Make Cakes Without a Special Cake Pan Using the Springform Pan
There seems to be an endless array of baking equipment out there, and – if you have a small kitchen like mine – buying every single baking dish just isn’t an option. I used to let the lack of a frying pan keep me from making pies, but nothing more; It turns out you can use a 9-inch springform.
As Cook’s Illustrated points out in the link below, the main advantage of the cake mold is the removable bottom, which is also spring-loaded. How you use it depends on the type of crust you are making:
MOUNTING THE CRYSTAL: Place the dough into the baking pan (with the collar secured), pressing the dough up 1 inch to approximately the height of the sides of the baking pan, bake as directed.
ROLL OUT THE SKIN: Follow the directions for the pie recipe, rolling the dough into a circle about 2 inches larger than the pan size and about 1/4 inch thick. Gently place the dough on a springform pan with the collar closed but unbuttoned. Once the dough is in the pan, close the collar and trim the edge to 1-inch with a paring knife.
Of course, this tip is only useful if you have a spring pan, but you still need to have one to make cheesecake.
How to crack a frying pan. Illustrated chef