My mother used some cake pans for layer cakes that were different from any I have seen in the stores. I suspect she received them as wedding or bridal shower gifts so they were purchased in about 1953.
They were a fairly dark metal or had darkened through use. They were fairly shallow, and had textured bottoms (I think) and a narrow flat lip running all the way around the top.
In the center of the bottom of each pan was a rivet, attaching a half- inch wide strip of metal that went from the center of the pan to the side, up the side and over the lip and stuck out as a tab. When you wanted to get your cake out of the pan, you pushed the tab (and the metal strip) all the way around the pan to slice through any spots that might be stuck to the sides or bottom of the pan.
Does anyone else remember or know about pans like these? I assume they were a patented design that hasn't been made in years.
-- Elyse Grasso