I am pretty much a newbie and do cakes as a hobby for friends and family. I can't afford to go buy all the wilton cake pans, so what pans would you suggest get the most use or are the most versatile? I already have the standard 6, 8, 10 and 12 in round. I am wondering more so about charater pans, ect. Thanks so much! =)

In my opinion, the character pans are not an investment at all because I can't imagine using it more than once. You can always add decorations to a cake to fit the theme without having to use a character pan.

To me, the best investments would be the more standard pans because they are versatile. You already have the round pans and that is definitely a good backbone, you can use them by itself or stack them for more servings. Other good pans are squares and maybe a half sheet.

Unless you're starting a bakery, I don't see any real need to buy all the pans you "think" you'll be using - I feel it's better to buy as the occasion arises, especially if this is a hobby and for friends and family.

I personally am just starting my own pan collection and am buying as I need them. I also would rather invest in higher quality pans with straight sides (Magic Line/Fat Daddios/Wilton Decorator Preferred). You'll see the difference - I certainly did the first time I baked in them and decorated the cake.

HTH!

Character pans are fine for friends and family. But be aware that if you ever go into business, you can't sell cakes made in the character pans. They are sold for home use only and do not come with a license for you to profit from the sale of characters someone else holds the copyright to.

As far as pans go, if you have a variety of rounds, move on to squares. it will give you a whole new range of things you can do.

Magic Line are, by far, the best pans.

Magic line, magic line, magic line!!!

And another thought...While 3" tall pans are enticing. You may think they're more versatile because you can use them for 1", 2" or 3" cakes. You actually shouldn't use a 3" tall pan for anything but a 3" tall cake.

If the cake is much shorter than the pan, the extra height of the pan sides actually acts as a shield keeping the heat away from the top of the cake. This means the cake takes much longer to brown on top and makes it more difficult to visually tell when it's done. You don't want to start poking your cake too early, too often or too late.

I have all of the sizes you have listed plus three sheet cake pans 9x13, 11x15 and full sheet cake, 14 inch round, ball pan, wonder mold, petal pan set, oval pan set and a few character pans. I agree with the character pans I used them once and there they sit. Unless you plan on doing wedding cakes or tiered cakes I would stick with the basics round and sheet. Most cakes are carved into shapes now instead of using pre shaped pans.