Fat Daddio's PHA-8 Anodized Aluminum Hemisphere Pan, 8 x 4 Inch

Well made! Super easy to clean and use for fun cakes. I had so much fun using this to create the shell for a turtle cake! The kids loved it. My only suggestion would be to have a little stand that comes with it to provide more stability when putting it into the oven and removing it to keep pan from rolling around. I had to brace this with two other pans to keep from spilling

This is another wonderful Fat Daddio pan. My particular order was wrong, but the pan is great. First, what is right: the pan, even though there isn't anything to hold it still, stays upright. I didn't use anything on the counter or in the oven and it still stayed upright--I was very gentle with it. I followed the directions/suggestions on the Fat Daddio website for baking. The only note is that even with a heating rod the cake needed to bake much longer than expected. I used Bakers Joy and the cake came out of the pan perfectly. The cake itself came out denser than the other cakes, but that's not necessarily an issue. Now what is odd. I wanted a smaller "ball" to sit on a 2-layer 9" cake so that there would be room for icing grass around it. When the pan arrived, it wasn't the 6.5" I ordered but as I was on a time crunch, I went with it. The label says 6.5", but the pan itself is labeled "8" and the measurement is 8". If I hadn't already baked the 2 9" layers, I would have used a 14" square base instead but in this case time and inclement weather encouraged making-do. Later I contacted Fat Daddio, who responded immediately and were very helpful and kind. Turns out the sticker added to the label was by the seller and it is covering up a large "8." UPDATE: The seller, Cake Supplies on Sale, sent me the 6.5" pan after I reached out to them, so wonderful customer service by them, resolving an initial mistake very well by having me keep the 8" pan. Fat Daddio's pans themselves are made well and work well, and I'll continue to invest in them.

Works great once you learn how to use it. I will start by saying that, as far as dome pans go, this one is of excellent quality and there is nothing wrong with the design of the pan itself. Although, I learned while making a watermelon shaped cake for my son's birthday that there are some quirks to account for, and I did end up having to discard my first attempt and sculpt a few layer cakes because my cake would not bake through. The middle turned to a puddle of bubbling goo, while the edges turned brown. For my second attempt with this pan, I made a BB-8 cake and needed a perfect dome shape for the head. I invested in a heating rod (highly recommend it if you're using a dome pan) and I also used a thicker batter than the first attempt, and only filled it about half full. I used a layer of regular 9" round cake for height. I also reduced the heat from 350 to 330 for the first 40 minutes then turned up to 350 until it was finished (about another 15-20). I got the perfect dome I needed and the cake cooked perfectly. This pan does not include a stabilizer, but I found that using the thicker batter, (which really works best anyway), if you spread the batter where it needs to be, tipping in the oven is not an issue. While using a dome pan can be a challenge, it's not a design flaw in this particular pan. Any large dome pan will carry the same issues. You just have to learn to work with them.

I received my pan today and I haven't had the opportunity to bake in it yet, but I have other pans from Fat Daddio and the quality is very nice! The pans are a quality thickness but not too thick so they're usually perfect for cakes. I was surprised that there's no stabilizer bottom on the underneath of the pan -- still trying to think of a creative way to keep this heap of batter from toppling in my oven when I bake my soccer cake tomorrow night, thankfully some of the other reviewers gave some helpful hints (maybe use a bowl perhaps?) The dome on this pan is seriously round -- there is NO flat to it so it'll be tricky to keep it upright without some thought and preparation.... It shipped alone, no instruction regarding temperature or approximate baking times, etc. I think I'll try turning my oven down a bit (300-325 degrees)and baking a little slower so not to over-brown or over-dry my finished product (wish me luck)! And as always use a light dusting of baking spray to keep the cake from sticking. I ordered the 8" x 4" size, and it's a really nice size, looks like it'll make a lifesize soccer ball. Overall I'm happy, but a few thought out little details would have made this a five-star rating! Love the fact that I can use this dome pan for much more than just a soccer / basketball pan... So many possibilities!

I first heard about these watching a youtube video by Gayle Thompson from years ago and I finally found a place to buy them. They are very well made, pictures shown are the sizes I got (2.75 in, 3.5 in, 4 in, 5 in, 6.5 in- I'm still waiting for the back-ordered 6.25 in size). The smallest one I got appears to have a few flaws on the inside- you can feel them faintly I don't know if it's in finish/coating or the metal itself, but when I press raw clay into it it doesn't pick up ANYTHING so it doesn't matter at all. I forgot to coat it with corn starch or something for release when I made my first bowl but the baked and cooled polymer clay popped off really easily just after going around the top edge twice with a bone tool. Really excited to use these more! Update: apparently there is an issue with the 6.25 size. If you order it through Amazon itself or through Amazon from the manufacturer as seller you will be sent a 6.5. This happened to me twice and finally Amazon told me to not try buying it anymore. I haven't found 6.25 available anywhere else online and the return took almost 2 months to register in my account, weeks after I sought customer service multiple times since my returns and refunds usually show within minutes to up to 2hr from dropping them off. I'm not sure what the issue is as the bowls all clearly have their size imprinted on them and on the cardboard wrap packaging.

I make a snowball cake and was looking for the right pan, this is it!

Muy buen producto!

It did the job, but would have been better if there were any instructions on filling and baking for optimal results. It is very hard to bake in pans this size to get the center done. Their website was not real helpful either. I wish they included a baking core which is really, really needed. The center baking rod that Fat Daddios does make and you must purchase separately, is not long enough to clear the cake. It also needs a ring to support the bottom so it sits correctly while baking. Next time I will just bake in a 9”, 8” and 7” pan and carve to round it.