work well, too.)$14 | Fab.com

For a small dinner party or lunch, a filled, 4-inch wide cake is sure to impress. This pan's recessed cavity creates space for you to add whatever filling you'd like, from ice cream to fruit to mousse or pudding.$12 for 4 | Wilton.com